by Malcolm Butler
Below are some news and notes from the Conference USA Baseball Championships.
Curtain Call: Sunday’s title game had an emotional ending for a number of Bulldog players as well as Tech fans as head coach Lane Burroughs provided an opportunity for a curtain call for a number of the seniors. The curtain calls began when Burroughs lifted catcher Jorge Corona prior to the start of the top of the ninth inning. Corona went out to warm up pitcher Ryan Harland. However, Burroughs sent out Karsten Evans to replace Corona and then embraced his fifth-year senior as he walked back to the dugout.
“I addressed the team this morning and I busted out crying. I walked out of the room thinking ‘What in the world is wrong with me.’ I was hoping Jorge would get a hit (in the bottom of the eighth) and get on base,” said Burroughs. “But sense he didn’t, I told Miguel Santos to give us a second and he was kind enough to do it. The umpire Brandon (Henson) said, ‘You take as much time as you need for this guy.’ I got emotional. It’s hard not to. The third base umpire (Thomas Newsom) was like, ‘Dude that was awesome.'”
“It meant everything,” said Corona of the opportunity to walk off the field to a standing ovation. “I was getting emotional already towards the end of the game. It was tough. Playing here for the last five years has been a blast. The fans … it meant everything to me.”
Burroughs also provided curtain calls for Kasten Furr and Cole McConnell when they reached base while Logan McLeod and Ethan Bates were given standing ovations after being retired in their final at bats in the ninth.
“I saw Cole his last at bat, he kind of looked around. I think he was taking it all in. It is emotional. It’s the last game they will play here.”
Historic Win Totals: Louisiana Tech’s 45 wins this year is the second most in program history and only one shy of the all-time mark for a single season set in 1978 by Pat “Gravy” Patterson’s Bulldogs. Tech’s 30 home wins this year are a program record. Tech was 30-7 at the Love Shack.
Bulldog Baseball Graduates: While Louisiana Tech was defeating Liberty twice on Saturday to earn a spot in the championship game, the University was holding a pair of spring commencement ceremonies at the Thomas Assembly Center. Four Bulldog baseball players and a Tech baseball manager earned their degrees this quarter, but were unable to participate in commencement due to their obligations in the day’s games. Ethan Bates, Dalton Davis, Grant Hubka, Reed Smith and Brooks Robert will all participate in a small private graduation ceremony this morning prior to the NCAA Selection Show.
Selection Show Monday: Louisiana Tech will find out its fate in this year’s NCAA Tournament today at 11 a.m. when the NCAA Selection Show airs on ESPN2 to reveal the 64-team field. Bulldog fans are invited to the Club Level of the Davison Athletics Complex to join Lane Burroughs and the boys as they find out their destination. Doors will open at 10:30 a.m.
McConnell Runs Stop Sign: Cole McConnell ran through a stop sign late Saturday night and Louisiana Tech fans are glad he did. With the Bulldogs trailing 5-3 against Liberty with two outs in the bottom of the eighth of an elimination game, Jorge Corona doubled down the right field line. McConnell, who was on first base prior to the hit, came around third base as Lane Burroughs threw up his hands to stop the senior centerfielder. However, McConnell raced right past Burroughs and slid in to home head first, his hand just beating the tag by Liberty catcher
“Yeah, I tried to stop him,” said Burroughs Sunday. “I threw up the stop sign, but as he came around third he had his head down and his eyes focused on home plate. He never saw me. I told the team (Sunday morning) that we did everything right Saturday night, even Cole running through the stop sign whether intentionally or unintentionally.”
McConnell’s run tied the game and Tech eventually won in the bottom of the 10th on Grant Comeaux’s walk-off single.
Dalton Davis Misses Title Game: One of the hottest hitters in the Louisiana Tech lineup wasn’t available on Sunday. Senior first baseman Dalton Davis missed the championship game due to what Lane Burroughs labeled dehydration. Davis came out of Saturday night’s Liberty game prior to the start of the top of the 10th inning and ran into the locker room nauseous.
“He was really just dehydrated,” said Burroughs during Sunday’s post-game. “We talk all the time about leaving it all out on the field. They ruled out a virus. So that is good. He just couldn’t keep anything down. He was getting fluids and IVs all day today. He just couldn’t go.
“I am the kind of coach that I like to make the lineup out really early. I like to get it out of the way. These are the guys that are playing. I am in here talking to Dalton and he doesn’t want to tell me no. But it was obvious that he wasn’t going to be able to post. That kid is tough. He played with a broken hand half the year. He just couldn’t make it today.”
Davis was 6-of-20 at the plate with three home runs, seven runs scored and four RBI during the four games he played in the tournament.
McLeod Returns to Lineup: With Dalton Davis out of the lineup Sunday, freshman Grant Comeaux moved to first base and senior Logan McLeod got the start at third base. It was McLeod’s first start since suffering an injury April 10 at UL-Lafayette and he made the most of it. The Sour Lake, Texas, native was 2-for-5 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored.
“He had a great at bat last night,” said Burroughs. “Almost had the game-winning hit up the middle but the Liberty second baseman made a great play. He hasn’t even swung a bat very much. He gets the start … and had a great day for us. Had some good at bats. It’s good. Going into a regional where guys get sick or you have an injury, we know Logan is full speed now. He’s 100 percent.”
State of Louisiana: Collegiate baseball in the state of Louisiana will be well represented in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Following Grambling State (SWAC) and Tulane (ACC)’s wins in their respective conference title games Sunday, it appears as if there will be six teams among this year’s 64-team field. Nicholls State won the Southland Conference tournament title while Tech, LSU and UL-Lafayette should be among the at-large teams come today.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Burroughs. “I grew up in Mississippi and it’s pretty good college baseball. They take it serious. Louisiana is the best. I mean in the country. You give me California, Texas, Florida … I will take Louisiana. Not only is college baseball good, but high school baseball is really good. There are great coaches. There are great summer programs. People know the game and they teach, and they develop these guys. I am telling you, guys like Grant Comeaux that play at Barbe (High School) and our guys from West Monroe … when they get here, they know how to play. You don’t have to spend a lot of time teaching them the game. Baseball is taken seriously in this state. Six teams to a regional … that’s all you need to know about the state of baseball in Louisiana.”
Burroughs Praises Tournament: Louisiana Tech played host to the CUSA Baseball Championships for the third time in the last four years. Lane Burroughs stopped the media questions at one point during Sunday’s post-game to praise the efforts of everyone at the University for their part in the work that went into the event.
“I want to give a shout out to our administration, all our workers,” said Burroughs. “To a man, every umpire, every person, every head coach …. we do the best job of running this tournament. Running a tournament is hard, especially when you have delays. We have administrators sleeping in my office. They don’t even go home just to make sure everything is run right. From the custodians to the police to everyone. I can’t thank them enough and the job they did to put on this tournament. When you get those kind of compliments from umpires and head coaches it means a lot. I am proud to be the head coach here and I’m proud to be a part of Louisiana Tech and the Ruston community.”
Four Bulldogs Earn All-Tournament Team Honors: Louisiana Tech saw a foursome of Bulldogs named to the all-tournament team. Ethan Bates (RP), Dalton Davis (INF), Grant Comeaux (INF) and Jorge Corona (C) were all a part of the 13-member all-tournament squad. Dallas Baptist (Michael Dattalo, Ethan Mann, Miguel Santos, Jerrod Jenkins) had four members, while Liberty (Camden Troyer, Cole Hertzler) had two, WKU (Ethan Lizama) had one, and Sam Houston (Michael Watson) had one. DBU’s Alex Pendergast was named the tournament MVP.
