By Malcolm Butler
Lane Burroughs has poked fun at himself a number of times over the past few weeks when he has gotten emotional talking about his Louisiana Tech baseball team.
He did it again Saturday during the post-game press conference after his Bulldogs saw a historic season come to a close in the Fayetteville Regional.
“You ready to see a grown man cry,” Burroughs asked the media prior to his opening statement.
He wasn’t kidding.
Burroughs has shed a tear or two-hundred the past few weeks, and each time he has mentioned his late father, Lavelle “Rube” Burroughs.
“As my dad got older, he used to always get emotional,” said Burroughs. “I used to be like, ‘You need to get a hold of yourself.’ But I know why now.”
So do we, Lane.
The tears were real. They weren’t orchestrated. They were genuine, and they showed Burroughs’ deep care and compassion for the young men he coaches on a daily basis.
“These guys mean a lot to me,” said Burroughs, choking back the tears. “I love them. They are like my own kids. I am extremely proud of them.”
In a day and age where college athletics is becoming more and more transactional and losing its interpersonal side due to things such as Name, Image, Likeness (NIL), collectives and the transfer portal, it’s this type of coach-player relationship that has allowed Louisiana Tech baseball to stiff-arm any type of major losses to the portal.
Men like Lane Burroughs and Mitch Gaspard and Cooper Fouts and Matt Miller have done such a stellar job of creating a program where guys want to stay for the entirety of their careers. Not an easy task in the current climate.
“I think culture is such a buzz word, and everybody uses it,” said Burroughs. “I am a huge team chemistry guy. I want our guys to like each other. I want them to love each other. I know a lot of coaches don’t put much stock in that.
“I always said when I am a head coach, I want our players and I want our coaches to pull up to the facility and want to go in there. I have been at programs as an assistant where you pull up and your don’t really want to go in. It’s not fun.
“Our guys are at the facility all the time. We run a player driven program. We tell every recruit that they have a voice. It’s not one of these my-way-or-the-highway type deals. Our guys have a voice. My door is open. Those guys come in there all the time. I let them have a voice.”
Some of those voices spoke about what their skipper meant to them during Saturday’s post-game.
“(Coach Burroughs) believed in me, and I can’t thank him enough for that,” said senior Adarius Myers. “I got a big place in my heart for Louisiana Tech and Coach Burroughs.”
“Coach has a special place in my heart,” said senior Ethan Bates. “He recruited me two years ago, and I am forever grateful for that. I would run through a wall for that guy right there. “
As the video of Burroughs’ emotional opening statement circulated throughout the social media world Saturday evening, even former Bulldog players talked about their feelings for LB23.
“This man and the coaches around him helped me be who I am, and I thank God for it every day,” said Cade Gibson.
“I can’t thank God enough for leading me to Louisiana Tech go give me the opportunity to play for this man right here,” said Parker Bates. “He’s a true selfless leader who cares about the well being of his players and strives to make them better men”
Even parents of current and former Bulldog players made their thoughts known.
“(Lane Burroughs) is one of the good ones,” said Lacy Knight, mother of former Bulldog Tanner Knight. “I will be forever thankful (Tanner) got the opportunity to play under him.”
“This man right here … my family and I are forever grateful for him,” said Stacy Young, mother of Taylor Young. “Taylor had the most incredible college career and it was all because of (Lane Burroughs). Baseball needs more leaders like L.B.”
“This is just a glimpse into why our boys would run through a brick wall for this man,” said Teri Netterville, mother of former Bulldog Steele and current Bulldog Slade. “He not only builds and develops them in this game that can sometimes bring you to your knees, but he builds and strengthens their character by his own example. We absolutely love and revere him.”
Strong endorsements from both the player and parent perspective.
Burroughs has now led the Bulldogs to three regional appearances in the past four years, and he has done it while graduating some of the most decorated players in program history.
He was the first to admit on Saturday that next year’s team “will have a different look” with the loss of guys like Bates, Myers, Cole McConnell, Jorge Corona, Reed Smith, Sam Brodersen and others. However, Louisiana Tech baseball has the right leader in place to groom the next crop of Bulldog greats.
“I want everyone out there to know how proud I am of this team,” said Burroughs. “And how proud I am to be the head baseball coach at Louisiana Tech. It’s one of my highest honors of my entire life.”
As a 1994 Louisiana Tech alum and a 25-year employee of the University’s athletic department, I appreciate not only the tremendous success in a challenging time, but even more so, I appreciate Lane’s genuine investment in his players and the Ruston community.
He is proud to be our coach. I, for one, am awfully proud he is. Tears and all.
