Welcome Home! Gunner Leger Officially Joins Ragin' Cajuns Baseball Staff
Two-time All-American to serve as team's Coordinator of Pitching and Analytics
Head coach Matt Deggs and the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Baseball team welcomed home one of its own as All-American hurler Gunner Leger was officially announced on Friday as the team's Coordinator of Pitching and Analytics.
Leger, a two-time All-American and 2017 semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, won 24 games in his career at Louisiana under Hall of Fame coach Tony Robichaux and ranks among the school's career leaders in starts (53), innings pitched (328.2), wins (24) and strikeouts (288).
The Lafayette native and former high school All-American at Lake Charles' Barbe High School joins a staff which includes associate head coach Seth Thibodeaux, assistant coaches Jake Wells and Zach LaFleur, Chief of Staff/Director of Player & Program Development Anthony Babineaux and Academic and Camp Coordinator Chris Domingue.
"It's a huge addition to our program, it's a guy that I recruited when I was first here at Louisiana and was really looking forward to coaching him before going to Sam Houston," Deggs said. We obviously built a great relationship with him and watched him kick our butt a couple of times, and I know how important he was to Coach Robe.
"He's very sharp and very intuitive. He's a bright mind that will help make us better. He's going to be a difference maker for us."
Leger started 18 games as a true freshman in 2015 where he helped Louisiana to the Sun Belt Conference regular-season and tournament title, along with a trip to the NCAA Super Regional. He earned Sun Belt Freshman of the Year honors and was also named as a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball, Perfect Game and D1Baseball.
The left-hander was named to the Sun Belt All-Conference First Team as a sophomore in 2016 and also received ABCA South Central All-Region Second Team honors. Leger finished the season ranked first in the Sun Belt Conference in both ERA (2.26) and games started (16) and was third in strikeouts (81).
His junior season in 2017 saw him lead the SBC in wins (10) and ERA (1.97). Leger was named the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year and received ABCA/Rawlings All-America Second Team honors. He was also named a third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
"I'm excited to be back. Obviously, this program is personal to me with Coach Robe and how my career went here. This was the first college baseball I ever watched really with my grandfather in the old 'Section A.' It was where I kind of grew up watching Hunter Moody and those guys and try to emulate them and be that type of player.
"I couldn't be a better spot to get my foot in the door and start my career in coaching. We've got a good group coming back and we'll look to build on what they've already built here. We have a long history of success here and I'm looking forward to being a small part of something big."
A two-way player at Lake Charles' Barbe High School, Leger helped the Bucs win the 2012 and 2014 Class 5A State Championships. He earned second-team All-America honors from Baseball America as a utility player and posted 11 wins with a 1.94 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 72 innings as a senior.
