Coach/AD: (1981-1982) Mel Didier
Following in his brothers (Raymond) footsteps, August of 1980 saw Mel Didier become a UL head coach.
Didier came to UL directly from a position as scouting supervisor for the Cleveland Indians. In his baseball coaching stints prior to UL he also served as a scout for the Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves, Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners and Indians. Before that he was a very successful high school coach for 16 years.
Mel Didier's 1981 task was makeing a winner out of the University of Louisiana's (USL) baseball team that had gone 19-29-2 the spring before.
In 1981 Louisiana and Mel Didier's team did something remarkable. They went 40-23. Five regular starters batted over .300 for the season, coupled with every pitcher finishing with a winning record. Not to be out done the teams defense came up big in that it recorded 50 double plays which was 39 more than ever before.
Louisiana's Ragin Cajun baseball team of 1982 had one of its most successful years since the first baseball game was played at UL in 1902. Mels comment on the season was "We laid a good foundation for the future this season."
The next year 1982 brought the baseball team 33 wins, third most in school history. The small drop-off in wins may have been - in part - due to Mel taking over the time taxing role of Athletic Director from Sonny Roy. Known to be challenge ready, Mel Didier still produced. He was right about one thing, he put down a good foundation for the future.
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