Baseball End of Season Post

[JayWalker]

Baseball season coming to an end is tough for me. Anyone who knows me knows it's my favorite sport to cover (and it's not close) and it also means the athletic season is over. Thanks to a week in Clearwater, I broke a record for nights on the road this athletic year (67).

We always want more from our teams than what we get. But there is no arguing baseball took another step forward this year.

But as you know I'm not only about wins and losses.

"Chemistry will make a great team average, or an average team great."--Tony Robichaux

During my post game close, I said that I've now covered 93 UL men's teams. And, I said, I've never run into a group of young men like this group. Young men of extreme character. Young men devoted to their school, their coaches and each other. NEVER have I seen a team with the chemistry I saw this season. Players sitting the bench were great teammates. Watching this team share hugs with one another before and after each game.....this team accepted tough coaching (and trust me, this isn't an easy staff to play for)...wait....they not only accepted it, they embraced it. They asked for it.

In the regional we were competitive against a couple of really good teams. We didn't lose to Texas, we just got beat by two great defensive plays. Miami was a great offensive team (YoYo Morales was the best player I saw this year, hands down. He'll be on a fast track to the big leagues.) We were still in it up until the last AB, and that's about all you can ask.

The leadership on this team was incredible. The senior class carried the mantra for the most part. They held each other accountable and they were demanding.

We talk about Matt Deggs having "His Guys". He was almost there last season. This year, they were all about what Deggs wanted. When his career is finished, this will go down as one of his favorite teams of all time.

We'll lose some talent. Hammond and Rawls will be gone from the staff. Nezuh's stock went way up late in the season and I expect him to be drafted. Fluno might get drafted as well. But we will still return some good arms. McGehee will be healthy. Fluno (if he returns) will be in the weekend rotation. Etheridge came on at the end of the season and I expect him to be better as he just "celebrated" a year post TJ. Marshall will be better as well. I like Cash. Moody has another year....you get the message.

Offensively, Willis, Veillon, Marusak and Hood were all seniors. Higgs may get drafted, but he's a sophomore in eligibility so he has bargaining power. Rocco and Brock will go in the Top ten rounds, maybe even earlier.

But even if we didn't recruit anyone, we'd still be ok. There was a lot of young talent on this team that "worked while they waited." Zambo is back...so is LeJeune and Amadee. Stelly and Yuhasz in the outfield. All of them have talent.

We've recruited well from what I understand. I think we have multiple players in this class that could get drafted, and that hasn't happened in quite some time.

I get that most of you are results oriented when it comes to fandom. Nothing wrong with that....but some of you made some judgments about this team that were pretty unfair..especially since the results weren't totally known at the time. But that's OK. We all lived through it.

I have never been so honored and privileged to be a part of a Cajuns' team like this one. I guess that's why the end of this particular season has hit me so hard. All of these young men will be successful.

"We love each other more than we love baseball."--Dylan Theut

Oh, about Dylan. He's having TJ in August and will stay at UL and work on his masters. He'll miss the 2024 season but plans to pitch in 2025, his last year of eligibility. If all this pans out, he'll leave here with a Masters Degree.

I'll be on hiatus from this board for the summer. I've got some family I want to see, some friends I want to visit and a couple of health tests I need to get done. If you need to contact me, try iamjaybirdwalker@outlook.com.

God willing I'll be back for year #32 this fall.

God bless and GEAUX CAJUNS.

[CajunVic]

Thanks Jay for being a great Ragin Cajun . . . I like all the time fans . ..

[Turbine]

Have an enjoyable, safe and fulfilling summer Jay.

Come back fully recharged.

[Dad04]

Thank you for bringing us in the the action leading up to your wonderful post crystalizing the year. So much forward progress this year. The trajectory is just awesome.

[cajun55]

Thanks Jay for all you do for our University. I got to work with you many years ago as a student worker and saw your dedication and passion first hand. It's great to see what is happening with the program. I know Coach Robe would be (is) so proud that everything he built is continuing to grow and evolve under coach Deggs. It's great to know that the foundation is strong, Exciting times for Cajun baseball ahead!

[Grantvb]

Stay healthy Jay. See you for pigskin season

[RedTails]

Thanks for the season summation, always good to hear from you about behind-the-curtain stuff we don't get to see.

Hope we can hold onto Nezuh and Fluno! "Nezuh and Flu, what you gonna do?"

[ZoomZoom]

Baseball season coming to an end is tough for me. Anyone who knows me knows it's my favorite sport to cover (and it's not close) and it also means the athletic season is over. Thanks to a week in Clearwater, I broke a record for nights on the road this athletic year (67).

We always want more from our teams than what we get. But there is no arguing baseball took another step forward this year.

But as you know I'm not only about wins and losses.

"Chemistry will make a great team average, or an average team great."--Tony Robichaux

During my post game close, I said that I've now covered 93 UL men's teams. And, I said, I've never run into a group of young men like this group. Young men of extreme character. Young men devoted to their school, their coaches and each other. NEVER have I seen a team with the chemistry I saw this season. Players sitting the bench were great teammates. Watching this team share hugs with one another before and after each game.....this team accepted tough coaching (and trust me, this isn't an easy staff to play for)...wait....they not only accepted it, they embraced it. They asked for it.

In the regional we were competitive against a couple of really good teams. We didn't lose to Texas, we just got beat by two great defensive plays. Miami was a great offensive team (YoYo Morales was the best player I saw this year, hands down. He'll be on a fast track to the big leagues.) We were still in it up until the last AB, and that's about all you can ask.

The leadership on this team was incredible. The senior class carried the mantra for the most part. They held each other accountable and they were demanding.

We talk about Matt Deggs having "His Guys". He was almost there last season. This year, they were all about what Deggs wanted. When his career is finished, this will go down as one of his favorite teams of all time.

We'll lose some talent. Hammond and Rawls will be gone from the staff. Nezuh's stock went way up late in the season and I expect him to be drafted. Fluno might get drafted as well. But we will still return some good arms. McGehee will be healthy. Fluno (if he returns) will be in the weekend rotation. Etheridge came on at the end of the season and I expect him to be better as he just "celebrated" a year post TJ. Marshall will be better as well. I like Cash. Moody has another year....you get the message.

Offensively, Willis, Veillon, Marusak and Hood were all seniors. Higgs may get drafted, but he's a sophomore in eligibility so he has bargaining power. Rocco and Brock will go in the Top ten rounds, maybe even earlier.

But even if we didn't recruit anyone, we'd still be ok. There was a lot of young talent on this team that "worked while they waited." Zambo is back...so is LeJeune and Amadee. Stelly and Yuhasz in the outfield. All of them have talent.

We've recruited well from what I understand. I think we have multiple players in this class that could get drafted, and that hasn't happened in quite some time.

I get that most of you are results oriented when it comes to fandom. Nothing wrong with that....but some of you made some judgments about this team that were pretty unfair..especially since the results weren't totally known at the time. But that's OK. We all lived through it.

I have never been so honored and privileged to be a part of a Cajuns' team like this one. I guess that's why the end of this particular season has hit me so hard. All of these young men will be successful.

"We love each other more than we love baseball."--Dylan Theut

Oh, about Dylan. He's having TJ in August and will stay at UL and work on his masters. He'll miss the 2024 season but plans to pitch in 2025, his last year of eligibility. If all this pans out, he'll leave here with a Masters Degree.

I'll be on hiatus from this board for the summer. I've got some family I want to see, some friends I want to visit and a couple of health tests I need to get done. If you need to contact me, try iamjaybirdwalker@outlook.com.

God willing I'll be back for year #32 this fall.

God bless and GEAUX CAJUNS.

Good luck on the tests sir. Hell getting old but a great journey.

[CajunT]

Baseball season coming to an end is tough for me. Anyone who knows me knows it's my favorite sport to cover (and it's not close) and it also means the athletic season is over. Thanks to a week in Clearwater, I broke a record for nights on the road this athletic year (67).

We always want more from our teams than what we get. But there is no arguing baseball took another step forward this year.

But as you know I'm not only about wins and losses.

"Chemistry will make a great team average, or an average team great."--Tony Robichaux

During my post game close, I said that I've now covered 93 UL men's teams. And, I said, I've never run into a group of young men like this group. Young men of extreme character. Young men devoted to their school, their coaches and each other. NEVER have I seen a team with the chemistry I saw this season. Players sitting the bench were great teammates. Watching this team share hugs with one another before and after each game.....this team accepted tough coaching (and trust me, this isn't an easy staff to play for)...wait....they not only accepted it, they embraced it. They asked for it.

In the regional we were competitive against a couple of really good teams. We didn't lose to Texas, we just got beat by two great defensive plays. Miami was a great offensive team (YoYo Morales was the best player I saw this year, hands down. He'll be on a fast track to the big leagues.) We were still in it up until the last AB, and that's about all you can ask.

The leadership on this team was incredible. The senior class carried the mantra for the most part. They held each other accountable and they were demanding.

We talk about Matt Deggs having "His Guys". He was almost there last season. This year, they were all about what Deggs wanted. When his career is finished, this will go down as one of his favorite teams of all time.

We'll lose some talent. Hammond and Rawls will be gone from the staff. Nezuh's stock went way up late in the season and I expect him to be drafted. Fluno might get drafted as well. But we will still return some good arms. McGehee will be healthy. Fluno (if he returns) will be in the weekend rotation. Etheridge came on at the end of the season and I expect him to be better as he just "celebrated" a year post TJ. Marshall will be better as well. I like Cash. Moody has another year....you get the message.

Offensively, Willis, Veillon, Marusak and Hood were all seniors. Higgs may get drafted, but he's a sophomore in eligibility so he has bargaining power. Rocco and Brock will go in the Top ten rounds, maybe even earlier.

But even if we didn't recruit anyone, we'd still be ok. There was a lot of young talent on this team that "worked while they waited." Zambo is back...so is LeJeune and Amadee. Stelly and Yuhasz in the outfield. All of them have talent.

We've recruited well from what I understand. I think we have multiple players in this class that could get drafted, and that hasn't happened in quite some time.

I get that most of you are results oriented when it comes to fandom. Nothing wrong with that....but some of you made some judgments about this team that were pretty unfair..especially since the results weren't totally known at the time. But that's OK. We all lived through it.

I have never been so honored and privileged to be a part of a Cajuns' team like this one. I guess that's why the end of this particular season has hit me so hard. All of these young men will be successful.

"We love each other more than we love baseball."--Dylan Theut

Oh, about Dylan. He's having TJ in August and will stay at UL and work on his masters. He'll miss the 2024 season but plans to pitch in 2025, his last year of eligibility. If all this pans out, he'll leave here with a Masters Degree.

I'll be on hiatus from this board for the summer. I've got some family I want to see, some friends I want to visit and a couple of health tests I need to get done. If you need to contact me, try iamjaybirdwalker@outlook.com.

God willing I'll be back for year #32 this fall.

God bless and GEAUX CAJUNS.

Thanks Jay, this team was fun to watch offensively and at times was difficult to watch. But that is the marathon of a season as Coach Rob use to say to us.

[Cajun Monkee]

The final out Sunday has left me feeling a little melancholy. But the effort these cats put out to get where they got just makes me feel warm inside.

We all (jokingly...kinda) talk about "when I win the lottery, I'm gonna..."

I've always imagined making a donation to the reconstruction of Cajun Field. Hopefully, I've won sick money and its an 8 figure donation.

But with that will come some expectations I get to name some stuff.

First on my list of naming rights demands has always been the press box.

I hope you don't mind, but I'm going with the "Bird's Nest."

Thanks Jay. Will never, ever be able to say it enough.

[JMV JustMyView]

Baseball season coming to an end is tough for me. Anyone who knows me knows it's my favorite sport to cover (and it's not close) and it also means the athletic season is over. Thanks to a week in Clearwater, I broke a record for nights on the road this athletic year (67).

We always want more from our teams than what we get. But there is no arguing baseball took another step forward this year.

But as you know I'm not only about wins and losses.

"Chemistry will make a great team average, or an average team great."--Tony Robichaux

During my post game close, I said that I've now covered 93 UL men's teams. And, I said, I've never run into a group of young men like this group. Young men of extreme character. Young men devoted to their school, their coaches and each other. NEVER have I seen a team with the chemistry I saw this season. Players sitting the bench were great teammates. Watching this team share hugs with one another before and after each game.....this team accepted tough coaching (and trust me, this isn't an easy staff to play for)...wait....they not only accepted it, they embraced it. They asked for it.

In the regional we were competitive against a couple of really good teams. We didn't lose to Texas, we just got beat by two great defensive plays. Miami was a great offensive team (YoYo Morales was the best player I saw this year, hands down. He'll be on a fast track to the big leagues.) We were still in it up until the last AB, and that's about all you can ask.

The leadership on this team was incredible. The senior class carried the mantra for the most part. They held each other accountable and they were demanding.

We talk about Matt Deggs having "His Guys". He was almost there last season. This year, they were all about what Deggs wanted. When his career is finished, this will go down as one of his favorite teams of all time.

We'll lose some talent. Hammond and Rawls will be gone from the staff. Nezuh's stock went way up late in the season and I expect him to be drafted. Fluno might get drafted as well. But we will still return some good arms. McGehee will be healthy. Fluno (if he returns) will be in the weekend rotation. Etheridge came on at the end of the season and I expect him to be better as he just "celebrated" a year post TJ. Marshall will be better as well. I like Cash. Moody has another year....you get the message.

Offensively, Willis, Veillon, Marusak and Hood were all seniors. Higgs may get drafted, but he's a sophomore in eligibility so he has bargaining power. Rocco and Brock will go in the Top ten rounds, maybe even earlier.

But even if we didn't recruit anyone, we'd still be ok. There was a lot of young talent on this team that "worked while they waited." Zambo is back...so is LeJeune and Amadee. Stelly and Yuhasz in the outfield. All of them have talent.

We've recruited well from what I understand. I think we have multiple players in this class that could get drafted, and that hasn't happened in quite some time.

I get that most of you are results oriented when it comes to fandom. Nothing wrong with that....but some of you made some judgments about this team that were pretty unfair..especially since the results weren't totally known at the time. But that's OK. We all lived through it.

I have never been so honored and privileged to be a part of a Cajuns' team like this one. I guess that's why the end of this particular season has hit me so hard. All of these young men will be successful.

"We love each other more than we love baseball."--Dylan Theut

Oh, about Dylan. He's having TJ in August and will stay at UL and work on his masters. He'll miss the 2024 season but plans to pitch in 2025, his last year of eligibility. If all this pans out, he'll leave here with a Masters Degree.

I'll be on hiatus from this board for the summer. I've got some family I want to see, some friends I want to visit and a couple of health tests I need to get done. If you need to contact me, try iamjaybirdwalker@outlook.com.

God willing I'll be back for year #32 this fall.

God bless and GEAUX CAJUNS.

Thanks for the great post Jay.

[Big Buds]

Thanks, Jay. This is easily my favorite baseball team in Cajun history. I just love those boys that are leaving. Makes it that much harder that they didn’t advance…but life isn’t fair. Godspeed.