The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs baseball team is set to begin its 56th season at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park, opening the 2026 campaign with a four-game series against the Houston Christian Huskies from February 13 to 15.
The Bulldogs’ roster features significant changes this year, with 23 newcomers out of 43 total players. Nine of these are true freshmen, making up more than a third of the new additions.
Pitcher Declan Dahl stands out among the recruits after being named JUCO Pitcher of the Year in 2025 at Seminole State College. Dahl recorded a 9-3 record and maintained a 3.14 ERA last season, striking out 73 batters in just over 71 innings.
Transfers Hudson Rowan and Nick Greaney from Florida State add depth to the pitching staff alongside Logan Simmons, Cole Blackwell, and Riley Fisher. The freshman class includes Thomas Allen, Caleb Short, Jackson Jones, Drew Ferguson, and redshirt freshman Ethan Judice.
Wesley Scott joins from Ouachita Baptist University after starting nearly every game over two seasons and posting strong offensive numbers including a .324 average last year. Nathan Houston (Arizona Western College) and Hayden Gustavson (State College of Florida) have also transferred in to strengthen both offense and defense. Houston hit .368 last season with 41 stolen bases while Gustavson posted a career .332 average and demonstrated versatility behind the plate.
Freshman Casey McCoy has already secured the starting second base position and was named D1 Baseball’s Preseason CUSA Freshman of the Year ahead of Opening Weekend. McCoy previously earned multiple all-state honors during his high school career at Dutchtown High School.
Eighteen players return from last year’s squad that lost twice to Jacksonville State in the CUSA Tournament but aim for their fourth conference championship since 2021 and hope to make back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances for only the third time in program history.
Head coach Lane Burroughs retains All-CUSA selections Sebastian Mexico, Trey Hawsey, and Brooks Roberson. Roberson was named CUSA Freshman of the Year in 2025 after recording a 5-4 record with a 4.90 ERA as part of LA Tech’s weekend rotation.
Despite missing some games due to injury last season, Mexico led LA Tech with a .315 batting average along with twelve home runs and fifty-seven RBIs. He tied a single-game program record for triples before an injury but returned strongly later in the season.
Roberson held opponents to a .235 average across sixteen appearances on the mound last year while notching sixty-four strikeouts. His early performances included several extended outings allowing minimal runs or hits.
Trey Hawsey impressed as well by hitting nine home runs during his freshman year—one of the highest totals by an LA Tech freshman since 1994—and driving in thirty RBIs with an OPS nearing one thousand.
Returning contributors Zeb Ruddell (a transfer from LSU), Colton Coates (who started all fifty-six games he played), and Eli Berch (primary catcher) are expected to play key roles again this season. Berch threw out seventeen attempted base stealers while maintaining a high fielding percentage behind home plate.
Blake Hooks is LA Tech’s sole representative on this year’s CUSA Preseason All-Conference Team after leading Conference USA with nine saves last season—a mark among Division I’s best relievers nationally according to NCAA statistics. Hooks enters this year on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List following his performance where he struck out forty-six batters over thirty-five innings pitched while limiting opposing hitters to just above .200 average.
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