Lane Burroughs and Louisiana Tech aren’t interested in taking a step back.
The Bulldogs put together yet another strong campaign in 2022 and reached the Austin Regional because of their success. This comes after hosting a regional in Ruston two seasons ago.
Accomplishing those goals are fine and dandy to the Bulldogs. But this is a proud program that has gradually gotten better under Burroughs. They’ve already made history with him at the helm, but now they want more. They finally want to make that elusive trip to the College World Series, and this is a team that could do it with the return of several key pieces from an offensive standpoint, along with plenty of intriguing arms in the fold.
“It’s really crazy — we obviously lost some key pieces with guys like Taylor Young and Steele Netterville, and arms like Ryan Jennings, Jarret Whorff and a couple of others, but for the most part, we have a lot of key pieces back from last year’s Regional club,” Burroughs said. “We have a chance to be really, really good from an offensive standpoint. Cole McConnell was a Cape All-Star, Jorge Corona is back behind the plate, and we’ve got key cogs like Phil Matulia and others back in the mix, too. Guys like him had tremendous falls, and we also added several impressive pieces out of the transfer portal.
“Overall, I feel very good about this team with the season approaching. We have some arms to replace, but we also feel like we have several guys ready to emerge.”
Offensively, LSU transfers Will Sanford and Brody Drost will provide some protection and will likely start, while from a pitching standpoint, the Bulldogs welcome back lefthander Jonathan Fincher back for yet another season. That’s massive considering the departures of at least a pair of weekend starters, including always reliable Ryan Jennings.
“It was a really good fall for us from a pitching standpoint. I feel pretty good about this group going into the break,” he added. “I think our weekend, as of right now, would be Fincher, obviously, along with some newcomers and potentially a guy like hard-throwing Greg Martinez. Our pitchers took the bull by the horns, so to speak, this fall.
“Offense was our strength two years ago, last year it was the pitching. We have the pitching again this year, but we’ve got more unproven arms. I’m not sure we have the best team since I’ve been here just yet, but I tell you what we are — we’re deep and we have about 12-to-16 hitters we can choose from. We’ve got some really good players.”
Let’s dive into Louisiana Tech’s fall workouts.
First things first, there’s no doubt the Bulldogs have a tough chore in replacing guys like Taylor Young and Steele Netterville. The two combined to hit 27 of the team’s 79 home runs last season, and they also combined for 38 of the team’s 140 doubles.
Replacing that type of production won’t be easy, but the Bulldogs return several key cogs, and add plenty of talented pieces to the formula.
The leading returning hitter is outfielder Cole McConnell, who put together a strong summer. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder, hit .336 with nine home runs and a whopping 76 RBIs last season, and he’s back in the mix to lead the way in the outfield. Meanwhile, backstop Jorge Corona is back for yet another season, and he, too, has huge power with 16 home runs and 62 RBIs last season. Logan McLeod, who hit .280 last season, is back for another campaign, and Adarius Myers and Phil Matulia are two seasoned sluggers that will have massive roles in the spring. Burroughs said both veterans had strong falls at the plate, and the two combined to hit 34 doubles and 13 homers last season. Baylor Cobb could also factor into the mix in some capacity.
“Offensively, if you look at the guys we have coming back, you feel like you’re in good shape to have a strong offense,” Burroughs said. “I thought Myers and Matulia, in particular, had tremendous falls.”
Two LSU transfers — Will Safford and Brody Drost — are expected to make an immediate impact in the spring. Safford and Drost had limited action for the Tigers last season, but both made a strong impression this fall. Drost is still coming back from a back injury, but Burroughs said he has the talent to be the ‘best player on the team’. That’s a bold statement to say the least, but Burroughs said the ball comes off his bat a little different in the batting cage. Meanwhile, Safford, who will play second base or shortstop, was an immediate different maker this fall. He proved to be a run producer with five home runs in 14 or 15 intrasquads, per Burroughs.
“Drost has a chance to be one of the better players, if not the best player, on this team. The ball just comes off his bat a little different,” Burroughs said. “Safford was really good this fall, too. He looks like a guy who’s ready to be a difference maker here. He’s going to be a run producer for us.”
Another set of newcomers to watch includes Tyler (TX) JC transfer Dalton Davis, Karson Evans, Arkansas transfer Ethan Bates and Wabash Valley (IL) JC transfer Jonathan Hogart. Davis proved to be a talented hitter in the fall, and Burroughs said he should occupy the three-hole in the lineup. Evans originally committed to Houston out of high school and impressed during the fall. He has a chance to occupy first base or sit in the designated hitter role. Bates, too, was good this fall and should help the Bulldogs both at the plate and on the mound, and Hogart is a 6-foot-2, 215-pounder, who has a good chance to leadoff for the Bulldogs.
While losing 41 starts from last year’s team is suboptimal, the Bulldogs can take solace in the fact that redshirt senior lefthanded pitcher Jonathan Fincher is back in the mix.
I joked with Burroughs during our call that it seemed like Fincher had been in Ruston for a decade. He remarked back that he thought Fincher recently just turned 25. At any rate, the 6-foot-3, 240-pounder, is such a huge piece to this team. He finished last season with a 3.52 ERA in 79.1 innings of work, along with immaculate command — just nine walks. He’s a ‘what you see is what you get’ type of pitcher, and Burroughs loves that about him.
Junior righthander Greg Martinez is a veteran expected to take a big step forward and claim his spot in the weekend rotation. Martinez is a 6-foot-3, 205-pounder, who made eight starts and appeared in 24 games last season. He admittedly struggled at times with an ERA north of five. However, the righty had a terrific fall, and his fastball was up to 97-98 mph this fall, along with solid spin rates on his secondary offerings. Burroughs said the Yankees called about Martinez before the MLB draft, but he was content on going back to school for another season. Clearly, if he has a strong 2023 and shows that type of velocity, he will climb the draft boards.
Texas A&M transfer righthander Rawley Hector caught Burroughs’ attention during the fall, too. Hector is a 6-foot-2, 200-pounder, who made nine appearances for the Aggies last season but also had an ERA north of seven. With more work this fall, however, he has shown immense improvement. He has been anywhere from 88-92 mph with his fastball. And though he won’t overpower hitters at times, he has a strong breaking ball with command.
“He really knows how to pitch. He’s not going out there trying to overpower you in every way,” Burroughs said. “It’s not really overpowering stuff, but it’s Greg Maddux-like [Burroughs wasn’t comping him to Greg Maddux] in the sense that he really just commands the zone well, while also knowing how to move the ball well. He’s intense and knows the game. The guys play really hard behind him.”
Two junior college transfers to watch in the starting mix — likely the midweek to start the 2023 campaign — are righthanders Isaac Crabb and Grant Hubka. Crabb, a 6-foot-2, 205-pounder, struggled at Wabash Valley (IL) last season, but Burroughs said he showed some serious upside at times this fall. He’s anywhere from 91-94 mph with his fastball and has a quality breaking ball. As for Hubka, he’s an Iowa Western product who was up to 93-94 mph with his fastball and with a promising breaking ball this fall.
Some additional arms to watch include returning righthander Landon Tomkins, freshman Nick Fraginals and young arm Ryan Harland. Tomkins made 24 appearances last season and tallied a 3.45 ERA. He will replace rock-solid reliever Kyle Crigger in the bullpen, and he had a strong fall with a fastball up to 96 mph. Meanwhile, Fraginals is coming off Tommy John surgery and was terrific this fall. He’s ultra-competitive and Burroughs feels like he will become a significant factor as he gains more experience. As for Harland, he made 19 appearances and one start last season and tallied a 3.21 ERA in 42 innings. He, too, will be a big piece of what Louisiana Tech is trying to do on the mound in the spring.
