Saturday, February 15
Lafayette, La.
6:30 p.m.
Louisiana Tech University
vs
Southeastern Louisiana
Photo by: Tom Morris
LA Tech Opens 2020 Season in Lafayette
2/14/2020 4:12:00 PM | Baseball
RUSTON - The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs embark on a unique season with a unique start this weekend, opening the year with a Saturday doubleheader against UL-Lafayette and Southeastern Louisiana before a Sunday matinee against the Ragin Cajuns.
Saturday's season-opener will be the 121st meeting between UL-Lafayette and Louisiana Tech. The Ragin' Cajuns own a 66-54 advantage all time, but the 'Dogs are 6-2 against ULL under Burroughs.
The Bulldogs and Lions will play for the 24th time Saturday evening with Southeastern owning a 13-10 advantage. Tech swept the Lions in a high-scoring, season-opening series last season (13-8, 15-11, 12-8).
Louisiana Tech will open the season with two of 2019's bullpen aces on the bump. Jonathan Fincher and Tyler Follis will make the move to the rotation for opening weekend after anchoring the late innings for Tech in 2020. Saturday will be Fincher's first start at Tech and Follis' seventh.
UL-Lafayette is slated to send RHPs Will Moriarty and Carter Robinson to the bump on Saturday and Sunday. The pair are both junior college transfers. Moriarty finished his junior college season with a 1.35 ERA in 13.1 innings while Robinson notched a 1.53 ERA in 112 innings.
Southeastern will counter Follis with Grant Upton, a sophomore who tossed 23 innings with a 5.09 ERA in 2019.
Game Information
Game 1: at UL-Lafayette, Feb. 15, 2 p.m.
Game 2: vs. Southeastern Louisiana, Feb. 15, 6:30 p.m.
Game 3: at UL-Lafayette, Feb. 16, 1 p.m.
Location: Lafayette, La.
Venue: M.L. 'Tigue' Moore Field
Live Stats: ragincajuns.com/watch
Twitter Updates: @LATechBSB
Media
Live Video: ragincajuns.com
Radio: Louisiana Tech Athletics App (All games) | KNBB 97.7 FM (Games 2 and 3)
PxP: Teddy Allen (Saturday) and Dave Nitz (Sunday)
Noting the Diamond Dogs
After losing 12 seniors to graduation - including a pair now playing pro ball - head coach Lane Burroughs welcomed 19 newcomers to the LA Tech program this offseason: 8 pitchers, 8 position players, and 3 who will play both ways.
The Diamond 'Dogs will play "home" games at three locations in 2020. All non-conference home tilts will be played at Ruston High School with conference series split between Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson, Miss. (Middle Tennessee, Rice, and Old Dominion) and Warhawk Field in Monroe, La. (Florida Atlantic and FIU).
Since 2017, the Bulldogs have posted a 47-32 mark away from home. Last year, Tech ended the regular season with the most true road wins of any C-USA team with 15. The 'Dogs will play 32 road games this season. That's the most since 1982 when Tech went 22-11 away from home.
Lane Burroughs added two new faces to the LA Tech dugout for the 2020 season. Former Alabama and Northwestern State head coach Mitch Gaspard joined the staff as a hitting coach and recruiting coordinator after a year at the University of Georgia, and Matt Miller returned to Tech as the volunteer assistant coach after an All-Conference USA season on the mound in 2020.
With just a single season under his belt, Jonathan Fincher already owns a place in the LA Tech record books. The redshirt-sophomore set a new school record last season by striking out 14.20 batters per 9 innings, outpacing Bulldog great Eddie Holman by nearly 2 K's per 9. Fincher also earned Conference-USA All-Freshman honors in 2019, continuing a run of three straight years with a Bulldog on the team.
In 2019's regular-season finale, Tech relief pitcher/ironman/swiss-army knife, Kyle Griffen, made the Tech record books, appearing in his 33rd game of the season. The Sulphur, Louisiana, native broke the previous eight-year record held by Caleb Dudley (32 in 2011). For his career, Griffen has amassed 63 appearances on the mound - a ways to go to catch Dudley's career-mark (a Tech record) of 110.
Tech batters have a knack for getting on base every way possible, especially via the HBP. The Bulldogs have led Conference-USA in the category in four of the past five years (94 in 2019, 103 in 2018, 84 in 2016, 89 in 2015) including a program record of 103 in 2017. Since 2015, the 'Dogs rank third in the nation in HBPs with 467. Only Campbell (506) and VCU (474) have been hit more.
2021 will bring plenty of changes for LA Tech baseball, including one in center field, where the Diamond Dogs will have to replace Parker Bates. Over the last three years, Bates has totaled the third most games played and at-bats among active C-USA players. The senior is a two-time all-conference honoree. Bates lead the 'Dogs in RBI as a sophomore and junior and is no slouch in the field with just 2 errors in 321 chances in center field.
Saturday's season-opener will be the 121st meeting between UL-Lafayette and Louisiana Tech. The Ragin' Cajuns own a 66-54 advantage all time, but the 'Dogs are 6-2 against ULL under Burroughs.
The Bulldogs and Lions will play for the 24th time Saturday evening with Southeastern owning a 13-10 advantage. Tech swept the Lions in a high-scoring, season-opening series last season (13-8, 15-11, 12-8).
Louisiana Tech will open the season with two of 2019's bullpen aces on the bump. Jonathan Fincher and Tyler Follis will make the move to the rotation for opening weekend after anchoring the late innings for Tech in 2020. Saturday will be Fincher's first start at Tech and Follis' seventh.
UL-Lafayette is slated to send RHPs Will Moriarty and Carter Robinson to the bump on Saturday and Sunday. The pair are both junior college transfers. Moriarty finished his junior college season with a 1.35 ERA in 13.1 innings while Robinson notched a 1.53 ERA in 112 innings.
Southeastern will counter Follis with Grant Upton, a sophomore who tossed 23 innings with a 5.09 ERA in 2019.
Game Information
Game 1: at UL-Lafayette, Feb. 15, 2 p.m.
Game 2: vs. Southeastern Louisiana, Feb. 15, 6:30 p.m.
Game 3: at UL-Lafayette, Feb. 16, 1 p.m.
Location: Lafayette, La.
Venue: M.L. 'Tigue' Moore Field
Live Stats: ragincajuns.com/watch
Twitter Updates: @LATechBSB
Media
Live Video: ragincajuns.com
Radio: Louisiana Tech Athletics App (All games) | KNBB 97.7 FM (Games 2 and 3)
PxP: Teddy Allen (Saturday) and Dave Nitz (Sunday)
Noting the Diamond Dogs
After losing 12 seniors to graduation - including a pair now playing pro ball - head coach Lane Burroughs welcomed 19 newcomers to the LA Tech program this offseason: 8 pitchers, 8 position players, and 3 who will play both ways.
The Diamond 'Dogs will play "home" games at three locations in 2020. All non-conference home tilts will be played at Ruston High School with conference series split between Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson, Miss. (Middle Tennessee, Rice, and Old Dominion) and Warhawk Field in Monroe, La. (Florida Atlantic and FIU).
Since 2017, the Bulldogs have posted a 47-32 mark away from home. Last year, Tech ended the regular season with the most true road wins of any C-USA team with 15. The 'Dogs will play 32 road games this season. That's the most since 1982 when Tech went 22-11 away from home.
Lane Burroughs added two new faces to the LA Tech dugout for the 2020 season. Former Alabama and Northwestern State head coach Mitch Gaspard joined the staff as a hitting coach and recruiting coordinator after a year at the University of Georgia, and Matt Miller returned to Tech as the volunteer assistant coach after an All-Conference USA season on the mound in 2020.
With just a single season under his belt, Jonathan Fincher already owns a place in the LA Tech record books. The redshirt-sophomore set a new school record last season by striking out 14.20 batters per 9 innings, outpacing Bulldog great Eddie Holman by nearly 2 K's per 9. Fincher also earned Conference-USA All-Freshman honors in 2019, continuing a run of three straight years with a Bulldog on the team.
In 2019's regular-season finale, Tech relief pitcher/ironman/swiss-army knife, Kyle Griffen, made the Tech record books, appearing in his 33rd game of the season. The Sulphur, Louisiana, native broke the previous eight-year record held by Caleb Dudley (32 in 2011). For his career, Griffen has amassed 63 appearances on the mound - a ways to go to catch Dudley's career-mark (a Tech record) of 110.
Tech batters have a knack for getting on base every way possible, especially via the HBP. The Bulldogs have led Conference-USA in the category in four of the past five years (94 in 2019, 103 in 2018, 84 in 2016, 89 in 2015) including a program record of 103 in 2017. Since 2015, the 'Dogs rank third in the nation in HBPs with 467. Only Campbell (506) and VCU (474) have been hit more.
2021 will bring plenty of changes for LA Tech baseball, including one in center field, where the Diamond Dogs will have to replace Parker Bates. Over the last three years, Bates has totaled the third most games played and at-bats among active C-USA players. The senior is a two-time all-conference honoree. Bates lead the 'Dogs in RBI as a sophomore and junior and is no slouch in the field with just 2 errors in 321 chances in center field.
Players Mentioned
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