RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech Baseball will play a pair of fall exhibition games as head coach Lane Burroughs and Co. open the fall season on Friday, Oct. 22 against ULM.

The Diamond Dogs, fresh off of hosting their first ever NCAA Regional, will kick off the 2021 fall schedule with a home contest against ULM inside Pat Patterson Park on J.C. Love Field on Friday, Oct. 22 at 3 p.m. The matchup between the Bulldogs and the War Hawks is open to the public and is free of charge.

LA Tech will then travel north to USA Stadium in Millington, Tenn. to take on, 2021 CWS Participant Tennessee on Oct. 30 at noon. Tickets are available for $10 and can be purchased at the gate or here.

The Diamond Dogs finished the season with a 42-20 overall record and a 20-8 record in Conference USA play. The Bulldogs eliminated Alabama before falling to eventual CWS bound NC State in the Regional Final.

LA Tech returns a pair of All-Americans in junior Jonathan Fincher (3.05 ERA in 100.1 innings, 85 SO) and senior Taylor Young (.331 BA with seven HR and 36 RBI in 62 games). Young was also awarded the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove award after posting an .993 fielding percentage with a team-high 151 defensive assists and 31 double-plays turned while committing just two errors last season.

LA Tech return their top four starting pitchers from a team that recorded the second most strikeouts (454) in school history a season ago, while also bring back five of the top eight Bulldogs on offense.

The Diamond Dogs return 24 letterwinners, including Academic All-Americas in senior Steele Netterville and Fincher, as well as this past summers Northwoods League top hitter Philip Matulia and Perfect Games Texas Collegiate League top prospect in sophomore Cole McConnell, while welcoming 24 newcomers to the roster.