BULLDOG MAN (TEAM CAPTAIN FOR LIFE)

CAREER HONORS
Drafted 259th overall (9th round) by the Kansas City Royals in the 2021 MLB Draft
2021 ABC/Rawlings Third Team All-America
2021 First Team All-Conference USA
2021 C-USA All-Tournament Team
2021 Ruston NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
2021 First Team All-Louisiana
2020 Collegiate Baseball Third Team All-America
2019 Second Team All-Conference USA
2018 Second Team All-Conference USA
2018 Second Team All-Louisiana
C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medalist (2021)
C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)

2021: Led Conference USA in on-base percentage (.471) while ranking top 10 in triples (third – four), RBI (fourth – 62), batting average (sixth – .346) and hits (seventh – 79) … Led Conference USA in conference play with a .406 batting average and a .523 on-base percentage … Led the Bulldogs in RBI (62), triples (four), on-base percentage (.471) and HBPs (14) … Ranked second on the team with 133 total bases and 43 walks … Ranked second on the team and ninth in conference with a .583 slugging percentage … Started all 62 games in center field and batted in the three-hole in all 62 games … Committed no errors despite facing 143 defensive chances … Tallied four outfield assists … Finished his career with 226 games played in a Bulldog uniform, the most in program history … Made 201 consecutive starts to close out his career … Tallied a school-record 45 HBPs across his career … Went 9-for-23 (.391) with four straight multi-hit games to close out the C-USA Tournament, posting a 3-for-4 day at the plate with three RBI, a home run and a walk in the C-USA Championship Game (5/30) … Went 3-for-5 with two home runs, a triple, two runs scored and five RBI in Ruston NCAA Regional Final (6/6) … Hit a three-run, walk-off home run at home against UTSA (5/15) …Tallied over twice as many walks and HBPs (57 total) than strikeouts (26) … Had 26 multi-hit games and 15 multi-RBI games … Recorded a team-high 20 two-hit games … Recorded a season-long hit streak of 13 games (4/2-25) … Recorded a season-long reached-base streak of 24 games … Finished the season on a 20-game reached-base streak, his second streak over 20 games in 2021.

2020: Led Conference USA in hits (27), RBI (28), home runs (8), and slugging percentage (.891) ... Also led the team in batting average (.422), OBP (.531), OPS (1.422), and total bases (57) .. Started all 17 games of the season ... Named Louisiana Player of the Month for February after slashing .378/.510/.784 (BA/OBP/SLG) with 4 dingers, 14 hits, and 15 RBI while the Bulldogs went 8-3 ... Went 5-for-9 with 6 RBI in the season opening series against ULL and Southeastern Louisiana (2/15-16) ... Tied a school record with 6 runs scored in a 4-for-4 day against Maine (3/1) ... Finished the season with a 4-for-5, 3 run, 4 RBI performance against Southeastern Louisiana.

2019: Led the team in the RBI department for the second straight season (49) ... His 49 RBI were 10th most in C-USA ... Started all 58 games in center field ... Made just one error in in 147 chances in center (.993 fielding %) ... Led the team with 12 multi-RBI games (five 2 RBI, three 3 RBI, four 4 RBI) ... Owned the team's longest hitting streak at 17 games ... Third on the team in multi-hit games with 17 ... Led the team in home runs with 8 ... Led all of C-USA with 7 sac flies ... Tied his season high with 4 RBI on the strength of two home runs vs. McNeese State on April 3 ... Walked a season best three times and scored a season high four runs vs. Marshall on April 19.

2018: Led the team with 50 RBI and 18 doubles ... Started all 59 games in center field ... Made just one error in 139 chances in center (.993 fielding %) ... Was second on the team with 15 stolen bases (15-for-22) ... Drew 33 walks (third-most on team) while recording an OBP of .425 ... Went 66-for-213 at the plate (.310) with a team-high 23 extra-base hits ... Led the team with 13 multiple-RBI games ... Named C-USA Co-Hitter of the Week on May 14 after driving in seven runs in Tech's series win over No. 9 Southern Miss.

2017: Saw action in 30 games and notched 10 hits in 56 at-bats ... Drew 16 walks, resulting in a season on-base percentage of .378 ... Did not make an error in 30 games played in the outfield ... Went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk against Charlotte on March 24 ... Launched a three-run home run in his first-career game against Arkansas Pine-Bluff on February 17.

PRIOR TO LA TECH: Graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in 2016 ... In his final two seasons at Robert E. Lee High School, Bates posted batting averages over .350 on his way to earning all-East Texas honors during his senior campaign ... Named the 2014 All-East Texas Newcomer of the Year and the 2014 District 12-5A Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore outfielder ... Earned First Team All-District 11-6A as a junior for the Red Raiders ... As a sophomore, he led the team with a .425 average with 27 runs scored ... Helped lead Robert E. Lee to its 14th straight playoff appearance as a junior after hitting .342 with 19 RBI's and a .432 on base percentage. 

PERSONAL: Born on November 16, 1997 to David and Melinda Bates in Tyler, Texas ... Has one sister, Zoe.