NATCHITOCHES – After engineering the largest turnaround in Southland Conference baseball history and re-establishing Northwestern State as a nationally relevant program, head coach Lane Burroughs has resigned his position to become the head coach at Louisiana Tech.
Burroughs will be introduced as the new Bulldogs coach Wednesday.
Northwestern State Director of Athletics Greg Burke praised Burroughs and said the Demons will move swiftly to replace him.
“The future of Demon baseball, which has been led by several nationally prominent coaches through the years remains bright based on the quality of the returning players and another solid recruiting class,” Burke said. “When Lane was hired in 2012, he articulated a vision for the program and has implemented that vision with the help of a quality staff and buy-in by talented and dedicated student-athletes. The foundation is in place for continued success for Demon baseball.”
In four seasons at Northwestern State, Burroughs posted a 113-113 record. In his final three seasons, the Demons were 97-73 and qualified for the Southland Conference Tournament each season.
After a 5-22 mark in Southland Conference play in 2013, Burroughs’ Demons posted a 14-win improvement in 2014, going 19-11 and reaching the conference tournament for the first time since 2010.
Northwestern State averaged 19.7 conference wins per season in Burroughs’ final three years, putting together the first three-year run of at least 19 conference victories in NSU’s 28 years of Southland Conference membership.
The Demons were 33-24 in 2016, winning that many games for the second time in thee seasons under Burroughs, posting back-to-back seasons of 20 Southland Conference victories and scoring a victory against College World Series qualifier Arizona on March 4. NSU finished the regular season No. 47 in the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
“Lane did a remarkable job of leading Demon baseball back to a nationally competitive level,” Burke said. “Even more noteworthy is the culture of success on all levels, including academic achievement and personal development that he and his staff have emphasized over the past four years. He has been a first-class representative of our athletic department and university, and on a personal level has been enjoyable to work with on a daily basis.
“While it is always difficult to lose good coaches who are also quality individuals, Lane’s reputation and resume were bound to attract interest and, in fact, have done so over the past couple of years. I wish he, Susan, and their wonderful family all the best and thank them for the mark they left on NSU and the Natchitoches community.”
In addition to its nine Southland Conference regular-season titles, the Demons have reached NCAA Regional play three times and have produced a slew of head coaches, including four current SEC head coaches – Mike Bianco (Ole Miss, former NSU graduate assistant), Rob Childress (Texas A&M, former Demons pitching coach), John Cohen (Mississippi State, former NSU head coach) and Dave Van Horn (Arkansas, former NSU head coach).
