LAFAYETTE — The spring season is known to bring showers to the southwest, but it was raining championships for Louisiana sports.
"It reinforces everything we're trying to accomplish here", says Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics. "First and foremost, we're trying to educate and graduate young men and women. Two, we want to compete for and win championships and three, we want to make this university and community proud."
Men's basketball would get the ball rolling winning the Sunbelt championship and head back to the Big Dance after a nine year drought.
Cajuns golf hooked the conference tournament title for the first time since 2012.
The dynasty continued for softball winning four consecutive Sunbelt titles. They would tack on a Baton Rouge regional victory and make a supers appearance -- their first in seven years.
And last, but certainly not least, Cajuns baseball reaching a regional for the second year in row, allowing them to take their talents to South Beach.
"I thought we played extremely well", says baseball head coach Matt Deggs. "Probably some of the best baseball I've seen played here in 10 years, in that Miami regional."
Deggs considered the spring season a "trickle effect". With all the winning around the campus, it was contagious from program to program -- so baseball knew to hold their end of the bargain.
"Character wins and it still wins. When you mix that with talent, people see a really good product. The thing I was probably most proud of was the amount of people that come up and tell me this was one of their favorite teams to watch", says Deggs. "A couple of people told me this was their favorite team that they've watched."
Now wins on the schedule equals wins in the off season. That includes recruiting, sponsorships and more. While athletics continue to build on their success, the "home" of the Cajuns can only continue to grow.
"We always say that athletics is the front porch to the university. You want that porch to be prestine, neat and in good order because it's inviting for people to come through the front door of campus. So when you win at a high level, that perpetuates pride and good spirit."
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