One year after a June filled with uncertainty and unbelief, the mood around UL's baseball program these days is significantly more upbeat as the college baseball season is about to come to a close.
After going to 27 to 41 wins, suddenly the future doesn't seem as daunting.
Instead of somehow trying to survive this scary new transfer portal era, the Cajuns appear to be flourishing in it.
For starters, the Ragin' Cajuns didn't lose such young standouts as Colt Brown, Blaze Rodriguez, Noah Lewis and Donovan LaSalle to the transfer portal, like many fans feared.
"The first thing is retention and we're very excited we were able to keep those guys," UL coach Matt Deggs said. "Now it's just a matter of seeing how the draft goes."
Secondly, the program proved quite interesting to potential transfers with the addition of eight portal additions heading into the weekend.
"I thought we had a tremendous atmosphere this year, especially late in the season," Deggs said of the home crowd.Β "We played really, really good down the stretch and guys watch other teams play. It's an appealing style of play, so there were guys who wanted to be a partner."
The new group starts with five pitchers - the Marshall trio of Charlie Krebs, Griffin Miller and Blaine Albright, as well as Kendall Dove of UTSA and Jackson Evers from Jacksonville State.
Then three position players were added, including Texas State designated hitter Manny Salas, Kansas State infielder Micah Kendrick and most recently Loyola-Marymount catcher Jose Carmona, who hasn't yet signed with UL.
Deggs said the Cajuns may add one more, perhaps two, if the right candidates arise.
Salas choosing the Cajuns opened some eyes early in the process.
"I was really surprised when we saw him in the portal," Deggs said. "He was my favorite hitter in the league this year. We put our hat in the ring and he had a lot of respect for us and we had a lot of respect for him. I think that was a gigantic get for us."
With Lee Amedee graduating, there's an obvious hole at first base, but Salas is also at option at DH or the outfield.
Kendrick could be a potential starter at the vacant second base spot, and Carmona fills the needed role as the backup catcher with Jose Torres now out of eligibility.
UL pitching coach Taylor Sandefur is ecstatic to get three former Marshall pitchers to rejoin him in Lafayette.
"One of the things that excites me the most about those guys is I already know how to get through to them - what makes them tick," Sandefur said of his former players. "I know how to keep them locked in and dialed in throughout the course of the season. β©I know when I go out for a mound visit, I know how to recenter those guys."
Of the three, Griffin is the most likely to contend for a weekend starter role after being a second-team All-Sun Belt performer twoΒ seasons ago.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound right-hander appears healthy after taking a medical redshirt last season.
"I've seen him throw and he's back to 90 ... he looks not 100% back but pretty close," Sandefur said. "He's proven he can get people out in this league. He's always had a chip on his shoulder because he was overlooked coming out of high school.
"You're going to see him talking to himself on the mound. He knows how to use those competitive juices the right way."
Sandefur said he was first attracted to Miller because of "a wipe-out breaking ball who pitched angry" out of high school.
Dove is intriguing to Sandefur, especially if a few adjustments can be made.
"His fastball range is really big," he said. "If you can throw it 95 one time, you can do it more frequently. He's a big guy, 230 pounds, and he takes it very seriously. He likes to pitch with some emotion.
"In my opinion is it's all timing and sequencing related. I think once we make a pretty minor adjustment to the lower half, and we get the timing, rhythm, pace, sequencing down, I think the velo's going to jump, and I think the breaking ball's going to take off as well."
With Evers, "it's a big-time arm. His slider's been up to 87, 88. If we can get his changeup/splitter working, that's when he can put himself into the conversation of maybe being a starter."
Perhaps the most important thing about bringing him so many new arms is to increase Sandefur's options in the bullpen.
"Yes, 100%," he said. "We now have a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things."
UL's offseason also began with assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Zach LaFleur leaving to become the new head coach at Teurlings Catholic.
Deggs replaced him with a very unique option in former ΜΗΠΔ΄«Γ½ star hitter Ryan Patterson. Deggs coached Patterson at Texarkana Junior College, before he played three seasons with the Tigers - finishing with a .353 average, 66 doubles, 50 homers and 174 RBIs over three seasons.
Since finishing his minor league playing career in 2012, Patterson has worked around baseball as a agent. In this transfer portal era, agents have changed the way recruiting unfolds.
"Patty will bring a vast network of connections with him," Deggs said. "It's definitely an out-of-the-box hire, but he's a guy I have a ton of confidence in with comfort with."
In addition to recruiting, Deggs said Patterson will bring some unique approaches to the Cajuns' hitters.
Overall, the difference in the mood around UL's program these days to a year ago are night and day.
"Yes, last year was extremely tough for me personally, but if you don't quite and keep doing things the right way, the game is going to pay you back," Deggs said. "But yeah, the offseason's definitely been a blessing so far. It's been super refreshing. It's been a lot of fun."