Where Louisiana Tech baseball stands on the NCAA Regional bubble entering C-USA Tournament

Emely Hernandez, Monroe News-Star
·2 min read
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Louisiana Tech baseball finished the regular season with a new names etched in the record books.

The Bulldogs were projected to finish second in Conference USA in preseason polls, and they did just that by playing consistent this year and bouncing back quickly when hiccups occurred.

"One thing about this team when this year is over and even now with the regular season winding down is that just every time they get knocked down, they get back up," Louisiana Tech coach Lane Burroughs said. "When it doesn't look good and they're on the mat, they always find a way to get back up and answer the bell and they did it – again."

The Bulldogs (38-18) open the Conference USA Tournament against Charlotte on Wednesday (12:30 p.m., ESPN+), the same team it faced in its final regular-season series. The series win against Charlotte (35-20) included Burroughs' 200th career win as a Bulldog.

Early NCAA Tournament bracket projections have the Bulldogs as one of the last four teams in, meaning there's work to do in the C-USA tournament to solidify their advancement. The chances of Louisiana Tech hosting an NCAA Regional for the second straight season are slim, however. The Bulldogs are a projected No. 3 seed in whichever four-team regional they might land.

Projections show the Bulldogs travelling to the College Station, Texas; Stillwater, Oklahoma; or Fayetteville, Arkansas regionals. The NCAA bracket will be announced Monday (11 a.m., ESPN2).

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"I like where we are," Burroughs said. "I like the space we're in, playing loose and going into the conference tournament and hopefully beyond you need to be in a good space, having fun and playing loose."

In the season finale series against Charlotte, Taylor Young became the all-time hits leader at 280. He finished the regular season batting .351 with 72 hits, 10 home runs, 43 RBIs and 81 runs.

Steele Netterville set the program's career doubles record earlier this season against Florida Atlantic. He finished the regular season batting .311 with 69 hits, 13 doubles, 13 home runs, 51 runs and 62 RBIs.

On the mound, right-handed closer Kyle Crigger continues to deal, with a 1.43 ERA and 62 strikeouts and nine saves in 56⅔ innings pitched.

Emely Hernandez covers University of Louisiana-Monroe athletics and high school sports. Email her at ehernandez@thenewsstar.com and follow her on Twitter @emhernandeznews.

This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Where Louisiana Tech baseball's NCAA Regional stands in C-USA tourney