Louisiana Tech (0-0) will open its 2025 season at home against Maine (0-0) in a 4-game series this weekend.

Dates/Times | Friday 4 PM, Saturday 12 PM (DH), Sunday 1 PM

Location | JC Love Field at Pat Patterson Park in Ruston, LA

TV/Streaming | ESPN+

Radio | SportsTalk 97.7 FM

Louisiana Tech HC | Lane Burroughs (268-161 in 9th season at LA Tech)

Maine HC | Nick Derba (154-211 in 9th season at Maine)

Pitching Probables | RHP Grant Hubka vs TBA, LHP Luke Nichols vs TBA, LHP Luke Cooley vs TBA, TBA vs TBA

Scouting the Diamond Dogs

Key Returners | Michael Ballard (.312, 4 HR, 38 RBI), Grant Comeaux (.261, 3 HR, 28 RBI), Will Safford (.198, 7 HR, 24 RBI), Grant Hubka (4-0, 4.08), Connor Nation (5-0, 4.15), Luke Nichols (4-4, 4.46),

It's baseball season, and the Diamond Dogs are set to open their 2025 season at home against the Maine Black Bears,

The Bulldogs finished 45-19 in 2024 and earned a trip to an NCAA Regional for the third time in four years.

Lane Burroughs team was picked to finish 2nd in the Conference USA preseason poll.

Grant Hubka and Luke Nichols headline a pitching staff that is likely to be a major strength of the team.

Connor Nation (5-0, 4.15), Jacob Havern (3-3, 4.61), Nate Crider (3-0, 4.70), and Blake Hooks (1-0, 5.06) also return on the mound.

Offensively, Michael Ballard returns at second base after hitting .312 in his inaugural season in a Bulldog uniform.

Jake Wells, Tech's new hitting coach, is being tasked with having to replace some elite production from guys like Cole McConnell, Ethan Bates, Dalton Davis, and Jorge Corona from a season ago.

OF Zeb Ruddell (LSU), OF Garrison Berkley (UT-Arlington), and C Eli Berch (Ole Miss) are a few names that transferred in this off-season and are expected to be in the lineup on opening day.

Scouting the Bears

Nick Derba's club finished 12-37 in 2024, but the injury bug played a major role in the Black Bears lack of success as 14 players finished with season-ending injuries.

Maine was an NCAA Regional participant following the 2023 season when it finished 32-21.

The Black Bears are picked to finished 3rd in the America East this season.

Zach Martin and Myles Sargent headline returning position players. Martin hit .286 a season ago with 3 HR and 21 RBI.

Sargent, a middle infielder, hit .324 with 1 HR and 14 RBI in 30 games before his season was cut short due to injury.

Colin Fitzgerald, Caleb Leys, and Gianni Gambardella will give the Black Bears a chance to win any time they take the bump in 2025.

Both Fitzgerald and Leys missed last season due to injury, but the trio has combined for over 200 innings of experience on the mount entering the season.

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