Arts
Seth Thibodeaux is the Head Baseball Coach at Nicholls State University. After starting his coaching career at Pearl River CC in 2003, "Coach Thib," as his players know him, is now headed into his 18th year of coaching college baseball. This season will be his 11th year as Head Coach at NSU—he's the second-winningest coach in program history.Also through the years, Coach has implemented his vision for what he knew Ray E. Didier Field could be—one of the most fan-friendly ballparks in the Southland Conference. Nothing better than a day at the ballpark with family in Thibodaux, LA.Two Colonel baseball players graduated this past weekend, which totals 103 graduates in a span of 10 years. Nicholls has one of the top Academic Progression Rates in the Southland Conference. Not to mention, NSU has won 266 games the past 10 seasons.In this episode, we talk about the GOATs (Greatest of All Time): Michael Jordan is the first person that comes to mind for both of us when we hear "The GOAT." We discuss The Last Dance, a documentary Seth often uses to motivate his players. It's how he teaches his philosophy of "tolerance" vs. "productivity."We also discuss Seth's recent Zoom call with former [and first] podcast guest Chase Lambin. He says when Chase spoke to NSU Baseball in 2017, player attitudes were totally changed. Inspired by the talk of "taking it to the pitcher," they handily beat Wake Forest that day—a team that was a pitch away from the College World Series that year.We also get into the importance of character, work ethic and team camaraderie. I ask Seth whether he feels it's incumbent on him to teach his players the fundamentals of good communication.He talks about why he doesn't allow phones in the clubhouse [hint: the clubhouse is sacred]. We discuss how Twitter, Snapchat & texting have changed everything from recruiting to road trips.Seth also tells great stories of guys like Buck Showalter, Bobby Dickerson & former Colonel & 12-year MLB player—the late Darryl Hamilton, whose son fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming a Nicholls State Colonel.We're part of the Colonel family—a community Coach Thib has worked hard to cultivate. And we're fortunate to have a leader like Seth at the helm of the baseball program. I hope you enjoy this conversation as I much I did.