Baseball: Robichaux guides Pios back to state

Kevin Foote • kfoote@theadvertiser.com • June 28, 2009

Notre Dame coach Tim Robichaux helped guide a young Notre Dame squad back to the state tournament this past season to be named Daily Advertiser Coach of the Year. (Denny Culbert/dculbert@theadvertiser.com)

One season after Notre Dame coach Tim Robichaux felt like his Pioneers underachieved in losing in the first round of the Class 3A state playoffs, they did the exact opposite this season by reaching the Class 3A state semifinals for the first time in four seasons with precious few seniors on the roster.

For his efforts in leading the Pioneers (23-9) to the District 5-3A championship and then all the way to the semifinal round eliminating No. 3-seeded Lutcher, 5-3, in the quarterfinals, before bowing out to No. 2-seeded St. Charles, Robichaux is the 2009 Daily Advertiser All-Acadiana Coach of the Year in baseball.

"I’m not saying we would have won the state championship (in 2008), but we never should have bounced out in the first round,” Robichaux said. "That loss definitely made me very hungry.”

While the come-from-behind win for St. Charles over Notre Dame in the semifinals this year wasn’t as earth-shattering as the opening-round upset loss to Plaquemine the year before, the reaction of his young team with only three departing seniors encouraged him.

"I saw a lot of people who really cared that we lost,” Robichaux said. "You don’t want to jump off a cliff if you lose, but you want it to matter to you and to motivate you to work even harder.”

The experiences of the last two playoff runs for Robichaux were his first two as a head coach at the high school level, but certainly not with the Pioneers’ program and definitely not with baseball in Crowley at Miller Stadium.

Robichaux had served as an assistant five years before becoming the head coach. His full-time job also happens to be Parks and Recreation Director in Crowley.

"It’s a good fit,” Robichaux said. "It’s an opportunity to do what I love. If I had a degree, I’d probably be coaching in college somewhere, but I’m still able to coach baseball and work with kids. I just love it. It’s not really a job for me. It’s really where I want to be.”

Making the season even more special for Robichaux is that his nephew, Austin, matured into being the team’s ace pitcher. Austin’s father and Robichaux’s twin brother is longtime UL Ragin’ Cajun coach Tony Robichaux.

"I’ve been very lucky to coach my own son (Andre) and then Tony’s two boys, Justin and now Austin,” Tim Robichaux said. "His job takes him away from them so much. He’s with Justin a lot now, but he had to miss the state championship game when Justin was here. I’ve been able to fill a little bit of a void with me coaching them.”

It has also helping Robichaux’s progress as a head coach to have a brother who is a successful college coach.

"It’s really helped me tremendously,” he said. "I can call him and ask him questions. It helps the few times that he can come watch a game, where we can talk after the game and I can find out what I can do better.”

In so many ways, his success as a head coach at Notre Dame, as well as his daily job, bring him back to a childhood centered around baseball for the Robichaux twins.

"We grew up at the ballpark and around sports in general,” Tim Robichaux said. "That’s where I go to work to every day, good memories of our childhood.”