The UL baseball team ushered out one recruiting coordinator after its visit to McNeese State on Wednesday night and soon will usher in another.

Assistant coach Mike Trahan has stepped down to accept a business opportunity in the private sector, the school announced Wednesday.

He will be replaced by former University of Arkansas and Texas A&M recruiting coordinator Matt Deggs, Ragin’ Cajuns coach Tony Robichaux said before leaving for McNeese.

The game against the Cowboys was the last for Trahan, a McNeese State graduate who coached at both his alma mater and at UL Monroe before joining the UL staff in 2009.

Trahan made his decision to leave known to Robichaux before the current season started, and Cajun players were made aware before playing their first game of 2012.

Both sides, though, wanted him to remain with the team as long as possible before actually resigning.

"He was very open and honest and let me know he had to take a step out of baseball right now to take care of his family," Robichaux said of Trahan, who will remain in Lafayette after accepting an oil-field sales job with an Alexandria-based company.

"He can be at home at night now and be at home with his family. People don’t realize the amount of time you spend away from your family when recruiting."

Deggs worked with infielders, baserunners and hitters during his five-season stint that ended last year at Texas A&M, where started as an assistant coach and was promoted in 2009 to associate head coach under Rob Childress.

But, before he stepped down for family-related reasons as well, his focus with the Aggies was on recruiting.

"I’ve spent the last 16 years pouring my heart and soul into this game and over that time it’s taken its toll with much of that coming at the expense of my family and my health," Deggs said when he resigned from A&M in January of 2011. "The hardest part about this is stepping away from this team and coaching staff, especially Rob Childress who I’ve worked with for so many years and is one of my closest friends.

"I will always cherish the time I’ve had here and the memories I’ve made," he added at the time. "Most of all, I’ll miss the players. I still have the burning desire for this game and to coach it, but right now I need to focus on my family and my health."

Deggs, evidently refreshed now, also oversaw recruiting for Arkansas baseball team for three seasons from 2003-05. 

"Our No. 1 priority with Mike (Trahan) was recruiting," Robichaux said. "Recruiting is the lifeblood of you program. So we felt we needed somebody who could come in mid-year and who had an enormous list of contacts and could hit the road running."

Both Trahan and current Cajuns assistant Anthony Babineaux recommended Deggs, who also worked previously as head coach at Texarkana Junior College and an assistant coach at Northeastern State.

"When you spend a lot of time on the road you know who the good recruiters are," Robichaux said. "Mike and Babs both said, ‘Hey, if we can get Matt Deggs, he would be our No. 1 choice because of his ability to recruit.’"

Robichaux said he hopes to have Deggs on board in time for UL’s upcoming weekend series with Southern Mississippi.

LAGNIAPPE: Robichaux said a groin injury likely will keep usual No. 1 starter Joe Zimmerman out of this weekend’s series with Southern Miss. Zimmerman missed his would-be start last weekend against Gonzaga due to a related hamstring injury. "»

Another of UL’s starting pitchers, Chris Griffitt, is questionable for this weekend because of a hamstring injury. "»

As previously planned, Cajuns catcher/outfielder/DH Michael Strentz underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery Wednesday.