Robichaux bounces back, steams toward 1,000 wins

By Bruce Brown

Written for Athletic Network

Tony Robichaux doesn’t waste time gazing too far into the future.

His focus remains on the here and now, knowing the best course of action has been determined by years of trial and error.

It’s a method that has worked so well in 27 years as a college baseball coach that Robicheuax is starting to approach rare numbers in the sport.

He surpassed 900 victories during UL’s remarkable 2013 turnaround season, which featured a 20-game improvement over 2012 with a 43-20 campaign that ended in NCAA Regional competition.

Robichaux now owns a 937-636-1 record (263-177 at McNeese State, 674-459-1 at UL), and at his career pace he will exceed 1,000 victories early in the 2015 season.

“I’d like it (1,000 wins) to get here in a hurry,” Robichaux said with a smile. “Selfishly, when you get in it, you’re in it to win. You have to be careful, though, and realize that without good players and good assistant coaches you would not be able to hit those milestones.

“I’m more proud of the fact that we’ve done it at mid-majors. I teach the kids to be over-achievers.”

Robichaux, whose durable career is highlighted by the 2000 squad reaching the College World Series and winning two games once it reached that pinnacle, has posted winning seasons 15 times in 19 years with the Ragin’ Cajuns including nine NCAA appearances.

But even the best coaches and programs have subpar seasons. The 2012 team won 23 games and placed 10^th in the Sun Belt Conference. There were numerous factors, but what was most important was the rebound that saw UL reach the Sun Belt title game at Tigue Moore Field and subsequent NCAA Regional at LSU.

“If you’ve been successful, it’s easier not to have a knee-jerk reaction,” Robichaux said of the 2012 finish. “When you come to a curve in the road, you can only see the next 200 feet. You manage the road 200 feet at a time.

“You have to be willing to just stay the course. You don’t jump from mountaintop to mountaintop. You have valleys. We were young last year and had injury problems. We lost our hitting coach midway through the season, and Matt (Deggs) didn’t have time to put in everything he wanted to.

“A lot of guys from the year before were still gaining experience. We started the fall a year older. That brought a lot of experience. And the three JC guys really helped out. We started from scratch with the hitters and Matt had the opportunity to put everything in.”

The unexpectedly rapid development of freshman shortstop Blake Trahan was a stabilizing force, enabling Ryan Leonards to take a utility role, while JC transfers like Dex Kierstad spread strength though a lineup that became potent.

And, on the pitching mound, Robichaux’s younger son Austin developed as a 9-win leader.

It added up to a remarkable rebound, one that had its roots with a new approach during the fall.

“The major change was teaching them how to compete,” Robichaux said. “We put the onus on competition, and we competed in everything both on and off the field.

“We divided them up into Bayou Boys and Swampers. They didn’t earn the right to be called Cajuns until Nov. 1. That’s the price you pay for losing. We were looking for OKG’s – Our Kind of Guys – not those who want to be part of something elite instead of being elite themselves.”

The aim was to find players willing to make a positive difference each day, and the results were so gratifying that next fall will have the same amped-up tone.

“Team chemistry is an elusive thing,” Robichaux said. “A leader can make an average team great, but the wrong kind of leader can make a great team average. And, every year is a new year.

“It got to the point where we had to slow them down instead of trying to speed them up. They grew up as the season went on, and developed leadership. We didn’t coach the Omaha team; we held on. It’s the difference between slowing a stallion down instead of kicking a donkey in the rear end.

“That want to excel has to come from within. You have to be firm in your skin to stand up and lead.”

Robichaux points to two major steps in his career for his success.

The first was his youth in Crowley, playing with friends Paul Johnson, Leonard Habets and Jim Zaunbrecher, benefiting from the program leadership of Paul’s father Oscar Johnson.

Then later, when Robichaux transferred to UL from McNeese, he absorbed the consummate professionalism of head coach Mel Didier and the pitching knowledge of assistant Brad Kelley.

“As a redshirt, I had to sit out a year,” Robichaux said. “I was really a senior. They let me help to coach the JV, and I saw this was what I wanted to do.”

Chances to coach followed with American Legion ball in Crowley, in summer league and as a pitching assistant at McNeese, and then at the young age of 24 Robichaux was named the head coach at McNeese.

“I learned about being a pro at it from Mel,” Robichaux said. “He brought a lot of discipline here that he brought from the Major Leagues – things like how to wear your uniform, and even how to accept meal money. From Brad, I learned about pitching mechanics and how to set up hitters.

“I’m a learner. If I stop learning, I’m in trouble. I like to see what others do. I want to over-learn, find out a way to do it better.”

Just as the game has changed, so too has society that produces players.

“Parents have changed,” Robichaux said. “They want their kids to have it easy. Kids today have the gift of convenience. That’s why 48 percent of Major Leaguers today are foreigners. They have to work harder to get there.

“You see it in recruiting, with people looking for amenities instead of opportunities. The challenge then is, how to get them to compete.”

But it’s a challenge that still drives the still-young Robichaux.
“Baseball is a passion of mine,” he said. “I’ve never come to work a day in my life. I didn’t get in this to retire. I want to take the boy and send him out a man.”

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Coach Tony Robichaux and the 1984 USL Baseball team.