HAMMOND, La. – The Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association announced is 2021 Hall of Fame class last week.
Included on that list is former Southeastern Head Baseball Coach and reigning Athletic Director, Jay Artigues.
Artigues recalls the moment he learned that he was elected to LCBA Hall of Fame 2021 class.
Artigues said, “When I got the call, it was a very humbling experience. I was pretty emotional and excited about it.”
Learning that he was being inducted with a mentor and friend made the honor much more rewarding.
“One of the most exciting things about it is going in with Rick Jones. I look up to coach Jones so much. When I was a high school coach, junior college coach, and coach here at Southeastern he was one of my mentors, and going in with someone like that means a lot. It is an honor, there are so many great coaches here in Louisiana. You look at that hall of fame and all the great people that are in there and all the great coaches now that are going to be in there one day. It’s a tremendous honor for sure,” said Artigues.
Artigues got his first head coaching gig in 1992 as Head Baseball Coach at St. Thomas Aquinas in Hammond, La.
His time at Southeastern Louisiana University would begin 14 years ago.
As Head Baseball Coach from 2006 to 2013, Artigues won more than 270 baseball games.
He catapulted the program into the national rankings for the first time at the Division I level in 2010.
“Winning at a place that has never really won before and doing it with the people we had here that’s what made it so special,” said Artigues.
So special that the biggest takeaway from his time as a head baseball coach was the relationships, he built those 7 years.
“Getting this honor, I have had a lot of former coaches and players reach out to me and that’s what it’s all about you know you remember the relationships. You don’t remember the scores and the stats, but you do remember the relationships and that is what’s important to me.”
In 2013, Artigues was promoted from Southeastern Head Baseball Coach to Athletic Director.
A new role that he would approach with the same mentality he has had all his career.
“When I took over as AD I have never been an administrator, I have been a head coach all my life. I looked at it as I have been a coach all my life and I looked at it as I am going to run the athletic program like I have run the baseball program. It’s kind of like being the head coach of a department. Surround yourself with great people, give them resources they need to be successful, show that trust and let them do their jobs,” says Artigues.
Since taking over as Southeastern Louisiana University Athletic Director, the school has won Southland Conference titles in Football, Basketball, Track & Field as well as Baseball.
Inductions will be held at the annual LBCA Convention January 15th and 16th.