RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech associate head coach Mitch Gaspard has announced his retirement after five years with the Bulldogs and more than three decades of coaching, the school announced Wednesday.
Gaspard accepted the associate head coaching position at Louisiana Tech in the summer of 2019 after a stint at the University of Georgia as a volunteer assistant coach in 2018-19. Since then, as hitting coach, Gaspard has helped produce five All-Americans (Parker Bates, Hunter Wells, Taylor Young, Ethan Bates and Cole McConnell) as well as 14 All-Conference USA selections.
He played a key role in helping the Bulldogs win three CUSA titles and make NCAA regional appearances in 2021, 2022 and 2024.
Head Coach Lane Burroughs on Coach Gaspard:
“Mitch joined our program the summer after the tornado, when we had no field, no office, no locker room, nothing much, and he was all in from the start.”
“As a young assistant recruiting and trying to prove yourself, you find these guys that are doing things the right way and having success, you try to emulate those guys, and for me, it was Mitch Gaspard, when they did the job at Alabama. We always had the connection with Northwestern State, and I would always seek out Mitch at recruiting events and put myself in his pocket just to learn. I’m sure I drove him crazy. He taught me more things without me realizing it when we were on the field as young recruiters.”
“Coach Gaspard has been very important to me, both personally and professionally, but the value he has added to our program is invaluable. He has been with me longer than any assistant I have had since becoming a head coach, and I have relied on him in every aspect of running a division one baseball program.”
“Coach Gaspard is truly one of the best. In over 30 years of coaching, I have never heard anyone say a negative thing about him. We truly appreciate his time and the sweat equity he has put in here at Louisiana Tech. We wish him and Mrs. Kim all the best as they venture into retirement and spend more time with their children and grandchildren. If anyone deserves to leave on their own, it is Coach Gaspard. They will always be Bulldogs and will always belong here at the Love Shack.”
The Port Arthur, Texas, native will close his coaching legacy with an overall record of 444-331.
Article from: La Tech Athletics
