JOURNAL SPORTS
Monday was another fine day for LSUS baseball to bask in the glow of an unbeaten national championship season.
Coach Brad Neffendorf and several players were introduced on the floor of the Louisiana Senate in Baton Rouge by local state Sen. Alan Seabaugh flanked by other members of the local legislative delegation. The Pilots were praised for their NAIA national championship and unprecedented 59-0 record.
Meanwhile, Neffendorf and senior third baseman Josh Gibson were named finalists for two of the most prestigious athletic honors in Louisiana, presented annually by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
Neffendorf is a finalist for Louisiana Collegiate Coach of the Year, while Gibson is a finalist for the James J. Corbett Award, which honors the state’s top amateur male athlete.
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has sponsored these awards for decades, helping spotlight the highest levels of athletic achievement across the state. The recognition for both Neffendorf and Gibson comes after LSUS’s historic 2024-25 season, which ended in a perfect 59-0 record and an NAIA National Championship, setting a new record for the longest winning streak in college baseball history, regardless of division.
Under Neffendorf, the Pilots posted a flawless 47-0 regular season, swept through the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament, and dominated the NAIA postseason with eight more victories. The season concluded with a 13-7 come-from-behind win over Southeastern (Fla.) in the national title game.
“It’s the most unbelievable thing we may ever see in college baseball,” Neffendorf said. “They deserve to be applauded like there is no tomorrow. They continued to keep their foot on the gas pedal and got better each day.”
Gibson, a senior from O’Fallon, Illinois, was the heart of the offense all season. Named RRAC Player of the Year, he led the team in nearly every major category: batting .439 with 93 hits, 85 runs, 71 RBI, 20 doubles, and 55 stolen bases. His .534 on-base percentage and .693 slugging percentage helped fuel LSUS’s undefeated run.
He closed the year with a nine-game hitting streak, including all eight games of the NAIA World Series, hitting .429 (15-for-35) with seven runs scored and seven RBI.
The James J. Corbett Awards, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl since their inception in 1967, are awarded to the top male and female amateur athletes in Louisiana. The Louisiana Collegiate Coach of the Year award, also backed by the Sugar Bowl and presented since 1961, recognizes excellence in college coaching across all sports in the state.
The Collegiate Coach of the Year will be announced on June 27, while the male Corbett Award winner will be revealed on July 7. The female Corbett Award recipient will be announced on July 8.
Fans also have the opportunity to participate. Voting for both awards is open at www.AllstateSugarBowl.org and will close on Friday. Fan selections will be announced alongside the official committee winners.