JOURNAL SPORTS
LSUS recently trumpeted its revamped baseball outfield, but hasn’t said anything yet about a adding a vastly expanded trophy case.
After a 59-0 season culminated by the NAIA national championship, there seems to be a crying need for a much larger display.
The latest gem arrived Tuesday with one of the biggest postseason awards, the Rawlings-NAIA Coach of the Year honor issued to Pilots mentor Brad Neffendorf.
It’s the fifth national coach of the year award he’s won this summer, including the College Baseball Foundation Skip Bertman National Coach of the Year which encompasses all levels of the college game.
The NAIA National Coach of the Year is voted on by the NAIA-Baseball Coaches Association (BCA) Executive Committee and NAIA-BCA past presidents. To be eligible, a head coach must be selected as his conference or unaffiliated group coach of the year or lead his team to the Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series.
Check, and check. In fact, there wasn’t a box left unchecked on the spotless 2025 worksheet for Neffendorf and his historic ballclub.
LSUS boasted a 47-0 mark ending the regular season, including 30-0 in Red River Athletic Conference play. The unblemished 59-0 season shattered the record for the longest winning streak in college baseball history across all divisions. In NAIA history, the previous record for consecutive wins in a single season was set by Point Park (Pa.), with 41 straight victories during its 49-5 run in 1990.
The Pilots were dominant from start to finish. Defensively, they limited opponents to a .192 batting average and notched a .982 fielding percentage, both national records. On the offensive side, LSUS compiled a .493 on-base percentage (second in the nation) and a .601 slugging percentage (fifth in the nation), both program records. The team broke additional school records with 665 runs scored, 614 RBI and 388 walks.
LSUS entered the preseason rankings at No. 4 and claimed the No. 1 spot by the first regular-season poll, holding it for the remainder of the season. Throughout the NAIA National Tournament, from the opening rounds to the World Series, the Pilots won every contest by at least three runs, including back-to-back double-digit victories in both the quarterfinals and semifinals.
Neffendorf’s personal awards collection has nine different honors for this past season.
“It reflects the level of investment that our players, coaching staff, and support system put together throughout this year, which directly impacted the success we had,” he said. “My level of appreciation for everyone involved with what we’ve accomplished can’t even be explained. This is a program award. The players, the support staff, and our coaching staff deserve equal or above recognition for this. I am extremely grateful to everyone.”
“What Coach Neffendorf and our team accomplished this season is nothing short of historic,” said Pilots’ athletic director Lucas Morgan. “Going 59-0 and leading our program to a national championship is a feat that may never be matched, and it’s only fitting that he’s recognized as the National Coach of the Year Award. His relentless commitment to excellence, leadership, and the belief he instills in his players have elevated LSUS baseball to legendary status. I am so proud to have him leading our program.”
Neffendorf has compiled a 270-49 overall record during his six-year tenure at LSUS. He has guided the Pilots to four RRAC regular-season championships, two RRAC Tournament titles, and three NAIA World Series appearances