Highlights

Campus News

Wildcat Weekly Minute for Nov. 17, 2011

A look at what's happening on campus this week.

Faith

Cleansed through the Cross

Dr. Quarles speaks on the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice at weekly chapel

Sports

LC hoops teams wrap up homestand with pair of wins

Off to Ozarks, UT-Dallas next

Organizations

LC media student give to Toys for Tots

More than 100 toys will help local charity

Campus Life

February is Heart Health Awareness Month

Stay healthy and 'God Red'

Culture

All the Shakespeare you could laugh at… and more!

tlc's adaptation of 'Shakespeare Abridged' pulls out all the stops

Special Coverage

LC brings another successful ‘Follow the Star’

'Christmas on the Hill' and 'Gala' add to festive weekend

Summer Job

by Al Quartemont

LC Coach Mike Byrnes swaps hats for the summer

After serving the past 10 years as head baseball coach at Louisiana College, Mike Byrnes is hard to picture wearing any other uniform. But the one he's wearing this summer seems to fit nicely.

When the group that owns the Alexandria Aces decided that independent league minor league baseball had perhaps run its course, they decided to give the Texas Collegiate League a chance. Knowing that their roster would now be comprised of players currently in college, the Aces owners felt there was an obvious choice to manage such a roster, Coach Byrnes.

And so as the new-look Aces have begun their inaugural season in the TCL, Byrnes has traded in for the summer his blue and orange LC cap for the black and red of the Aces.

"The talent in this league - it's like coaching an all star team," Coach Byrnes said. "These are the best of the best college players you can find."

And the numbers back that up. Before this last June amateur draft, the TCL had 237 players from its teams sign to play pro ball since the league began play in 2004. With current major leaguers like Hunter Pence, Clay Buchholz and Chris Davis as alumni of the league, the Aces felt a switch to such a league would give their fans better opportunity to see some of the Major League players of tomorrow.

"The players in the TCL are all guys that are dreaming and have the ability to play at the next level," Byrnes said. "The guys in independent baseball have already been there or are trying to get there, but most of them are on their way down or are trying to rebound. I love coaching college kids and these guys are still hungry, and that's what it's all about."

Things have had to come together quickly for Byrnes and this year's Aces. When co-owner Eric Moran contacted Byrnes, the LC coach was already into the Wildcats' 2010 season. He had to form a coaching staff, which he did to include Texas College head coach Freddie Rodriguez, former LC player and current LSU-Shreveport assistant Chris Bertrand, and recent LC grad Andrew Shelton also decided to help. To form a roster, all the coaches contacted coaches and players they knew and found enough to put together a formidable team. With the Aces having to compete against seven other teams already well-established, Byrnes was hoping to field a team that would at least be competitive. In the early part of the season which runs until early August, the Aces have so far held their own.

Byrnes also had to make sure he could handle the job on a personal level. That meant talking it over with Dr. Chris Rich and his partners at Mid-State Orthopedic where Coach Byrnes is employed full-time. He had to make sure his coaching the Aces would be allowed under NCAA rules. And there was also the matter of making sure his wife, Colynda, was good with it, too. The Aces job includes a good bit of travel. Fortunately for Byrnes, it's familiar territory, with most of the teams located in east and north Texas, not unlike much of the American Southwest Conference Byrnes' LC team plays in.

"My wife and I prayed about it," Byrnes said. "The Good Lord woke me up one night in the middle of the night and said, 'hey, you're going to be a coach.' I didn't go back to sleep. I woke up my wife and said, 'I'm going to take the job.'"

In so many ways, the Aces' job is a natural fit for Byrnes who has long been an ambassador of local sports in Central Louisiana. The former Tioga High School baseball coach is a familiar face at many local sporting events and was a regular fan at the Aces' independent league games through the years. The only question was whether Byrnes had the time, the energy and the desire to add another coaching gig to his already very full plate.

"These kids make me feel young," Byrnes said. "If I learn something from a kid or another coach to make me a better coach, then I've gained something. It's all about experience. You learn something every day.

"Right now, I wake up every morning and I can't wait to get to the ballpark. I feel really good about (coaching the Aces). I hope the community will give these kids a chance."

After all, it's something their coach is willing to do.

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