Collegiate athletics have changed quite a bit in the past few years. Have you noticed?
The players are paid now. They can make money off of their Name, Image, and Likeness. The transfer portal is rampant. Players seemingly have unregulated, uninterrupted, and total free agency every single off-season across all NCAA sports.
Plenty of these changes have disrupted the flow of things. They have significantly disrupted things at smaller Division I institutions. A promising start to a player’s career at a prototypical “Mid-Major” school almost surely means that player will transfer to a Power Conference school at some point.
It has even gotten to the point where fans fear young players coming in immediately and making a big impact, because then the larger schools will take notice faster and steal them away before they get to flourish at their original school.
The 2026 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team may become a fascinating case-study in the modern world of NIL and how schools of its size can operate.
They entered the season with decent expectations but a whole lot of youth. True freshmen, Blaze Rodriguez and Colt Brown, won starting jobs on opening day at shortstop and catcher, the two most important defensive positions on the field.
As the season goes on, other promising freshmen stepped into roles as Noah Lewis contributed in the outfield, Sawyer Pruitt and Hayden Pearson on the mound, and Josh Lim in a utility role.
Down the stretch of the season, as the Cajuns caught fire, the youngsters led the way. An impressive showing to close the regular season and a deep run at the Sun Belt Tournament gave them a berth in the NCAA Regionals.
A valiant effort in Starkville saw a trip to the Regional Final and the pups on the Cajuns roster again starred throughout.
Just a handful of years ago, there would have been no questions. The promising youth on the roster would have led the fanbase into euphoric predictions of the years to come. Everything would have been positive and optimistic about the next couple of seasons.
Today, that just isn’t how college sports work.
Especially at the mid-major level, nothing can be assumed. We are still operating in a world where every player is a free agent every offseason. The end of a fun season immediately led everyone to wondering “How many of these guys will be back?”
Then, the offseason began. And for a change, Cajuns’ fans got nothing but good news.
One by one, the promising players of this team announced they were returning. Rodriguez, Brown, Lewis, Lim, Pruitt, and Pearson all suggested a return. Older players like Mark Collins, Donovan Lasalle, and Drew Markle also chimed in. Ty Roman said he wanted one more year as well.
Instead of wondering “What could’ve been?” the feeling is “I can’t wait until next season.
Which, at its core, is supposed to be what happens when a promising young team bursts onto the scene.
To make matters better, the Cajuns didn’t just retain. They added.
Numerous portal additions including Manny Salas, a key contributor for Texas State, have joined the team. Three Marshall pitchers who had experience with pitching coach Taylor Sandefur joined the roster. Other pickups from Kansas State, UTSA, and Jacksonville State have strengthened the depth.
The portal remains open until June 30th, and nothing is set in stone until then. However, things are setting up to be special at The Tigue in 2027.
For once, in today’s college sports, a fanbase can use the offseason for what it used to be made for: hope and excitement.
Dawson Eiserloh is the host of “The LohDown with D-Loh” which is broadcast weekdays (1-3 PM) on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles — Southwest Louisiana’s Sports Station
