By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations
NATCHITOCHES – Bobby Barbier’s list of accomplishments as the head baseball coach at his alma mater will have more time to grow.
Northwestern State announced a contract extension for Barbier on Wednesday, locking in the NSU graduate through 2025. The extension has been approved by the University of Louisiana Board of Supervisors, which governs Northwestern State University.
“Bobby’s oversight for Demon baseball has been exemplary on all levels,” said Director of Athletics Greg Burke, “So much is expected of coaches these days and Bobby invests the time and energy which ensures that the baseball program is addressing all of those obligations and expectations.
“He also has an innate passion for the program as a former student-athlete that most others cannot replicate. Finally, he is a good leader for the young men on the team both from a baseball and off-the-field perspective. NSU is blessed to have him committed to its baseball program for the next several years.”
In five years at the helm of the Demons, Barbier has produced a 127-113 record, including four straight winning seasons. Since the start of the 2018 season, Barbier has led Northwestern State to a 107-79 record, a .575 winning percentage. Included in that run was the first Southland Conference Tournament championship in school history and the first regional berth in 13 years.
Barbier has served as NSU’s pitching coach for all but one season since returning to Natchitoches before the 2015 campaign. Since then, Northwestern State pitchers have posted a 3.65 ERA in those seasons.
Individually, Barbier has coached three All-Americans in his second NSU coaching tenure as right-handed pitchers Adam Oller (2016) and Logan Hofmann (2020) and first baseman/catcher David Fry (2018) earned those honors. Right-handed pitcher Johnathan Harmon (2020) and second baseman Daunte Stuart (2021) have earned Freshman All-American honors under Barbier’s tutelage.
Since 2018, the Demons have had at least one player selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft each year with six players being chosen overall. From 2018-20, Northwestern State produced the highest-drafted Southland Conference player in each of those drafts.
Barbier and his staff also have worked to improve Brown-Stroud Field, adding the cooking club, a refurbished and expanded press box and luxury suites to the longstanding home of Demon baseball.
“This extension is the product of the great assistant coaches and great players that we have had over the years,” Barbier said. “I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to continue to lead my alma mater. It has been an absolute privilege with a responsibility that I do not take lightly. Kody, Landry and I want to thank Greg Burke and (interim NSU president) Dr. (Marcus) Jones for their support.”
— Featured photo by Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services
