Lions Baseball Coaching Staff
Head Coach Jay Artigues
Jay Artigues, who took over as head coach of the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball program following the 2005 season and has averaged more than 35 wins per year in his nine years as a head coach, prepares to begin his third campaign at the helm of the Lions' baseball program.
Artigues, who posted a 275-108 record in seven years that included stints at Bossier Parish (La.) Community College and Pearl River (Miss.) Community College, has continued his success as the 15th head coach in the history of Lions' baseball.
"We are pleased to have an individual with the character, intensity and leadership that Jay Artigues brings to Southeastern as our baseball coach," said President Randy Moffett after Artigues was hired. "He is a proven winner at several levels and an able recruiter who knows our region well. Jay puts the 'student' first in the student-athlete equation, and we are proud to add him to our staff."
Artigues inherited a program that had not finished above .500 since 1998, and after a 23-32 finish in 2006, Artigues led Southeastern to at 34-21 mark, the program's first winning record in nine years and highest win total in a decade.
Under Artigues' leadership, the 2007 Lions established themselves as a growing force in the conference and region with three wins over ranked opponents (twice over No. 16 Tulane and once over No. 26 Southern Miss) and a 16-14 Southland conference mark (Southeastern's first winning conference record since joining the SLC in 1998).
The 2007 pitching staff made considerable strides as sophomore lefty Wade Miley threw 95.2 IP (eighth on the school's single-season all-time list) and junior right hander Josh Black logged 90.2 IP (tied for ninth) while striking out 90 batters (tied for seventh).
Meanwhile, Southeastern reliever Chris Province had a breakthrough season, going 2-3 with a 4.29 ERA (24 ER/50.1 IP) while striking out 41 batters and walking just 16 over 24 appearances, culminating in being selected in the fourth round of the 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Boston Red Sox.
Unfortunately for the Lions, the team came up short of its first Southland Conference Tournament appearance since 2005 despite finishing strong, going 10-5 in its last 15 SLC games and winning four of its last five SLC series.
Prior to becoming the 15th head baseball coach in Southeastern's history, Artigues spent four seasons at Pearl River CC where he guided the school to a 168-51 record. The Wildcats won three conference championships and advanced to the JUCO World Series during his tenure. In his final season at PRCC, Artigues led the Wildcats, who began the season ranked No. 7 in Division II, to a 46-12 record and a No. 1 ranking in the final JUCO National regular-season poll.
In his first season at PRCC, Artigues led the Wildcats to a then school-record 42 wins and a berth in the 2002 JUCO World Series in Millington, Tenn. PRCC finished the year as the South Division Conference Champions, Region XXIII Champions and Central District Champions with Artigues earning Region XXIII and Central District Coach of the Year honors.
In 2003 the Wildcats finished 38-13 and advanced to the State and Regional playoffs for the second straight season. The 2003 team was nationally ranked throughout the season and was ranked as high as No. 1 in the country.
Before returning to PRCC in 2001, where he was a two-year letterwinner and was a first team All-State and All-Region selection, Artigues spent three seasons at Bossier Parish Community College and posted a 107-57 record. In his final season at BPCC, Artigues led the Cavaliers to a school-record 46 wins and a No. 8 ranking in the final NJCAA poll.
Artigues began his coaching career in 1992-93 as an assistant at Spring Hill (Ala.) College where he served as hitting coach and handled the infield. He served as Dean of Students and head baseball coach for two years at St. Louis Catholic High in Lake Charles, La., and led the Saints into the state playoffs both seasons as coach, reaching the Class 3A state quarterfinals in 1996.
Artigues moved to Hammond in 1996 and served as athletic director and head baseball coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, leading the Falcons to the state playoffs for the first time ever while administering the school's 14 sport athletics program.
Artigues then returned to the college ranks, accepting a job at the University of New Orleans, where he was an assistant coach in 1998 under Tom Schwaner.
Some of Artigues' awards include being named the 2004 Mississippi Junior College Coach of the Year, the 2002 Diamond Regional Coach of the Year, the Region XXIII Coach of the Year and Central District Coach of the Year by the NJCAA.
As a player, Artigues spent two seasons at Pearl River Community College and two years at Belhaven College, where he graduated in 1992 with a B.S. in Business Administration. Artigues would go on to earn an M.S.S. in Sport Coaching from the United States Sports Academy in 1993.
Artigues and his wife, Rachel hail from Bay St. Louis, Miss., and are the parents of two sons, Christopher (8) and Casey (5).
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