Louisiana Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025: Corey Coles

Corey Coles went for more than a year and barely picked up a bat during UL baseball practice. He never faced live pitching in a Ragin' Cajun game until his next-to-last season.

So how did the Lafayette native become the number two hitter average-wise in the history of the Cajun program, and go on to hit over .300 over a six-year professional career?

"Some guys, they just have that hit tool that Corey had," said Anthony Babineaux, a UL assistant coach during Coles' career and now chief of staff for the Cajun baseball program. "He had great bat-to-ball skills. He wasn't a big home run guy even though he hit a few during his career, but he would put it in play and usually put it in play hard."

Coles was part of the UL pitching corps in his first year, and was a full-fledged two-way player in his final two seasons. In fact, in his final year as a collegian, he collected four saves to lead the team and compiled a 3.38 ERA.

But his prowess at the plate became his calling card. The former Comeaux High standout led the Cajuns in hitting in each of his final two seasons in 2002 (.368) and 2003 (.371) – a year in which he led the team in every offensive category. His 89 hits in 2003 and 85 in 2002 ranked third and fifth in UL history at the time.

It's because of those numbers and accomplishments that Coles will be inducted into the UL Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 5, as part of a full weekend of Hall of Fame activities that includes the Cajuns' second home football game of the season against McNeese on Saturday, Sept. 6. He will be inducted along with football's Brett Baer, golf standout Richard Ainley, men's basketball great Kevin Brooks, women's softball standout Haley Hayden and long-time UL administrator Dr. Ed Dugas at the Friday night ceremony.

Doors open at 6 p.m. with the ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. in the McElligott Club of the new Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. Tickets are available from the Ragin' Cajun Athletic Foundation at RCAF@louisiana.edu or by calling (337) 851-7223.

Coles was a two-way player at Comeaux and a good one, making the Class 5A All-State team and honorable mention on USA Today's All-USA squad. He was one of head coach Tony Robichaux's top signees in 2000 when the Cajuns advanced to Omaha and the College World Series.

In his first college season, though, Robichaux used him entirely as a pitcher, working in 13 games and starting four in 2001. He only threw 33 innings but struck out 41 on the way to a 3.27 ERA and a 1-0 record. But when UL lost a lot of position players to graduation, Coles wanted to get more involved.

"He came in and told us that he could hit and play outfield, that he'd done that in high school," Babineaux said. "We started working him as a position player and we saw that his outfield skills were really good. He was a runner so he was able to track down balls.

"More importantly, he just picked up hitting after a year or two like he'd never let go of the bat. He was really productive for us and became a mainstay in the lineup."

In his first game as a position starter, UL's second game that season, he went 3-for-4 and drove in both Cajun runs against Texas A&M in the Astros College Classic. After that, he never came out of the lineup.

That first offensive year, he led the team in hits (85), triples (three) and stolen bases (24) along with that team-leading average. Those numbers helped UL finish at 39-23 and earn a spot in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional.

The next year was even better. Along with his part-time pitching performance – four saves in 10 appearances and 30 strikeouts in 29 innings – he was the lineup's catalyst and led the Cajuns in homers (nine), RBI (56), hits (89), doubles (18), triples (seven) and stolen bases (13).

Although not known as a home-run threat, he tied UL's school record with three homers against UNO during a Sun Belt series when he went 10-for-14 with four homers, nine RBI and seven runs scored. That helped him hit .427 in Sun Belt play that year with 44 hits in 24 games including 17 extra base hits and six homers.

"That first year, LSU came here to play," Babineaux said. "Leading up to that game Corey started to struggle against left-handers, and we were about to start batting practice and knew we were facing a lefty from LSU. I remember telling him on the field that you haven't been productive against lefties lately and he had to pick it up or he may come out of the lineup against left-handed pitchers.

"He just said yes, sir, and that night he hit a huge three-run homer that kick-started us. He was one of those guys that would take information and make something productive out of it."

Coles was a two-time All-Sun Belt, two-time ABCA All-South Central and two-time All-Louisiana pick on his way to a fifth-round selection by the New York Mets in the 2003 draft. Over his six pro years, he hit .304 and was a league All-Star pick in 2006 with the AA St. Lucie Mets.

"When you can run like he could, you can squeak out 20-30 hits a year," Babineaux said, "but it wasn't just his speed. He made contact and he was a smart hitter."

After that pro career, Coles returned to UL and finished his degree requirements.

"That says a lot about him as a person and a man," Babineaux said. "He had listened all those years to Coach Robe and knew how much academics meant to him, and he wanted to come back and apply those lessons he learned in college and in pro ball and finish that up."

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University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Louisiana Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025: Corey Coles

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