HAMMOND, La. –Southeastern Louisiana University welcomes coaches Taylor Dugas, Evan Bush and Spencer Goodwin, in addition to Director of Player Development Sam Taylor, to the baseball staff, first year head coach Bobby Barbier announced Friday.
 
Bush and Dugas played collegiately at Alabama while both Goodwin and Taylor played for Barbier at Northwestern State.
 
"I needed four guys that were capable of multiple things – an ability to acquire players, develop players and earn their trust," Barbier said. "All three full-time coaches were recruiting coordinators at some point in their careers. With a lot of things that are going on now, we also need to have an edge in player development. All three guys have shown in the past they are able to do that. The final part took a while because you can't overlook it. Finding good coaches who work well together and that I trust was really important to me. It will be really good for our kids."
 
A former All-American for the Alabama Crimson Tide, Dugas will serve as the Lions' recruiting coordinator. He has served in that role previously for both Northwestern State and UT Arlington.
 
"I coached Taylor at Alabama," Barbier said. "He's a supreme competitor, preparer and a great people person that will do a really good job in all aspects. He is a south Louisiana guy that has traveled all over the place and made connections. Taylor is a huge addition."
 
A native of Lafayette, Louisiana and a product of Teurlings Catholic, Dugas set numerous school records as a four-year letterman at Alabama. He currently holds the Crimson Tide's career records for hits (334), singles (235), doubles (67) and triples (18). During his college career, he averaged .360 at the plate with an on-base percentage of .466 and 125 RBIs.
 
He was drafted in the eighth round by the Chicago Cubs (2011) and New York Yankees (2012). After signing with the Yankees organization in 2012, Dugas played four seasons, twice topping 100 hits.
 
During his professional career, Dugas batted .283 and drew 195 walks while striking out just 171 times. He reached the majors while playing in the Yankees organization in 2015.
 
Another former Crimson Tide star, Bush comes to Southeastern after spending the last eight seasons on staff at Jacksonville State. He will serve as the Lions' hitting coach.
 
"I got to know Evan when I was at Alabama," Barbier said. "You get to know coaches a lot when watching ballgames with them. He always showed up and stayed until the last pitch. He took great notes along with doing a phenomenal job leading both the hitting and recruiting at Jacksonville State. They've had some really good players run through there over the years. We're very fortunate to bring him aboard."
 
This past season, the Gamecocks produced a pair of Freshman All-Americans, an All-Region performer, six All-Conference honorees and a National Player of the Week while on the way to earning 18 conference wins in the ASUN.
 
During his 16-year coaching career, Bush has also spent time at the University of Alabama at Huntsville and Bevill State Community College. He has been named College Assistant Coach of the Year by the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association twice.
 
Before entering the coaching ranks, Bush spent time playing minor league baseball in the San Francisco Giants organization.  Bush was a 48th-round selection by San Francisco and spent the 2006 season in Fresno (AAA) and Salem-Keizer (A).  He also played for the USA National Youth 16-under team in 2000, where his team won the 2000 Pan American Championship Gold Medal by defeating Cuba en route to an 8-0 record. He hit .500 appearing in four games while playing with standout big-leaguers- Xavier Paul, Delmon Young and James Loney.
 
Bush still ranks among the Crimson Tide's career leaders in several categories, including walks (2nd-131), games started (5th-215) and games played (7th-223).  As a senior in 2006, Bush helped lead Alabama to the Southeastern Conference championship as well as their second-straight NCAA tournament appearance.
 
Goodwin joins Barbier's staff at Southeastern after having both played and coached at Northwestern State. He will serve as the Lions' infield coach.
 
"Spencer was my recruiting coordinator at Northwestern State, doing a great job with the teams there," Barbier said. "He will do a great job with the infield. He's a young coach and relates well to the players, working hard at all that he does."
 
Goodwin has helped develop second baseman Daunte Stuart into a two-time All-Southland Conference selection and one of the Southland Conference's top MLB Draft prospects.
 
In his first season as a player at Northwestern State, Goodwin was a key part of an infield defense that set the school record for double plays in a season (71) while ranking second in the nation in total double plays turned.
 
A former Demon infielder and Cleveland Indians scout, Taylor joins the Southeastern staff from the private sector.
 
"Sam is getting back into baseball," Barbier said. "I coached him at Northwestern State. He's always had that itch to get back into the game and will do an excellent job in the development role. He'll be able to assist the staff as needed while breaking into the coaching world."
 
As a senior, Taylor led Northwestern with a .311 batting average on the way to an honorable mention on the All-Southland squad. He ranked second on the team in hits (64) and stolen bases (12).
 
DIAMOND CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the baseball program are encouraged to join the Diamond Club. Lion baseball alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.
 
All membership fees and donations to both the Diamond Club and S Club (baseball) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern baseball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or by visiting www.LionUp.com.
  
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Southeastern Baseball social media accounts (@LionUpBaseball) on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to stay engaged with the program.
 
The latest updates are also available at www.LionSports.net and the Lions Gameday Experience app. Available for both Android and iOS devices, the Gameday app can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.