UL Assistant Matt Deggs Hired As Head Baseball Coach At Sam Houston State

Louisiana Ragin' Cajun hitting coach Matt Deggs has been named the new head coach at Sam Houston State University. Deggs made quite an impact in his 27 months at UL.

Hired as an assistant coach in March of 2012, Deggs oversaw recruiting, while serving as the hitting coach and third base coach.

In 2013, Louisiana led the nation in homeruns, while ranking in the top 5 of 7 other offensive categories.

In 2014, the Cajuns finished in the top 10 nationally in 14 offensive categories, and led the nation in runs scored, hits and triples. They sported the second best team batting average (.317) in college baseball, while finishing second in the country in homeruns (68) and slugging percentage (.493)

In his full two seasons at UL, the Cajuns put up an impressive record of 101-30, a conference championship, an NCAA postseason national seed, and a #1 ranking.

“I want to thank everyone, especially my wife (Kathy) and kids (Kyler, Klaire and Khloe), as well as my friends and family that have stood by me through my coaching career,” Deggs said in a statement released by UL. “I will miss the guys I’m going to leave behind at UL. I sincerely want to thank Coach Robichaux and the players. Their sacrifice and dedication has led me to this opportunity at Sam Houston.”

Louisiana head coach Tony Robichaux will miss Deggs as well.

"Every coach that takes on an assistant position, somewhere in there they have a goal and a desire to become a head baseball coach," Robichaux said in a statement. "When he came on board with us two-and-half years ago, it was only going to be matter of time before he had the opportunity to become a head coach. Having Matt do what he did over the last two-and-half years for us with our hitters has really been phenomenal.

"We wish Matt and his family the best of luck in their new adventure in Huntsville. It wasn't the easiest decision for him, but it's a decision that will go on to help him grow as a coach. Now, he has the opportunity to call a program his own. We hate to see him go … he will be sorely missed."

The 42-year-old Deggs is a native of Texas City, Texas. He served as an assistant coach at Arkansas and Texas A&M before joining the Cajuns.