La. Tech coaches with Ocean Springs, Gulfport ties aim for C-USA tourney title

Travis Creel was back in his old stomping grounds on Tuesday.

The first-year Louisiana Tech assistant coach and the rest of the staff put the Bulldogs through a workout on the turf at Greyhound Stadium as they prepared to begin play in the Conference USA baseball tournament at MGM Park in Biloxi.

Creel, a former Ocean Springs baseball star, has fond memories of his time in a Greyhound uniform, and for good reason.

He was a member of the 2008 Ocean Springs team that won a Class 5A state title.

This week, Creel hopes to get his hands on another trophy in nearby Biloxi.

Looking around the grounds at Greyhound Stadium on Tuesday, Creel realized not much has changed since he graduated in 2008.

“It kind of looks the same, but a little nicer,” Creel said. “The wall at the baseball field is new and nice. The track is new and pretty. Everything is the same, but a little upgraded.”

It turns out one of the five losses for Ocean Springs in 2008 was to a Gulfport team that was coached by another Louisiana Tech assistant, Christian Ostrander.

“We went over here for one of those great fights,” Ostrander said, looking back to the 2008 season. “It was a great game and we scratched out a few runs late to beat them on their home field.

“I kid coach Creel all the time because we beat them in there, but then he reminds me that he was the guy pitching when they beat us at Gulfport.”

Ostrander, who worked previously on the staffs at Delta State and Arkansas State, was the head coach at Gulfport High School during the 2007 and 2008 seasons before becoming the head coach at Jones County Junior College.

Creel, who played at Southern Miss, was at JCJC for two seasons before making the jump to Division I a year ago at Louisiana Tech.

He'd always hoped to be a college coach and he believes the chance to play for Scott Berry at USM helped him realize that dream.

“I knew I wanted to coach college baseball. Ever since I started at Ocean Springs High School, I knew what I wanted do,” Creel said. “When I finally got the Southern Miss offer, that's one thing that came to my mind – That's really help my coaching career. It's something I always wanted to do.”

The No. 5 seed Bulldogs (36-18) will play No. 4 Charlotte (32-22) at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the final game of the opening day at MGM Park.

Louisiana Tech is in the postseason hunt, but it needs a nice showing this week in Biloxi to bolster its chances. Head coach Lane Burroughs believes his team needs two or three wins this week to be in a good position.

Burroughs, a former USM and Mississippi State assistant, is in his first season as the head coach at Louisiana Tech after leaving the same position at Northwestern State last year.

Burroughs, Creel and Ostrander have all put their deep Mississippi ties to use.

A pair of former George County stars, Tanner Huddleston and Logan Robbins, have signed with Louisiana Tech and so has Ben Stiglets, a former Gulfport standout. All three were signed out of JCJC.

“I grew up in Meridian and spent nine years of my life in Hattiesburg,” Burroughs said. “All three of my children were born in Hattiesburg. Being at Mississippi State, you know everybody and it helps us. Tech never did a great job of getting into Mississippi and we have to do that. There are great players and great coaches in this state.”

Creel, who expects to have a group of about 20 family members and friends on hand Wednesday at MGM park, plans to keep hitting the junior college ranks in Mississippi for top talent.

Louisiana Tech will have to replace 15 seniors after this season.

“I think the contacts with our coaching staff and the Mississippi junior college league is huge,” he said. “We all have great connections with all the head coaches in the league. I think we'll continue to go through Mississippi and their great junior college league. With us being so close to East Texas, if we get a good mixture of those, we'll be fine.”

This story was originally published May 23, 2017 at 6:44 PM with the headline "La. Tech coaches with Ocean Springs, Gulfport ties aim for C-USA tourney title."