BEC Welcomes Ragin' Cajuns Associate Head Coach, Seth Thibodeaux

The Ontario Baseball Association (OBA) is proud to announce our fourth guest speaker for the 2026 Best Ever Coaches Clinic, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Seth Thibodeaux.

Seth Thibodeaux begins his third season at Louisiana after joining the Ragin' Cajuns staff in August 2021 as Associate Head Coach/Pitching Coach.

Prior to his arrival, Thibodeaux served for 14 seasons - including the previous 11 years as head coach - at in-state program Nicholls. During his 11-year tenure on the Bayou, Thibodeaux recorded 287 wins to rank behind Mike Knight and former Louisiana Baseball coach Ray E. Didier in school history.

During Thibodeaux's tenure at Nicholls, the Colonels advanced to the Southland Conference Tournament on four occasions, securing the No. 2-seed in 2014 and the third seed in 2015.  

The long-time head coach revitalized the program behind back-to-back 30-plus win seasons in 2014 and 2015 – a first for Nicholls since the 1992-93 campaigns – as the Colonel pitching staffs consistently ranked as one of the nation's elite for ERA. During the 2014 season, Thibodeaux’s pitching staff produced a 2.61 team ERA during the season before notching a 2.47 team ERA the following season.

Before coming to Nicholls in 2008, Thibodeaux served two years as an assistant coach at SLC-rival Southeastern Louisiana, helping put together two recruiting classes which received national recognition from Baseball America. In his final season in Hammond, Thibodeaux helped SLU to 34 wins, the most for the Lions in a decade and a school-record 16 wins in Southland competition.

Thibodeaux began his college coaching career at Pearl River Community College in 2003. In his second season at PRCC, Thibodeaux lifted the Wildcats to conference and state championship titles as well as a No. 2 national ranking in 2004. In 2005, Thibodeaux helped PRCC repeat as conference champs.

Thibodeaux played two seasons at LSU-Eunice in 2000 before transferring to William Carey College in Hattiesburg, Miss., where he finished his collegiate career and earned his degree in physical education. After graduation, Thibodeaux played one season of professional baseball for the Baton Rouge Riverbats of the independent South East Professional Baseball League.

He is married to the former Janelle Austrom who was a soccer and softball player at William Carey College. They are the parents of two daughters, Ella Reese and Blake Adelle. One of eight children, Thibodeaux has a brother, Mike, who is the former head baseball coach and five-time state champion at Lafayette's Teurlings Catholic High School.

The 2026 Best Ever Coaches Clinic returns to the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre from January 16-18, 2026. It features a line-up of knowledgeable guest speakers, an 8U-13U Youth Team education series, vendors, and much more! To register, visit www.playoba.ca/bestever.