Raymond "Smoke" Laval

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Raymond Peter Laval (born December 20, 1955 in McDonald, Pennsylvania), usually called by his nickname "Smoke," is the former head coach of the LSU Tigers baseball team and the UL-Monroe baseball team. Prior to accepting the head coaching position at UL-Monroe, he was an assistant coach at LSU under legendary head coach Skip Bertman.

[edit] Assistant Coach at LSU

Laval was an assistant coach at LSU from 1984-1993. During that time the LSU program became one of the best in the nation winning two national championships (1991 & 1993). As a result of the success at LSU, Laval was offered the head coaching position at nearby UL-Monroe.

[edit] Head Coach at UL-Monroe

As head coach at UL-Monroe, Laval led the Indians (now called Warhawks) to a 241-159 (.603) record, 2 NCAA Tournament appearances, 2 Southland Conference regular season championships (1999 & 2000) and one Southland Conference tournament championship (1995).

[edit] Head Coach at LSU

In anticipation of Skip Bertman's retirement, Laval was brought on as an administrative assistant for the LSU baseball team in 2001. Bertman retired at the end of that season having won 5 national championships and Laval took over head coaching duties in 2002. Expectations were high for the new coach, as one would expect following a legend like Bertman.

In 2002 Laval led the Tigers to a 44-22 record and an appearance in a Super Regional in his first season. Things got even better in 2003, Laval's second season, as he led the team to a 45-22-1 record, a Southeastern Conference regular season championship, their first since 1997 and an appearance in the College World Series as the #2 national seed. LSU went 0-2 in the CWS and was eliminated, shocking the LSU faithful. 2004 saw the Tigers compile a 46-19 record and included a return trip to the College World Series. Like the prior year, LSU again went 0-2 in the CWS and was eliminated. The rabid LSU fans began to question Laval's leadership as they were not used to seeing their beloved Tigers lose so quickly in Omaha. The 2005 LSU Tigers baseball team struggled during the regular season but still managed to compile a 40-22 record. The team lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament and did not make an appearance in a Super Regional for the first time ever (Super Regionals began in 1999). Laval began feeling the pressure from fans and the athletic administration. 2006 would either make or break him. Unfortunately for Laval, the Tigers had their worst season since 1988. The team finished the season with a record of 35-24 and did not even make the NCAA tournament for the first time in 18 years. This did not go over well with the LSU fans who expected nothing less than excellence from their baseball team. Under pressure, Laval officially resigned on June 4 2006. He finished his career at LSU with a record of 210-109-1 (.658) in five seasons. Notre Dame coach Paul Mainieri was hired to replace him.

[edit] Head Coaching Record

[edit] Coaching Honors

• 1995 Louisiana Sportswriters Association Coach of the Year
• 1999 Southland Conference Coach of the Year
• 2002 Louisiana Sportswriters Association Coach of the Year
• 2003 SEC Coach of the Year; Louisiana Sportswriters Association Coach of the Year
• 2004 Louisiana Sportswriters Association Coach of the Year

[edit] External links

• LSUSports.net Bio