Nicholls’ Lyons impressing with hard-nosed ways

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Nicholls State baseball coach Seth Thibodeaux didn’t take long to answer this preseason when asked what player on his roster was ready to take a noticeable statistical leap.


“I think Philip Lyons is a guy to really look out for,” the coach said. “I think he could have a great season.”


Apparently Thibodeaux was a fortune teller in a past life – his prognostication was dead on the money.

In just his second season with the Colonels, Lyons has firmly established himself as one of Nicholls’ best players.


He’s done so through hard work and determination, as the former E.D. White standout is creating a reputation for being one of the grittiest players in the Southland Conference – a trait that is powering the Colonels so far this season.


“I’m not surprised at all that Philip is having success,” Thibodeaux said. “Philip plays so hard. He’s a hard-nosed kid. … The way he approaches the game is pretty unique. He’s so competitive and he really works super hard on his skill. He comes out every, single day at practice and gives it every, single thing he’s got. It’s just a joy to see, honestly.”

“Phil just gives us a boost,” Colonels junior and South Terrebonne graduate Mike Barba agreed. “He’s that guy who’ll get a knock when the team isn’t hitting well and will also take that extra bag when the outfielder bobbles the ball. His hustle inspires us. It gets the whole team going.”


Hustle and hard-work – those are words virtually everyone use to describe Lyons.


Watch him play and it’s easy to see why.

Lyons is the guy for the Colonels who always seems to be around the action in some way, shape or form.


Thibodeaux described him as the player who always runs out routine ground balls and always hustles from first to third on base hits.


“He will do all of those little things that help you win a ballgame,” the coach said.

When asked why he plays the game with so much hustle, Lyons doesn’t have a clear-cut answer.


He said he’s just always been an overachiever as long as he could remember.


“That’s not even just a baseball thing,” Lyons said. “The same can be said in school work and really just everything in life. That’s just how my parents raised me. And my high school coaches took that and built on it and always taught me to work 100 percent at all times. That’s really where it comes from – it’s just sort of always been there for me.”

But even with his gritty approach to baseball, Lyons still struggled as a freshman and hit just .233.


Lyons started to develop a rhythm in the final month of the year and hit 12-of-34 in the team’s final 12 games of the season.


With that momentum in his mind, Lyons played summer baseball in Kansas, where he said he developed more confidence at the plate.

“He came back here a better player,” Thibodeaux said.


“Philip is really building on that momentum that he created at the end of last season,” Barba added.

He also beefed up 15 pounds to his frame, which is allowing him to muscle more balls into outfield gaps.

“I just ate a lot,” Lyons said with a laugh when asked what his exercise secret was. “I ate and then got in the weight room. When you’re stuck in Kansas, there’s not a whole lot else to do but work out.”

The hard work has paid off.

So far this season, Lyons has lifted his average nearly 100 points and is currently a .319 hitter, while also leading the team in RBI.

“Things are going real well,” Lyons said. “I’m finally getting the hang of the college level and I’m starting to see pitches better. I see off speed pitches and I’m on time with the fastball, as well. I’m just able to react better than I could last year.”

“Things have slowed down a lot for Philip as a sophomore,” Thibodeaux said. “He’s not getting fooled as badly on pitches and he’s not getting fooled as often. And when he does get caught off balance, he’s a lot better at making adjustments to where it doesn’t happen again. He’s not striking out a lot and is just giving us good, quality at-bats because he has just such a great, two-strike approach up there.

“He’s a guy that is so multi-talented. He can stroke one for a double. He can bunt to sacrifice or for a base hit. And he can come in cold off the bench and hit a home run off a pinch. He’s a guy we just love to have on our club.”

The path to getting Lyons on the club was pretty smoothly paved.

Lyons landed in Thibodaux after a decorated career a couple miles down La. Highway 1 at E.D. White High School.

As a Cardinal, the infielder established himself as a collegiate talent, earning All-District honors for three-straight seasons, while also winning both district and region MVP honors as a senior.

Thibodeaux said he knew throughout the recruiting process that Lyons was a “must-get”, because of his proximity to campus and also his high school success.

“We knew from the very beginning he was going to be a very good player,” Thibodeaux said.

But Thibodeaux probably didn’t realize just how good Lyons would get so soon.

Having such a dynamic talent so close to home is something that makes Thibodeaux light up with excitement.

“He’s only going to get better,” the coach said. “I’m excited to see where he’s going to be in a couple of years. … I want young men that are in high school in this area to look up to him and see what he’s doing because if you follow that example, good things can happen for anyone.”

“It’s really an honor for Coach to say that,” Lyons said. “I don’t look at myself in that type of light, but for him to say it like that, it means a lot.

“I guess it just shows that hard work does indeed pay off.”

Nicholls State sophomore Philip Lyons takes a cut during a game this season.

LISA NEAL | NSU ATHLETICS