Baseball
LaRue, Seth
Seth LaRue
- Title:
- Assistant Coach - Hitting Coach
Seth LaRue recently completed his third season as an assistant coach for the Salukis. LaRue was the program's volunteer assistant in 2017 before being promoted to hitting coach in 2018. Three SIU hitters coached by LaRue have been drafted in the MLB draft.
LaRue overhauled Southern's running game. The Salukis stole just 38 bases in 2016, the year before LaRue arrived in Carbondale. In the three seasons since, SIU has stolen 375 bases, which ranks fourth in the NCAA in that span (297 teams) and is 160 more stolen bases than any other Missouri Valley Conference team. SIU's 144 stolen bases in 2019 broke a 48-year-old school record for steals in a season. In 2019, 6-4-3 charts listed SIU as the fastest team in the nation, according to its Speed Score metric.
“As much as anything, I think it has helped our mentality. We have become a much more aggressive team, in terms of how we approach the practices and games. It’s been great for the identity of the team.” LaRue has said of his running system.
In all three seasons under LaRue, SIU won both the team and individual MVC stolen base titles. Connor Kopach stole the most bases in the MVC in 2017 and 2018, and Will LaRue led the league in 2019.
LaRue has also shown impressive ability to develop talent. In his first season as SIU's full-time hitting coach, LaRue led SIU to a 20-point jump in on-base percentage. Logan Blackfan's average jumped 113 points, and Connor Kopach's average jumped 64 points under LaRue's leadership, and both earned All-MVC honors after the season.
SIU scored 523 runs in LaRue's first season directing the offense, the most for the program in five years. In his second season, SIU was among the national leaders in offensive efficiency (runs/hits), ranking second in the league and ahead of two of the MVC's three teams that advanced to regional finals. LaRue's offense led the league in both triples and sacrifice flies in 2019.
Kopach is one of three SIU hitters in two seasons to be drafted after working with LaRue. Kopach was drafted in the 25th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. Greg Lambert (21st round, San Diego Padres) and Nick Hutchins (27th round, Kansas City Royals) were drafted and signed as juniors after the 2017 season.
In 2017, Starting catcher Nick Hutchins was named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List, given to the top catcher in NCAA baseball. Three other hitters--Greg Lambert, Connor Kopach and Ryan Smith--were named to the All-Conference team after the season.
In his first season as the program's full-time hitting coach in 2018, LaRue guided a patient approach that led the program to its most walks in a season since 1990. The program took the fourth-most free passes (walks and hit-by-pitches) per game in program history in 2018.
In addition, LaRue led SIU's hitters to the second-best slugging percentage for an SIU team since the NCAA mandated BBCOR bats in 2011. SIU hitters have earned seven All-MVC honors in LaRue's three seasons at SIU.
Kopach and Smith were 1-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference in stolen bases at the end of the 2017 season. Kopach's 33 steals were the most by any SIU player since 1991, and he also set a single-game record with four steals in a game.
LaRue came to SIU from Campbell University, where he played (2014 and 2015) and coached (2016). As a player, LaRue led the Camels to the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. He led the Camels to 73 wins in his two seasons, and he hit .327 as a senior in 2015. He was a two-time member of the Big South Presidential honor Roll.
LaRue spent his first two years of his college baseball career at Olney Central College, where he was a two-year starter and two-time Academic All-Conference honoree.
LaRue is an Evansville, Indiana, native. He earned his bachelor's degree from Campbell in 2015 and his M.B.A from Campbell in 2018.
LaRue overhauled Southern's running game. The Salukis stole just 38 bases in 2016, the year before LaRue arrived in Carbondale. In the three seasons since, SIU has stolen 375 bases, which ranks fourth in the NCAA in that span (297 teams) and is 160 more stolen bases than any other Missouri Valley Conference team. SIU's 144 stolen bases in 2019 broke a 48-year-old school record for steals in a season. In 2019, 6-4-3 charts listed SIU as the fastest team in the nation, according to its Speed Score metric.
“As much as anything, I think it has helped our mentality. We have become a much more aggressive team, in terms of how we approach the practices and games. It’s been great for the identity of the team.” LaRue has said of his running system.
In all three seasons under LaRue, SIU won both the team and individual MVC stolen base titles. Connor Kopach stole the most bases in the MVC in 2017 and 2018, and Will LaRue led the league in 2019.
LaRue has also shown impressive ability to develop talent. In his first season as SIU's full-time hitting coach, LaRue led SIU to a 20-point jump in on-base percentage. Logan Blackfan's average jumped 113 points, and Connor Kopach's average jumped 64 points under LaRue's leadership, and both earned All-MVC honors after the season.
SIU scored 523 runs in LaRue's first season directing the offense, the most for the program in five years. In his second season, SIU was among the national leaders in offensive efficiency (runs/hits), ranking second in the league and ahead of two of the MVC's three teams that advanced to regional finals. LaRue's offense led the league in both triples and sacrifice flies in 2019.
Kopach is one of three SIU hitters in two seasons to be drafted after working with LaRue. Kopach was drafted in the 25th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. Greg Lambert (21st round, San Diego Padres) and Nick Hutchins (27th round, Kansas City Royals) were drafted and signed as juniors after the 2017 season.
In 2017, Starting catcher Nick Hutchins was named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List, given to the top catcher in NCAA baseball. Three other hitters--Greg Lambert, Connor Kopach and Ryan Smith--were named to the All-Conference team after the season.
In his first season as the program's full-time hitting coach in 2018, LaRue guided a patient approach that led the program to its most walks in a season since 1990. The program took the fourth-most free passes (walks and hit-by-pitches) per game in program history in 2018.
In addition, LaRue led SIU's hitters to the second-best slugging percentage for an SIU team since the NCAA mandated BBCOR bats in 2011. SIU hitters have earned seven All-MVC honors in LaRue's three seasons at SIU.
Kopach and Smith were 1-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference in stolen bases at the end of the 2017 season. Kopach's 33 steals were the most by any SIU player since 1991, and he also set a single-game record with four steals in a game.
LaRue came to SIU from Campbell University, where he played (2014 and 2015) and coached (2016). As a player, LaRue led the Camels to the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. He led the Camels to 73 wins in his two seasons, and he hit .327 as a senior in 2015. He was a two-time member of the Big South Presidential honor Roll.
LaRue spent his first two years of his college baseball career at Olney Central College, where he was a two-year starter and two-time Academic All-Conference honoree.
LaRue is an Evansville, Indiana, native. He earned his bachelor's degree from Campbell in 2015 and his M.B.A from Campbell in 2018.
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