Alexandria, LA (4/13/2023) – Members of the LSUA Baseball and Men’s Soccer teams joined sports enthusiasts and the staff of Walker Automotive to hear the inspirational wisdom of national champion LSU Baseball Coach Skip Bertman and 1996 College World Series hero Warren Morris.
Lawrence Searcy, President and Dealor Operator of Walker Automotive, graciously hosted players from LSUA to hear the two legendary LSU baseball heroes. He also donated a copy of Skip Bertman’s book, Everything Matters in Baseball: The Skip Bertman Story, to each LSUA student-athlete to be signed at the event.
Warren Morris, Vice President of Private Banking at Red River Bancshares, was LSU’s hero of the 1996 College World Series, where he hit the championship-winning homerun in true fairytale fashion. Morris went on the win a bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta and played professional baseball for nine years.
In addition to the hair-raising tales from the diamond, Morris delivered a message about hard work and perseverance in the face of adversity. Morris encouraged the LSUA student-athletes to approach their education like a game, where homework and studying are the practice to prepare for the game-like tests. He also noted that persistence over a career is more important than flashy success. The irony, he said, is that a 30% in school is an F, but if a batter hits a .300 batting average over their career, they might end up in the hall of fame! Morris concluded with five lessons he hoped the players would remember: (1) Be coachable (2) Get 1% better at one thing every day (3) Have enthusiasm (4) Resist the temptation to transfer blame (5) Finish every race you start.
Coach Skip Bertman is a legendary figure in the world of college baseball, with a career spanning over three decades as both a coach and administrator. Bertman served as the head coach of the LSU baseball team from 1984 to 2001, during which time he led the Tigers to five national championships, 11 conference titles, and numerous individual awards for his players. After retiring as head coach, Bertman served as LSU’s athletic director for six years. Bertman’s contributions to college baseball have been widely recognized, and he has been inducted into both the College Baseball Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Today, Coach Bertman told of the persistence and work ethic he witnessed by Warren Morris and the other players on his many championship teams. Amid the stories of baseball trials and glory, he offered the players one piece of lasting advice, “Be a better person than you are a ball player.”
Tyler Unsicker, LSUA Athletic Director, expressed his gratitude on behalf of the student-athletes and coaches for the opportunity to hear the message of two highly regarded sports legends. He thanked Lawrence Searcy and the entire Walker Automotive group for their support of LSUA athletics.
Written by Adam Lord
Photo credit – Nathan Parish | LSUA Strategic Communication
