NATCHITOCHES – Speaking at the NSU Baseball Auction presented by Maison Louisiane Catering ten days before Valentine's Day,
Bobby Barbier punctuated his first address as the head baseball coach at his alma mater by expressing how "Natchitoches takes care of its own."
Though he was not born or raised here, Barbier is just that – one of Natchitoches' and one of Northwestern State's own.
It is a relationship with a value that sticks close to the first Demon baseball alumnus to skipper the NSU baseball team in almost 30 years.
"Look at these people," Barbier said during the June 21 news conference announcing his hiring. "This is why I came here. This is why I signed here 15 years ago. The people in this town grab you."
Fifteen years ago, Demons baseball fans grabbed Barbier and have not let him go. When Friday's 6:30 p.m. season opener against Cincinnati arrives, it will mark the start of Barbier's sixth season as a full-time coach at his alma mater.
It also will reinforce the bond between university, community and coach - something Barbier noted when he was tasked with continuing the success the Demons have built in their current run of three straight 30-plus-win seasons.
"This town is very relational," Barbier said in June. "Our program will be in this community. We're going to earn your respect. We don't want it to be assumed that we're going to have your respect because I played here and coached here. That doesn't need to be assumed. We're going to earn it."
The mutual love affair between Barbier and the Demons began in the fall of 2003 when Barbier arrived on campus off a three-year career at Archbishop Shaw High School in Metairie.
Barbier made his mark on the field as a first-team All-Southland Conference selection in 2005 – the most recent time Northwestern State reached the NCAA regionals.
He made one in the classroom, earning third-team Academic All-American honors in 2004.
Perhaps most importantly, NSU left a mark on Barbier as he met his wife, Kody, when both were freshmen.
Those ties brought Barbier back to Northwestern State in an unfamiliar position – pitching coach – in 2014 after he spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Alabama with former Demons head coach Mitch Gaspard.
That desire to be in Natchitoches, as well as a detailed plan for continuing to build on-field success, made Barbier a natural fit to take control of the program in June.
NSU Director of Athletics
Greg Burke has made more than 80 direct hires in his 20 years running the department, giving him a feel for what each Demons or Lady Demons sport needs atop it.
"Many factors go into hiring a coach or staff member and one of them certain is their level of collegiality," said Burke, who has been part of the Natchitoches community for nearly 30 years after first arriving as a graduate assistant in the NSU athletic department.
"One has to be able to relate to people and understand the importance of engaging the community. Doing so is especially paramount in Natchitoches. In Bobby's case, I knew that those qualities were inherent in him based on having known him for 13 years prior to promoting him to the head coaching position last June. Combine that with his family background, even-keeled demeanor, relentless drive and baseball acumen and he is a perfect fit for that job and just as importantly, for a campus and town which mean so much to him."
The love Barbier has for Northwestern State has been returned several times over since he took control of the program.
One look around the Student Union Ballroom on Feb. 4 painted that picture.
A packed house produced one of the most successful auctions in Northwestern State baseball history. Much of that can be attributed to Barbier's familiarity and relationships within the Natchitoches community.
As the youthful coach reminded the crowd, Natchitoches takes care of its own.
With one of the most anticipated season openers in the 100-plus years of Demon baseball history approaching, it is clear what makes Barbier important to Northwestern State and Natchitoches as a whole.
"He's like everybody's son, everybody's brother, everybody's cousin," said longtime NSU baseball supporter and Natchitoches Parish Clerk of Court David Stamey, whose son Bryan played American Legion baseball for Barbier.
"He just fits in and has accepted Natchitoches. A lot of people from a larger area struggle with that. They struggle with the pace of Natchitoches. He never did. He made it his job to fit in, whether it was natural or not. He's got an endless amount of friends in Natchitoches. When he got back from Alabama, it was like he never left."
