NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State baseball roster is complete for the 2024 season.
 
Second-year head coach Chris Bertrand announced the addition of 10 players to join the seven previously announced signees to round out the Demons' recruiting Class of 2024.
 
The 10 new Demons join fall signees Hudson Brignac, Austin Ellis, Trent Hillen, Kaden Mccoy, Cooper McEnroe, Zach White and Mason Wray to complete the Northwestern signing class.
 
"The biggest thing, when you look at the entirety of the class, we're really satisfied with how all-inclusive it is in both filling needs and in building the roster more toward the direction we'd like the program to go," Bertrand said. "We're extremely excited about the talent on the roster, but we're also pleased with the character and the type of people we've brought in. It's a wide-ranging group of people geographically, and we're proud of the work our staff has done to get this class put together. It answers the needs we had. We needed to become more versatile. We had a need for left-handed pitching, and we filled those. It adds to the culture. It adds to the locker room, and it adds to what it is we're trying to build overall."
 
Northwestern State 2024 Signee Class Bio Capsules
Ethan Bourg, INF/OF, R/R, 5-10, 185, Magnolia, Texas (Magnolia West HS/Vernon College)
Prior to NSU: Spent one season each at Vernon College and at Howard College … named to the NTJCAC All-Academic Team at Vernon, hitting .351 with a .476 on-base percentage in 51 games … batted .321 at Howard and had a 3.7 GPA, making the President's List.
High School: Lettered three seasons for coach Justin Faltysek's Mustangs … graduated with a 3.9 GPA.
Bertrand on Bourg: "Ethan brings a little bit of versatility. He was a late summer sign, but he had what we felt were two really good junior college years, especially offensively. He gives us the ability to play him on the infield or in the outfield. He was very familiar with Natchitoches and Northwestern State as his uncle, Eric DeBlanc, was a Demon baseball player. We had some familiarity there, and we felt there was a connection from the very beginning of the process. We're excited to watch him compete and see what type of role his skill set can carve out on our team."
 
Hudson Brignac, MIF, 5-7, 150, R/R, Benton, La. (Benton HS)
High School: Four-year letterman for coaches JD Stephens' and Dane Peavy's Tigers … batted .301 with a .446 on-base percentage, 25 RBIs and 25 stolen bases as Benton reached the state semifinals … earned first-team all-district honors as a senior … helped lead the Benton to three straight District 1-5A championships … earned first-team all-district honors as a junior, batting .317 with 25 RBIs and 13 stolen bases … honorable mention all-district pick as a sophomore, batting .347 with 16 RBIs and 20 stolen bases … has helped Benton post a 99-47-2 mark in his career … helped the Bossier Phillies reach the American Legion World Series in the summer of 2024 … member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes … graduated with a 3.7 GPA.
Bertrand on Brignac: "Hudson really caught our eye at camp with the way he defended and the arm strength he showed across the diamond. We really think he has a chance to be an elite-level defender, and as his career blossoms, we'll see where we can take the offense. We're really excited about adding depth to the middle infield as we graduate some of the older guys who have held those spots down."
 
Christian Caruso, INF/OF, R/R, 5-10, 180, Gilbert, Arizona (Seton Catholic/Roane State CC)
Prior to NSU: Played two seasons at Roane State Community College in Tennessee … appeared in 31 games, driving in 11 runs as a freshman … held a 3.4 GPA.
High School: Lettered three seasons for coach Brian Stephenson's Sentinels … received the Christian Service Award.
Bertrand on Caruso: "Christian is another guy who gives us plenty of options in the name of versatility. He's someone who can play in the outfield. He's someone who can play on the infield. He gives us some depth. His game is one that brings us a little bit of a different dynamic offensively. He's somebody, again, who has some familiarity through his friendship with Rocco Gump. There's some comfortability on our end with the type of junior college career he had. He also, from what we could gather, had a really good summer. He steps onto campus prepared to compete and hungry to bring some value to our ball club."
 
Bennett Clement, OF, R/R, 6-2, 192, St. Francisville, La. (West Feliciana HS/LSU-Eunice)
Prior to NSU: Lettered two seasons at LSU-Eunice … helped the Bengals win the 2024 NJCAA national championship … hit .278 with three home runs, 31 RBIs and 22 stolen bases for the national champs … batted .306 with three homers, 29 RBIs and 25 steals as a freshman in 2023 … was the president of the LSU-Eunice chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes … posted a 3.2 GPA.
High School: Four-year letterman for coach Gannon Achord's Saints … was named the school's outstanding male athlete as a senior after helping the Saints reach the third round of the baseball state playoffs … four-year football letterman set school career and single-season passing yardage marks as a quarterback … was president of the school's Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter and a member of the 4-H Club … graduated with a  3.2 GPA.
Bertrand on Clement: "Bennett is another guy we're excited about. He's very well rounded. He's fresh off a national championship with LSU-Eunice. We know what it is he brings to the table in work ethic, baseball IQ and win awareness. He has some intangibles that we're really excited about bringing into our locker room and into our dugout. On the field, he's somebody who had an extremely successful career and ended up hitting in the two hole for most of the season, starting over 50 games during a national championship run for one of the best programs in the country. It's hard not to be excited about the potential value Bennett brings to our team and what it is we think he can do in adding to our culture as a whole."
 
Austin Ellis, C, 5-10, 220, R/R, Saratoga Springs, Utah (Mountain Ridge HS)
High School: Two-year letterman for coach Brock Whitney's Sentinels … owns the school record for career RBIs … first-team all-state and all-region pick as a senior, batting .438 with 10 home runs, 40 RBIs and an OPS of 1.010 as Mountain Ridge set a school record with 28 wins  … earned first-team all-state and all-region honors as a junior, hitting .389 with a .610 on-base percentage … named first-team all-region as a freshman, batting .419 with a .678 on-base percentage … helped Mountain Ridge reach the playoffs each season, including a 21-10 mark and a semifinal berth in his junior season … four-year hockey letterman has started every game since his freshman season and helped Mountain Ridge win the Class 6A state title and reach four straight state title games … four-time all-state goalie in hockey had a save percent of 84 or better each season … was the region MVP and state championship MVP as a freshman … honor roll student graduated with a 4.0 GPA and was a two-time Academic All-State selection … member of the FFA and school senate and was the winner of the Mr. Sentinel Award.
Assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Dylan Belanger  on Ellis: "Big, physical, strong catcher who has pull-side pop. He can fill the role of Bo Willis.  He is originally from Dallas, which is how we got to know him."
 
Colton Harrison, 1B/OF, R/R, 6-1, 215, Lafayette, La. (St. Thomas More/New Orleans)
Prior to NSU: Played one season at New Orleans … homered once and drove in four runs in seven appearances … member of the Southland Conference Commissioner's Spring Honor Roll with a 3.9 grade point average.
High School: Two-year letterman for coach Cass Hargis' Cougars … second-team all-district and member of the Academic All-State team as a senior when STM reached the state semifinals … first-team all-district selection as a junior when he hit eight home runs for the district champions … helped Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame coach Jim Hightower's football team win a state title in his sophomore season when he earned the Silver Cougar award … graduated with a 4.0 grade point average.
Bertrand on Harrison: "Colton comes to us as a transfer from the University of New Orleans. We're excited about what Colton's potential can do for us on the offensive end of the game. He's a big, physical guy who has some power potential. He's a guy who we feel like just needs live at-bats. He needs to play and have some live at-bats. We have the utmost amount of respect for the program he came from, and the way they saw potential in his offense makes us believe he has a bright future ahead of him. We're glad when he became available, he looked into our program because we feel he brings another dynamic to our offense and brings us the potential to drive in some runs and do some things in the future of Demon baseball."
 
Trent Hillen, RHP, 6-3, 220, R/R, Morgan City, La. (Central Catholic HS/Jones College)
Prior to NSU: Went 6-3 with a 4.05 ERA in his lone season at Jones College … struck out 91 in 80 innings as Jones went 41-16 and was the runner up in the MACCC Region 23 Tournament … spent two seasons at Nicholls, redshirting in 2022 … made three appearances for the 2023 Southland Conference regular-season and tournament champions … pitched in the summer for the Acadiana Cane Cutters of the Texas Collegiate League and earned one TCL Pitcher of the Week honor … Dean's List student graduated with a 3.5 GPA.
High School: Four-year letterman for the Eagles … first-team all-district and all-state as a senior, going 8-1 on the mound with 96 strikeouts and a 2.88 ERA … was 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 34 strikeouts before the COVID-19 pandemic ended his junior season … first-team all-district and all-state as a sophomore, going 6-3 with 72 strikeouts and a 2.28 ERA … helped Central Catholic win three district titles and reach the state semifinals as a sophomore … three-time Academic All-State selection … two-year football letterman … helped Central Catholic to a 13-7 record and a pair of playoff berths across two seasons … graduated with a 3.8 GPA.
Belanger on Hillen: "Trent is a big, 6-foot-3, 220-pound right-hander. He has a chance to be a front-end starter the minute he walks on campus. He pitched for (NSU graduate manager) Joe (Craighead) last summer, and he'll pitch again for him this summer with the Acadiana Cane Cutters."
 
Sebastian Huerta, C, R/R, 5-11, 205, New Braunfels, Texas (New Braunfels HS/Western Texas College)
Prior to NSU: Played two seasons at Western Texas College … earned first-team all-conference honors as a sophomore, hitting .345 with 8 home runs and 29 RBIs and an OPS of 1,128 … graduated with a 3.37 GPA.
High School: Lettered three seasons for coach Robert Alford's Unicorns … graduated with a 3.0 GPA.
Bertrand on Huerta: "He's someone we're really excited about considering the well-rounded nature of his game. It gets us thinking about the future value. He's someone who was an all-conference and all-region player. He brings a well-rounded game in that we have heard and seen he is exceptional in the catch-and-throw end of it. He also is a .350 hitter with eight home runs and over 30 RBIs. When you look at us losing Bo Willis, James Starnes and Cole Joyner, catching was definitely something we wanted to address the recruiting class, and we feel we have done that in a great way with Sebastian leading the charge."
 
Jacob LeBlanc, LHP, L/L, 5-9, 185, Central, La. (Central HS)
High School: Three-year letterman for coach Leo McClure's Wildcats … named first-team all-district as an outfielder as a senior … threw a one-hit shutout and had the game-winning hit in a victory against Zachary … helped Central post a 22-8 record and reach the third round of the state playoffs as a senior … Central went a combined 46-18 and reached the third round of the state playoffs in his sophomore and junior seasons … four-year honor roll student graduated with a 3.8 GPA.
Belanger on LeBlanc: "Jacob comes to us from a powerhouse program in the state. He is a true left-handed pitcher with a three-pitch mix – fastball, curveball, change-up. He'll be a guy who pitches for us out of the bullpen as a true freshman. He's going to come in and compete for us. He's a 90 mile per hour arm, in-state kid. He's going to be a really good player for us when his career is done. His competitiveness really caught our eye and sets him apart."
 
Wesley Marien, RHP, R/R, 6-3, 210, Baton Rouge, La. (Parkview Baptist HS)
High School: Three-year letterman for coach Phillip Hawke's Eagles … named first-team all-state, all-region, all-metro and all-district as a senior, helping Parkview go 33-6 and reach the state semifinals … posted a 0.69 ERA in 60 2-3 innings as a junior, earning first-team all-district and all-region honors for a 32-8 state quarterfinal team … second-team all-district selection as a sophomore as Parkview went 25-14 and reached the state semifinals … three-year football letterman for coach Stefan Lefors … earned first-team all-district honors as a senior and second-team as a junior … honor roll student graduated with a 3.4 GPA.
Belanger on Marien: "He's an all-state player, a two-way player who we feel will really thrive on the mound. He is a great human being. He's a great player as well. He comes to us from Parkview Baptist, and he will be a guy we see early on who has probably 20 to 30 innings as a freshman."
 
Kaden McCoy, RHP, 5-9, 160, L/R, Humble, Texas (Atascocita HS)
High School: Three-year letterman for coaches Eric Matthews' and Jeremy O'Neill's Eagles … was the unanimous district Most Valuable Player as a senior … named first-team all-district as a utility player as a junior … helped lead the Eagles to the second round of the playoffs as a junior … earned second-team all-district honors at third base as a sophomore … graduated with a weighted 4.25 GPA.
Belanger on McCoy: "He was a kid who came to our camps multiple times. He has some family in the area and really, really wanted to be a Demon. He has a chance to pitch out of the bullpen as soon as he gets on campus. He's got a three-pitch mix with a good fastball."
 
Cooper McEnroe, 3B, 6-1, 210, R/R, Klein, Texas (Cain HS)
High School: Four-year letterman for coaches Neil Wisener and David Miller's Hurricanes … all-state selection and unanimous first-team all-district third baseman as a senior after hitting .500 with four home runs … named team's Hitter of the Year as Klein Cain went 22-9 and reached the state playoffs … second-team all-district selection as a junior … unanimous choice as a first-team all-district utility player as a sophomore … earned underclassman MVP honors as a freshman … helped Cain reach the UIL playoffs as a sophomore … academic all-district selection graduated with a weighted 4.7 GPA.
Bertrand on McEnroe: "He's the type of guy who catches your eye the first time you see him play, which is what happened in our case. He plays for a quality high school and for Hunter Pence Baseball, where we have had a lot of success. From the first time I watched him play, what sticks out is how hard he plays. He's our type of player. He's a hard-working, blue-collar, grinding kind of kid. We think he can hold down both corner infield spots and has a tremendous amount of potential with the bat."
 
Caleb Muffoletto, RHP, R/R, 6-2, 180, Lafayette, La. (Comeaux HS/Wallace-Dothan CC)
Prior to NSU: Pitched two seasons at Wallace-Dothan Community College, helping the Govs win consecutive Alabama Community College Conference championships … helped the Govs go 44-8 in the 2024 season … went 2-1 and a save in 11 appearances, striking out 29 in 22 2-3 innings as a sophomore … posted a 3.4 GPA and was a member of the President's and Dean's lists.
High School: Three-year letterman for coach Jeramie Broussard's Spartans … helped Comeaux post a 26-12 mark as a senior and win the first playoff game in program history … named second-team all-district as a utility player … graduated with a 3.7 GPA.
Bertrand on Muffoletto: "Caleb is another late summer pickup, but we're excited about the potential he brings to our bullpen. He's somebody we thought had a really good summer and caught our eye while playing for coach Craighead and the Cane Cutters. We felt like we got to know his game on a very deep level. We got to know him as a person on a deep level. We're excited we get to provide the opportunity for him to come back a little closer to home being a Louisiana kid. It's a little bit of a lower slot, and from a lower slot, he has some pitches that we feel really jump out of his hand. He can come in and have some success and allow us to use him in a variety of roles."
 
Cort Pryor, UT, R/R, 5-10, 170, Cypress, Texas (Cy Ranch HS/Odessa College)
Prior to NSU: Lettered two seasons at Odessa College … batted .318 with four home runs, 29 RBIs and 25 stolen bases as a sophomore … posted a .394 on-base percentage in 25 games as a freshman … had a 3.7 GPA.
High School: Lettered for coach Corey Cephus' Mustangs … graduated with a weighted 6.0 GPA.
Bertrand on Pryor: "Cort comes to us from a very successful baseball program in Odessa College. We really enjoyed the recruiting process because he, again, is one of those guys who adds to the versatility of this group. He can and has on the junior college level played a multitude of positions. He can catch. He can play on the infield. He can play in the outfield. He's somebody who adds to the overall speed of the team in our attempt to get a little bit faster. He brings us value with his base-running ability. We feel good about Cort's overall versatility. We feel good knowing he came from a junior college program in which they competed in such a high level. His competitive spirit will be welcomed in our locker room and our dugout."
 
Carter White, LHP, L/L, 6-2, 215, Bossier City, La. (Airline HS)
High School: Four-year letterman for coach Toby Todd's Vikings … struck out 69 batters in 53 2-3 innings as a senior, pitching to a 2.48 ERA … tossed a no-hitter against Cedar Creek in his final high school start … struck out 50 hitters in 43 innings as a junior, holding opponents to a .210 batting average … named first-team all-district, all-city and all-parish as a sophomore, helping the Vikings reach the state playoffs … pitched to a 2.91 ERA in 36 innings as a freshman … member of the Composite Academic All-State Team after graduating with a 4.28 GPA … member of the National Honor Society, the Beta Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Freshman Mentor Council, Mu Alpha Theta, the Activating Inquisitive Minds program and was the senior class president.
Belanger on White: "Carter White comes to us from Airline High School, which is in a very, very tough district. He had a great career playing for coach Toby Todd. He's a legacy. Throughout the recruiting process, talking to Carter about Northwestern State, he wanted to be a Demon the whole time. He's going to be a Demon through and through. He's going to help us and be an asset to the community as well with how much he showed he wanted to be a Demon through the recruiting process."
 
Zach White, MIF, 5-8, 160, S/R, Baytown, Texas (Robert E. Lee HS)
High School: Four-year letterman for coach David Schmidt's Ganders … named team MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-district shortstop as a senior … earned Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-district honors at shortstop as a junior … Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore and Newcomer of the Year as a freshman … graduated with a 3.7 GPA.
Bertrand on White: "We really got a relationship going with Zach later in the summer. He made a decision to reopen his recruitment process, and we got involved then. He's a switch-hitting middle infielder, which adds an element to it as we attempt to add more left-handed hitters. He has an overall game that says he can compete to make an impact early in his time on campus."

 
Mason Wray, C, 6-0, 185, R/R, Melbourne, Australia (Christian Brothers/Cochise CC)
Prior to NSU: Played at Cochise Community College and Colorado-Mesa … drove in 16 runs in 32 games at Cochise … posted a 3.4 GPA … played for the Kansas Cannons this summer.
High School: Played for the Newport Baseball Club, coached by David Asp … was the Division II Summer League runner-up.
Bertrand on Wray: "Mason is a junior college catcher from Australia who comes to us by way of Cochise Community College. We really enjoyed getting to know him. He's a very high-character individual, somebody we're really looking forward to making an impact not only in baseball, but also as a leader in our clubhouse and locker room. He's someone we think has the potential to compete for a job right away because he has a well-rounded game defensively and with a bat in his hand."