NATCHITOCHES – Coming off one of the largest single-season improvements in program history, Northwestern State has extended head baseball coach Chris Bertrand's contract.
 
The addition to Bertrand's current deal takes him through the 2028 season as the Demon skipper. The extension is pending the approval of the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System, which governs Northwestern State University.
 
"It has not taken Chris Bertrand long to put his stamp on the Northwestern State baseball program," Director of Athletics Kevin Bostian said. "In two seasons, he has laid a foundation for current and future success, and those who watched the Demons this season saw evidence of that. 'Bert' has a passion for helping his players and staff succeed on and off the field. That passion is infectious and filters through the entire program. Northwestern State and Natchitoches will be better for having him at the helm of our baseball program through the life of this extension."
 
In his second season at the helm of the Northwestern program, Bertrand led the Demons to a 13-win bump from his first season. Northwestern's 35 wins were its most in a season since 2018 while its 19 Southland Conference wins were the most since 2016.
 
The season-to-season improvement was the fifth-largest in school history.
 
In two seasons at Northwestern, Bertrand has posted a 57-54 record while leading the Demons to back-to-back, fourth-place finishes in the Southland Conference. In May, Northwestern reached the semifinals of the Southland Conference Tournament for the second time in the past three seasons.
 
Bertrand has led the Demons to a 30-24 mark in Southland play in two season – the program's best two-year stretch in league play since 2015-16 when the Demons went a combined 40-18 in the conference.
 
Included in Bertrand's overall mark is a 13-3, run-rule victory against eventual national champion LSU on April 22, which made the Demons the first team to hand the Tigers a run-rule defeat in a non-conference game.
 
The 2025 Demons also set a school record with 63 home runs while Northwestern's 14-game home win streak from Feb. 15-April 4 matched the longest run at Brown-Stroud Field since 1990.
 
The Demons have produced four All-Southland Conference selections in Bertrand's two seasons with five players earning Academic All-Southland Conference honors, including first-teamer Reese Lipoma this past season.
 
In six seasons as a head coach at Northwestern and UT Tyler, Bertrand has a combined record of 176-123.