Baseball: Northwestern State promotes Bertrand, announces staff shifts

NATCHITOCHES – Head coach Bobby Barbier announced Monday promotions and shifts in responsibilities for the 2022 Northwestern State baseball staff.

After five seasons at Northwestern State, Chris Bertrand has been elevated to assistant head coach. Bertrand joined Barbier’s staff in 2017 and has held a multitude of roles, including pitching coach, bench coach, infielders coach and recruiting coordinator.

A former head coach at UT Tyler, Bertrand was part of the 2018 NSU staff that guided the Demons to their first Southland Conference Tournament championship and the first NCAA Regional berth since 2005.

“Bert has been with me since the beginning,” Barbier said. “He was the first guy I called when I was looking for an assistant as a new head coach and is still here today. His loyalty and passion for this place and making it better are unmatched. He has changed responsibilities multiple times because it was the best thing for us, not concerned with his comfort. There is nothing he won’t do to better our program. He is a great friend and the Demons are lucky to have him as our new associate head coach.”

Assistant coach Spencer Goodwin has been named the staff’s recruiting coordinator. Goodwin originally came to Northwestern State as a player in 2016 and has been part of the program since, playing two seasons and then serving as a graduate assistant during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

The 2022 season will mark his third season as part of the Demon coaching staff where he works with the infielders and shares offensive responsibilities with Bertrand. Under Goodwin’s tutelage, second baseman Daunte Stuart earned Freshman All-American and second-team All-Southland Conference honors in 2021.

“Spencer will do a great job taking over the recruiting with Bert moving to take over the offense,” Barbier said. “He is a driven young coach who builds great relationships with the players and loves going out to find new Demons. He will do special things in his new role.”

Barbier rounded out his staff by adding Thomas Taylor as the director of baseball operations.

A 2021 graduate of William Carey University, Taylor brings a wide range of experience to Northwestern State, having worked in the Milwaukee Brewers’ organization and the Class A and Double-A levels. Taylor also has experience in the junior college ranks, spending two seasons coaching at Jones College.

“Thomas will fill a role in our organization that we haven’t had before,” Barbier said. “He will handle multiple responsibilities behind the scenes that greatly impact the success of our program. He has gotten off to a great start and we are lucky to have him.”