Ex-LSU shortstop Hal Hughes joins UNO baseball staff as Director of Player Development

NEW ORLEANS – Hal Hughes will begin his first season as the Director of Player Development for the New Orleans Privateers baseball program when the 2024 season gets started on February 16. 

Hughes has been in Southeast Louisiana for the better part of the last six years. The Norman, Oklahoma native began his collegiate career at LSU in 2017. He played in over 200 games between LSU and Rice where he finished his last two seasons and earned his degree in Sport Management. 

Last year, Hughes was an assistant coach on the varsity team at De La Salle in New Orleans. He coached the infielders, baserunning and was the team’s first base coach. The Cavaliers won a district championship and reached the state quarterfinals in 2023. 

“You’ve got a guy who played high level Division I baseball at LSU and Rice and he comes from a baseball family,” said Head Coach Blake Dean. “Hal is a young guy who can relate to our players and knows how to work with the infielders. Hal will be a big addition to what we already have on the field.” 

Hal’s father, Pete Hughes has 785 wins as a head coach and is currently at Kansas State after stints at Boston College, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma. 

Hal was a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient at LSU and earned the same distinction in Conference USA after transferring to Rice. He also played in the prestigious Cape Cod League for two years where he started over 50 games at shortstop.

During the Fall of 2020, Hal also had a stint as a research intern for The Ballplayer’s Agency, which provides advisement for amateurs in the MLB Draft.  

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