COUSHATTA – Red River High baseball coach Todd Moore said the school was “really serious” about building their baseball program when he came on board this past summer.

The first-year results were clear – the school’s best season ever with a 25-10 record and the program’s first trip to the quarterfinals.

A by-product of that program turnaround is players moving on to play college baseball, and four graduating Bulldogs are set to play at the next level.

Chris Carper (Louisiana Christian), Tyler Hughes (Centenary), Bryce Hunt (Jarvis Christian) and Jaxun Moore (Champion Christian) will be suiting up in college uniforms this coming season.

“I take pride in having guys continue to play baseball after high school if that’s something they want,” said Todd Moore, who took two Monroe-area programs to state title games (St. Frederick and Sterlington) in the 2000s. “The guys put in the work this year, and everyone can see how well they did.

“This helps build the program because parents start to see that the baseball program here is legit. It motivates the current kids we have in the program and can possibly attract kids and families that want to move into Red River Parish.”

Carper served as a heart-of-the-lineup hitter who will also play tight end at Louisiana Christian.

“But he can also do some designated hitting for the baseball team,” Moore said. “The ball just flies off his bat.”

Hughes could be a two-way player at Centenary as a catcher and a pitcher.

“They recruited him as a catcher, but he can hit 90-91 (miles per hour) from the mound,” Moore said of a player who was picked for the state’s All-Star game. “He’s incredibly versatile, and he could definitely come in as a reliever after sitting behind the plate and seeing what pitches the hitters can and can’t handle.

“He’s a bulldog on the mound, especially when we brought him in to pitch with a lead.”

Hunt is a speedy outfielder who is likely to be an asset for Jarvis Christian, which just joined a national HBCU conference at the NAIA level.

“He impressed at tryouts, and he has a ton of potential,” Moore said. “He hits the ball hard, and the ball just flies off his bat.”

Jaxun Moore, the coach’s son, will head to Champion Christian primarily as a pitcher.

“To see where he started and to see where he is now, it’s a testament to the work he’s put in,” Moore said.

“He and Tyler would beat me to the facility, and then I’d have to run them out of the batting cages because I wanted to go home to my family.

“The guys with that type of work ethic are the ones that really excel in college.”