Junior pitcher Grant Borne found his identity pitching for the Nicholls State University baseball team and has blossomed into one of the best players in the Southland Conference.

The 6’4” left-hander ranks first in strikeouts looking and batting average against, second in strikeouts and third in earned run average.

“He is the best pitcher in our league,” Head Coach Seth Thibodeaux said. “He ended last season with a 9-3 record and was named an All-Conference pitcher.”

This year, Borne has been the definition of a “bad luck pitcher,” in that he has pitched well enough to win but has not received enough run support from his offense. For instance, in Borne’s four losses this season the Colonel hitters did not score more than three runs.

“It was an awkward start for him, but he has settled and responded extremely well,” Thibodaux said.
Despite shutting down Stony Brook University for one run over four innings and four strikeouts in his first start, and the University of Southern Mississippi for one run over seven innings with five strikeouts in his second start in February, Borne did not get his first win until his fourth start of the season in March at Abilene Christian University.

Borne, a junior biology major from Baton Rouge, wasn’t always a dominant pitcher or the best player on his high school and travel teams. Prepping at Catholic High School, Borne played with multiple teammates who played collegiately at Louisiana State University and are now in the minor leagues. However, Borne did not have any scholarship offers after his senior year.

“Nicholls was the only school to contact me, and I walked on the team,” Borne said. “Growing up playing with great players, I wanted to go to the next level and prove myself.”

Borne credits Pitching Coach Chris Prothro for forcing him to abandon his immaturity that limited him as a high school prospect and developing the dedication it takes to be a weekend starter for a college team. He always knew he was good enough to play but never took being elite seriously, considering the abundance of talent he was surrounded with growing up. When Borne came to Nicholls, he seized the opportunity to get better.

“These coaches made me love working on my craft and have sharpened my mental toughness,” Borne said.
Borne is projected as a starting pitcher when he decides to enter the Major League Baseball draft, which he is eligible for after this season. Although professional baseball is his foreseeable future, Borne has plans on attending dental school when his pitching career is over. If Borne stays his senior year, he will be on track to receive his undergraduate degree, while anchoring a Colonel pitching staff that currently ranks at the top of the conference.

“Grant can beat anyone in the country,” Thibodeaux said. “It’s important for us to get to regional because he is going to beat whoever he faces.”