After his players had left the bench and fans cleared the stadium Friday night, Justin Hill walked to the center of the diamond.

It was just some 20 minutes after he had tied the all-time record for coaching victories as McNeese State’s baseball skipper.

After getting all the handshakes and backslaps, Hill was alone on his field for the first time.

So he took the moment to snap a picture of the scoreboard showing his record-tying 263 victory. In 24 hours he would break the mark set by the late Tony Robichaux.

“It means a lot to me because of coach Robichaux and what he has meant to McNeese and college baseball in Louisiana,” Hill said.

Robichaux’s shadow has lingered over the McNeese baseball program since he left for Louisiana-Lafayette in 1994, and rightfully so. The man built the program from nearly nothing.

But don’t let any of that overshadow what Hill has accomplished in his nine years at the helm of the Cowboys. His achievements can stand on their own.

In seven of his nine seasons Hill’s Cowboys have won 30 or more games. One of his non-30 seasons was cut short by COVID-19 to 17 games.

It should also be noted that he has never done a better job than this year.

Yes, he kept the program together through the storms of 2020, but in strictly baseball terms, this is without question Hill’s best season.

First he had to rebuild an offense from last year and then rebuild it again early in the season when his best hitter was lost to injury.

He had to remake the starting rotation twice and maybe even a third time if you get picky. Hill lost his Friday night ace just before the year began and has had to deal with injuries to key pitchers along the way.

Hill had to restart this season as well, as the Cowboys were 3-6 in the league and 16-16 overall after being swept in New Orleans.

“We just have to trust the process and keep on working,” Hill said at the time.

His calm CEO style may not be for everyone, but it works for these Cowboys. His team has responded by going 17-5 since, 12-3 in the league and won the fifth regular-season conference championship in program history since that tough weekend in New Orleans.

“Coach just kept us together, believing in what we could do,” said second baseman Brad Burckel.

What Hill did best was give this group time to grow into the team it has become. With so many new pieces Hill and his staff changed the attack from a year ago.

This team became much more aggressive on the bases. Never was there an idea of having them fit into a system that would fail. Instead, Hill found what fit this group best and literally ran with it.

That has led the Cowboys to the doorstep of winning a third consecutive conference postseason title and trip to the NCAA regionals.

Already having won the Lake Charles bracket of the tourney, McNeese will play Southeastern Louisiana in a best-of-three series for the Southland title starting tonight at Joe Miller Ballpark.

Hill, who was named the SLC Coach of the Year for the second time a week ago, may soon become a person of interest for other, larger baseball programs. It would make sense.

When asked about it he maintains the cooperate line of loving where he is and what he is building. That fits Hill’s style of how he runs his team, button down and in complete control.

If he were to leave though, his impact would be missed.

Robichaux’s accomplishments at McNeese will not be soon forgotten. He earned all the accolades.

But it’s also time to give Hill his credit.

He no longer should have to manage in the shadows of anybody.

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Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers McNeese State athletics for the American Press. Email him at jimgazzolo@yahoo.com