“A lot of times when you finally find a good defensive guy out there, sometimes you have to bury him in the 9-hole, and he can be charged,” Robichaux said. “But the one thing about BT is that you can’t charge him. He can hit the ball in the gaps, off the wall and out of the ballpark if you’re not careful with him.”

Robichaux first got a look at the young phenom when he and two of his assistant coaches hosted a fielding camp to generate some revenue for the mid-major program. It was at that camp where the coaching staff noticed a sophomore in high school performing at a level comparable to the seniors.

“He was playing above his chronological age, and that’s what BT has always been good at,” Robichaux said. “When he was a freshman, he was a junior. I think all great players play above their chronological age.”

“When I came home from school that Monday before the second day of the camp, my dad said that the coaches had called and that he had heard that they really liked me,” Trahan said. “When we got there, we went through the camp again, and at the end they made an offer to me. I verbally committed, and I stuck with that decision.”

Trahan followed an impressive freshman campaign with an All-American sophomore season in 2014 as he and his teammates continued to grow stronger every week. After an upset of top-ranked LSU and a series victory against No. 19 Alabama, Louisiana found itself in a spot it had never been in – the unanimous No. 1 team in the country.

“When we saw the No. 1 ranking come up last year, that’s nothing but a reward for all the hard work of my coaches, the coaches that have been here before, and these players,” Robichaux said. “To come in here and believe that we might be a mid-major but we don’t have to play like one. We can play above that level. The biggest challenge is to sustain that level, because you’re fighting people with $26 million dollar baseball stadiums, million dollar budgets. So that’s the challenge, to try and sustain it.”

Trahan and the rest of the Ragin’ Cajuns maintained their successful season all the way through the Sun Belt Conference tournament and into the NCAA Regionals. As host of one of the eight Super Regionals, Louisiana ultimately lost its series against Ole Miss.

The final game of the series, a 10-4 loss that ended Louisiana’s bid for its second College World Series appearance, left the team in broken spirits after the game.

“I feel like we just worked so hard and everything,” junior catcher Nick Thurman said. “To have come up just short, it was kind of almost heartbreaking.”

Robichaux, now entering his 20th season as head coach, dipped into his library of wisdom to put the game into perspective for his players.

“Don’t let one game define you,” he said to a clubhouse filled with despondence. “Sports can sometimes define you. You should let the way you live your life, the type of Christian you are - that should define you. One play, one game, a sport should never define a man.”

Trahan is a player who embodies those characteristics, and he celebrates his faith with the way he lives every day.

“I take a lot of pride in my life off the field,” he said. “I’m a Christian, and I try to just live my life by God’s word.”

After the sting of the loss to Ole Miss faded, he began working on his game to try to lead his team back to the postseason. With an emphasis placed on improving his overall athletic ability as well as perfecting his swing, the junior is poised for another exceptional season.

Perhaps the biggest change from last year to this year, however, might have nothing to do with his play on the field. Trahan’s teammates said he was more of a lead-by-example type of person a season ago, but with the departure of some of the team’s veterans, there’s a void for a vocal leader.

“Being a good leader, I think you do have to lead by example and serve first,” Trahan said. “But once the time comes, I think being a vocal leader is also powerful, it’s just as powerful as leading by example - if you’re already leading by example. I think I have, so I think I have the ability to speak up and have some respect on the team.”

The incipient shift from quiet to vocal hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates.

“We can already see it now, everyone’s noticed the change,” Thurman said. “He’s trying to be more vocal, and he’s taking on that new role.”

As Trahan and his teammates continue to try and uplift the Louisiana brand, one thing is certain – the coaches, the players and most notably the All-American shortstop, value character and integrity above all else.

“I’m a fifth-year senior, and I look up to him,” third-baseman Tyler Girouard said. “He’s a hard worker, and he’s just one of those guys you want to be around. If you ever need something, he’s the first to offer his time. He’s one of those guys that people can look up to. He does things the right way.”