PINEVILLE – When freshman first baseman Mike Doughty (Crowley, La./Crowley High) signs the Louisiana College wall of fame upon completion of his senior year, he will not be the first Wildcat to scratch his autograph on the wall of the Skip Converse Field House as a permanent commemoration of his contributions to the program.

He might, however, be the first player who will have to specify just who he is.

The young slugger is not the first Doughty to have played baseball for the Wildcats … He's not even the first Mike Doughty.

“He'll actually be the sixth member of his family to sign our wall of fame,” Louisiana College baseball coach Mike Byrnes said. “That's got to be some kind of a record.”

The Doughty family's connection to Louisiana College dates back to 1969 when Mike's grandfather, also named Mike Doughty, transferred to LC from LSU and became a part of the 1970 Wildcats baseball team, in the first year of a rebirth of the sport.

“I actually helped to build this field,” the elder Mike recalled while sitting along the third-base line at Allgood Field. “We moved all this stuff from the old football field (the current practice field for the LC football team) and set up this place. It wasn't anywhere near as nice as it is now, though.”

Since then, three sons of the elder Mike Doughty have graced the diamond at Billy Allgood Field, Christian Doughty (the younger Mike's father), Ross Doughty and Griff Doughty.

The elder Mike Doughty was a true utility player. An outfielder at LSU, he became a first and third baseman at LC.

The patriarch, who went on to be a teacher, coach and principal at Church Point Middle, said he was delighted when he learned that another member of his family would be attending LC.

“It's wonderful,” he said. “I just love this school. It's a great academic school and that's the biggest thing for us. Every one of us got his degree here. And I've learned, if you've got a degree from Louisiana College, you'll always find work.”

Christian, currently the baseball coach at Crowley High and the younger Mike' high school coach, was a third baseman, catcher and designated hitter in his career, which spanned from 1989-92.
According to the current Doughty in the LC lineup, “When I decided to come to LC, no one was happier than my dad.”

The father agreed with that assessment.

“Oh without a doubt, I was excited,” Christian said. “I was very happy when he decided to make the move. This is a great place with a family atmosphere. Something that I found, and Mike will find, is that you make lifelong friends at LC. I made so many friends while I was here, many of them are in the coaching profession, and you just never really lose touch.”

Ross played shortstop and Griff third base.

Scott Meche, an uncle on the younger Mike's mother's side, also played in the outfield for the Wildcats.

“There has been a long line of Doughty's come through here,” Byrnes said. “Griff was actually the team captain my first year at LC (10 years ago). Then Ross came to us and now Mike. The thing about the Doughty's is that they are all quality human beings. They've all been top-of-the-line student athletes and have all gone on to be successful after their playing careers ended.”

Ironically, the newest Doughty did not initially choose to come to LC. Rather, he started his career at LSU-Eunice, where he sustained an injury and had to take a medical redshirt before transferring to LC.

“It's been pretty fun coming to LC,” Mike said. “It wasn't what I expected to do coming out of high school, although we had definitely thrown the idea around as a possibility. I didn't actually come here because of my family, but that didn't hurt …

“I was looking for a place where I could play, and have a legitimate chance to start, and enjoy myself while getting my education. This school is challenging, but we have coaches who care about us and we all have a good time playing together. Plus, everyone brings a great, Christian attitude to the field.”

Perhaps none have had as much fun as the freshman standout at first base.

Batting cleanup for the Wildcats, Mike has a .348 batting average, second on the team only to leadoff hitter Cody Laprarie (.400).

In addition to his 24 hits, three doubles, 14 runs scored, 11 RBI and .442 on-base percentage, Doughty has also been near perfect in the field, committing just one error on the year en route to a .992 fielding percentage.

“He's having as good of a year as you can expect,” Byrnes said. “He's swinging the bat well for us. We kind of threw him to the dogs this year as a freshman and put him in the four-hole. It's tough on a freshman to come in and start with that kind of pressure, but he's doing a good job for us.”

Performing admirably and above expectations ... It's been the Doughty calling card for 40 years and three generations.