LCU enters ‘23 season with expectations of first conference championship in program history

PINEVILLE, La. (KALB) - A sea of orange and blue flooded Pineville as Louisiana Christian returned to the practice field for the start of fall camp.

The feeling around practice between the coaching staff and the players appears to be a new heightened sense of belief within the Wildcat program. Head Coach Drew Maddox is entering his fourth season in Pineville, but the team seemed like they finally started to click during the back half of the 2022 season.

After a 1-4 start, the Wildcats racked off six straight wins, two of those coming against top 25 opponents in the NAIA. LCU is still a relatively new member of the NAIA after coming up from Division III just three years ago, but they have proven they can compete with the best in the league.

LCU returns arguably the most talented and deepest team in a decade, and Coach Maddox feels he has the players to win the program’s first conference championship in school history.

“There were times when I first got here where we lost games that were very close almost like we found ways to lose games,” said Coach Maddox about 2022. “Somewhere along the line last year, that flipped and these men hopefully remember what it felt like when we didn’t do the wrong thing when we continued to win and we played with confidence.”

During LCU’s six-game winning streak last year, the Wildcats won by an average margin of 32 points.

The Wildcats will look to carry on the momentum into 2023 when they open the season against former D3 rival ETBU for the Battle of the Border Claw. The game will kick off on Thursday, August 31, at 7 p.m. in Pineville.

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