University of Texas at Tyler Athletics

Brent Porche completed his ninth season as the UT Tyler head baseball coach, the most successful season in the history of the program. The Patriots posted a 49-13 record, won the NCAA Division II South Central Region championship, swept top-ranked Angelo State in the South Central Super Regional, and made their inaugural appearance in the NCAA Division II College World Series in Cary, North Carolina.
 
The Patriots went 1-2 in the World Series, falling to Northwest Nazarene in the first round before beating Felician, 6-2, to stay alive in the tournament. UT Tyler’s historic season came to an end with a loss to No. 1-ranked Tampa, which eventually won the national championship.
 
Porche shared South Central Region Coach of the Year honors with Angelo State head coach Kevin Brooks. He coached nine All-Lone Star Conference selections, six All-South Central Region selections, and three NCAA Division II All-American selections in 2025. Those selections were led by senior right-handed pitcher Nick Niebur, who was 2-2 with a 1.41 ERA and four saves. He was a first team Division II Baseball All-American pick, and an honorable mention All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. He was also an American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Gold Glove recipient.
 
The all-time winningest coach in Patriots’ program history, Porche is 295-137 going into his 10th season at UT Tyler in 2025-26. In 13 all-time seasons as a head coach (four seasons at LSU-Alexandria before he became the Patriots’ head coach before the 2017 season), Porche is 442-220. Porche has led the Patriots to a record of 176-80 in six seasons of LSC play, including 40-8 in 2025. The Patriots are 102-42 in the conference in the last three seasons.
 
The Patriots became eligible for NCAA Division II postseason competition in 2022 after completing the mandatory three-year transition period from Division III to Division II. UT Tyler has reached NCAA postseason competition in 2023 in its first season of eligibility and again in 2025.
 
In just his second season at UT Tyler (2018), Porche and his staff led the Patriots to the NCAA Division III national championship and the winningest season in program history.  An unlikely beginning to a storied ending, the Patriots – who didn’t win the American Southwest Conference regular season or postseason tournament titles – reached the NCAA postseason because of their strength of schedule and winning percentage vs. regionally ranked opponents.
 
The Patriots received the last Pool C bid to the regional tournament, and that’s where the run began. UT Tyler advanced to its first Division III World Series after winning the Central Regional in Sauget, Ill., battling back through the losers’ bracket to win five games in three days. The Patriots capped the tournament run with a walk-off win in the championship game to send them to the national tournament in Appleton, Wis.

The Patriots went on to win the first NCAA national championship in program history, capped with the 40th win of the season against a familiar foe and West region opponent, No. 6 Texas Lutheran, to capture the title. UT Tyler went 11-2 during the NCAA Division III tournament. Porche was named the ABCA/Diamond NCAA West Region Coach of the Year and Division III National Coach of the Year following the Division III National Title run.
 
Porche was named the fourth head baseball coach in The University of Texas at Tyler program’s history on Aug. 5th, 2016 after amassing a 147-83 record in four seasons at LSU Alexandria. Porche, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana native who played for and coached with former UT Tyler head coach Chris Bertrand at LSU-Shreveport, led the Generals to back-to-back Red River Athletic Conference Championships in 2015 and 2016 and three consecutive NAIA National Tournament appearances.
 
Porche served as the Athletic Director at LSU Alexandria as well in his final year and a half with the program, overseeing an athletic department that brought home three additional RRAC championships and national tournament berths in men’s basketball, women’s tennis, and softball. Under Porche’s direction, the athletic department saw many changes and improvements, including the growth of the Generals Athletic Association, the fundraising arm of the LSUA Foundation for Generals Athletics. 
 
Under Porche, the Generals undertook many community service initiatives, participating annually in the Life Share Blood Drive, Hope House Lobster Dinner Fundraising Event, and the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. The program organized a Christmas party for the children of the Christus Cabrini Pediatric Therapy Center, hosted the Buddy Walk and the Buddy Camp baseball game for children with autism and disabilities, stuffed backpacks for the Central Louisiana Food Bank’s backpack program, and waited tables for the Friendship House Dinner Fundraising Event.
 
Porche went to Alexandria after spending two years (2010-2012) as an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech University, where he worked with catchers and pitchers and played an important role in strength and conditioning for the Bulldogs.  Porche assisted with the development of Tech’s catchers. During games, he served as Head Coach Wade Simoneaux’s bench coach, helping with game-time decision-making and calling pitches.  He was also in charge of all on-campus recruiting visits, the coordination and operation of Top Dawg Baseball camps and fall league, and scouting reports. 
 
Before his time in Ruston, Porche spent two years (2008-2010) as a student and graduate Assistant Coach at his alma mater, LSU Shreveport. Porche’s duties included assisting with fundraising and administrative duties, coordinating and implementing all strength and conditioning programs, overseeing the development of Pilot catchers and outfielders, helping with hitters and pitchers, and coaching third base and calling pitches during games. 
 
Porche began his coaching career in the summer of 2007 and 2008, assisting then LSUS Associate Head Coach, Chris Bertrand, with the Gametime Academy Angels 18U team. The Angels notched back-to-back quarterfinal appearances in the Premier Baseball World Championships while totaling four tournament titles.

Porche began his collegiate career as a walk-on at Louisiana Tech University before transferring to LSU Shreveport, where he would be a part of the Pilots’ first regular-season Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championship team in 2005.  During his four seasons in Shreveport, Porche helped LSUS to three consecutive GCAC tournament championships from 2006-2008 as the squad finished as the Region XIII runners-up on three occasions.

Porche received a Bachelor of General Studies degree from Louisiana State University, Shreveport, in May of 2009, and his Master of Science degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Sports Performance from Louisiana Tech University in August of 2011.  He is married to the former Crystal Jones of Bossier City, La., she is the Principal at Higgins Elementary in Whitehouse ISD. Brent and Crystal have two sons, Braiden and Owen, and reside in Whitehouse.