Cooper Huspen stood in the center of chaos, a championship t-shirt in hand, teammates roaring behind him. But his eyes were fixed on the sky. The LSU Shreveport senior had just helped clinch a perfect 59-0 season and a national title, something college baseball had never seen. Yet in that moment, it wasn’t history he was thinking about. It was his dad.
“Oh my God,” he said, breath catching. “It’s emotional. Oh my God. I love you, Dad. Thank you.”
The celebration meant more than trophies or rings. For Huspen, every inning, every run, every base he touched this postseason had a purpose: to honor the most important man in his life, Robert Huspen. “He’s the most important man in my life,” Cooper told The SBC Advocate. That sentiment echoed through every dugout, every huddle, every game the Pilots played.
You don’t get through a season like this undefeated without heart. And Huspen’s heart had just been shattered.
Only days before the NAIA World Series began in Idaho, his father suddenly stopped replying in the family group chat. A phone call confirmed the unthinkable: Bob Huspen had passed away unexpectedly at home. Cooper left Lewiston immediately to be with his mother and brother. “I spent a few days with my mom and my brother, made sure everything was good at home.” He said,“I got the green light to come back. I needed to be back here.”
And back he came, not just to play, but to fight for something deeper. “Cooper is a tough kid,” head coach Brad Neffendorf said. “It comes down to how he was raised.” Once reunited with his teammates, Huspen didn’t just return, he led. He scored two runs in the 13–7 title game and touched home plate in all four games he played in Lewiston, earning the Charles Berry Hustle Award.
After the final out, as the team dogpiled on the field, Huspen stood again, looked up, and said, “I know he’s so happy right now. I told myself when I came back, he will be in the front row, the best seat in the house.” In a season filled with perfection, that was the most human moment of all.
Brotherhood, baseball, and one final gift
When Cooper Huspen returned to Lewiston after his father’s passing, it wasn’t only about finishing what he started, but also about finding strength in his second family. The Pilots weren’t just teammates; they were brothers. They had his back, and he knew it. “Getting back with my brothers. Knowing every single one here has my back, it’s just a blessing,” Huspen said. That unshakable support transformed grief into fuel, powering him through each inning, each sprint, each stolen base.
The team wasn’t just playing for a title anymore, they were playing for Bob. And Cooper wasn’t alone in feeling the weight of that purpose. “Coop is one of my closest friends,” said Friday’s winning pitcher Kenneth Schechter. “To do it for him, to do it for his dad, it’s absolutely amazing. Everyone has his back and that will never change.” The Pilots didn’t just welcome him back, they carried him. That unity, forged through tragedy, became their greatest strength down the stretch.
Then came the final gesture, quiet, symbolic, and powerful. After the dogpile cleared and the confetti began to fall, the team handed Cooper Huspen the honor of placing the “LSU Shreveport” sticker on the championship bracket. It was their way of saying, ‘This was yours, too.’ “I can’t imagine what he’s going through, the amount of emotions,” said World Series MVP Isaac Rohde.
“We played for him. It was a mission, and we completed it. It was perfect.”
The post “Love You, Dad” – LSU Shreveport Star’s Emotional Tribute to Father After Team’s Historic College Baseball Feat appeared first on EssentiallySports.