Nicholls State University

HONORS/ACCOLADES
- 2023 Southland Conference Clay Gould Coach of the Year
- Led Nicholls to its first SLC Regular Season Title (2023)
- Led Nicholls to its second SLC Tournament Title (2023)
- Led Nicholls to its fourth NCAA Regional and first since '98 (2023)
- Led Nicholls to first 30-win season since 2015
- Led Colonels to a 17-3 start in 2024, one of the program's best starts in history

MILESTONE VICTORIES/GAMES AT NICHOLLS
- 1st career/SEC victory -- Feb. 20, 2022 -- Missouri (9-8)
- 1st no-hitter -- Feb. 26, 2022 -- Mississippi Valley State (10-0, 7 inn.)
- 1st midweek victory vs. Louisiana school -- March 1, 2022 -- Louisiana Tech (5-4)
- 1st Southland victory -- March 25, 2022 -- at Southeastern (6-4)
- 1st Southland series sweep -- March 25-27, 2022 -- at Southeastern
- 1st Southland Tournament victory -- May 19, 2022 -- vs Northwestern State (7-6)
- 1st victory over B1G program -- March 19, 2023 -- vs. Nebraska (10-7)
- Longest Southland game in conference history -- March 31, 2023 -- 9-8 win at Lamar (19 inn.)
- 1st victory vs. ranked opponent -- April 25, 2023 -- at #1 LSU (6-5)
- Longest SLC Tournament game in conference history -- May 24/25, 2023 -- 3-2 win vs. McNeese (14 inn.)


Mike Silva took over as the head coach for Nicholls Baseball on Friday, July 9, 2021.

In only his second season at the helm, Silva led Nicholls to its first Southland Conference Regular Season Title in school history and second SLC Tourney title. After the Colonels were voted sixth out of nine teams in the preseason poll, Nicholls won five of its eight SLC series which included a pair of sweeps to finish with a league best 15-9 league record. In addition to the two titles, the Colonels won 30 games for the first time since 2015. One of the victories was 6-5 victory on April 25 at No. 1 LSU. 

Nicholls stormed through the Southland Tournament, going 4-0 to make its first NCAA Regional appearance since 1998. Led by Tournament MVP Xane Washington, the Colonels outlasted host McNeese in 14 innings before going on to defeat Lamar and New Orleans twice for their first tournament crown in 25 years. 

In the NCAA Regional, Nicholls took the lead three different times against Alabama before the Crimson Tide won on a walk-off single in the ninth in a 4-3 decision. The Colonels then saw their remarkable season come to a close with a loss to Boston College.

Nicholls finished with a 34-24 overall record for its most wins since 2015. In addition to Coach Silva being named Southland Coach of the Year, rookie phenom pitcher Jacob Mayers was selected as Freshman of the Year and joined Washington, shortstop Parker Coddou and first baseman Edgar Alvarez as All-Southland first-team selections. Gavin Galy was a second-team honoree and he and the Colonel bullpen went on to have a remarkable showing in the SLC Tournament. 

Mayers was not only the first Colonel to earn the Southland rookie award, but he was selected to five Freshman All-American teams.  He anchored the pitching staff with a 9-1 record, a 2.02 ERA and 105 strikeouts. 

In his first season, Coach Silva led the Colonels to a 26-25 overall record for their first winning season since 2017. Nicholls was voted to finish last in the Southland preseason poll and the team blew past the projection by having the fourth-best league record at 12-12. The Colonels made their presence immediately known in the SLC by sweeping Southeastern on the road in the opening series. Nicholls also claimed series victories against third-place New Orleans and Northwestern State and UIW.

Under Silva, the Red and Gray also had several significant nonconference victories. The Colonels knocked off his former team, Louisiana Tech, and in-state foe Louisiana. His first career victory was against SEC program Missouri and he also took the Colonels on the road and came away with a series win at Memphis. 

One of the most significant improvements on the field came at the plate. Nicholls increased its batting average from .219 in '21 to .264 in Silva's first season. The pitching staff also posted a lower earned run average and opponent batting average from the year prior. 

Nicholls had a total of six All-Southland recipients, led by first-team selection starting pitcher Tyler Theriot. Designated hitter Alec Paz and outfielder Xane Washington were second-team honorees while starting pitcher Devin Desandro, shortstop Parker Coddou and first baseman Edgar Alvarez landed on third team. Washington was also named to the All-Defensive Team. 

Before joining the Colonels, Silva served as the associate head coach at Louisiana Tech for three seasons, guiding the Bulldog pitching staff to unbridled success on the mound. Notably, LA Tech arms composed a Conference USA-best eight shutouts -- including a 2-0 victory against No. 1 Arkansas -- during the 2021 campaign, pacing the program to national acclaim as the Bulldogs emerged as the No. 18 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Statistically, the Louisiana Tech staff ranked fourth in the C-USA in batters struck out (454), third in saves (15) and first in runners picked off (13) over the course of his final year with the Bulldogs; individually, Jonathan Fincher, a first-team All-Conference selection, and Jarret Whorff combined to tally three C-USA Pitcher of the Week awards under Silva's instruction as well, and Whorff even managed National Player of the Week honors from Collegiate Baseball following his shutout of the top-ranked Razorbacks.
 
Prior to his stint with LA Tech, Silva acted as the pitching coach at Arkansas-Little Rock for two seasons, supervising the Trojan staff to the fifth-lowest ERA within the Sun Belt for the 2018 campaign. The previous year, Silva coached his pitchers to a program-record 463 strikeouts as Little Rock's arms recorded 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings, good for third in the Sun Belt and 47th nationally.

Silva also brings experience at the professional level, as he worked as an area scout for the San Diego Padres in 2016, overseeing talent in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. Prior to his time as a scout, Silva worked as an assistant coach at Texas State from 2013-15, helping the Bobcats reach the Sun Belt Tournament in all three seasons while guiding six student-athletes into the MLB Draft.

Before joining the Bobcats, Silva served as the head coach at Galveston College where he led the program to its first regional tournament appearance in five years, navigating the Whitecaps to an above-.500 record for the first time in 13 seasons along the way. Prior to Galveston, Silva earned his first head coaching experience across a three-year stint at Clarendon College, posting 111 total victories during his tenure as he picked up the honor as the winningest coach in program history.

Prior to taking over at Clarendon, Silva served two stints as an assistant coach, initially working with the Bulldogs from 2003-05 before, in 2008, helping the program earn 40 wins and as well as a berth in the regional championship. Between stints at Clarendon, Silva spent the 2006 season as an assistant at Bethany College where the team collected 40 wins and attained as high as the No. 18 ranking in the NAIA national poll.

For his collegiate playing career, Silva served as a catcher at Northwestern Oklahoma State University from 2001-03, leading the team to three straight regional tournaments, a 49-win season in 2001 and the highest national ranking in program history at No. 11.

Silva, a native of Hull, Mass., earned his bachelor's degree in leadership at Bellevue University in Bellevue, Neb., before receiving his master's degree in education at East Central University in Ada, Okla. He is married to the former Reagan Page and has a son, Dylan.

COACHING RECORD AT NICHOLLS
 

Year	Overall	Pct.	SLC	Pct.	SLC Finish
2022	26-25	.510	12-12	.500	t-4th/8
2023	34-22	.607	15-9	.625	1st/9
Total	60-47	.557	27-21	.563