SHREVEPORT – Diego Aragon stepped off the bus with the NAIA World Series trophy in hand.

The senior catcher led the 59-0 LSUS Pilots through a tunnel of fans and into Festival Plaza, where nearly 1,000 people gathered under the plaza cover to celebrate the only college baseball team in history to put together a perfect season.

The festivities felt like a jubilee fit for the return of the baseball conquerors.

Mardi Gras beads from the Krewe of Gemini hung from the players’ necks as they trekked over a purple carpet to the Festival Plaza stage.

Purple and gold confetti erupted as the players climbed the steps in front of an NAIA and world championship banner – all under a giant American flag hanging from a Shreveport Fire Department truck crane.

“I’m extremely thankful and overwhelmed with emotion,” Aragon said of being the guy to carry the trophy and the fan response on a Monday afternoon. “This was a great showing, and it proved to us that all the hard work paid off.

“We knew from the beginning that we had the talent and everything that we needed, but we had to just take it one pitch at a time and have everybody do their jobs.”

Aragon was one of six players who experienced the disappointment of losing in a home regional each of the last two seasons

Aragon was one of six players who experienced the disappointment of losing in a home regional each of the last two seasons, ending their World Series hopes.

But the 2025 Pilots did do their jobs – every single game.

In a sport where the unthinkable and unexpected always costs a team at some point during a long season, the Pilots lived up to baseball’s basic mantras every time out.

LSUS coach Brad Neffendorf emphasized the togetherness of this team and players not fixated on “the streak” as major factors in accomplishing the historic feat.

“You don’t need the best players – you need the best team – and maybe we had a good mix of both this year,” said Neffendorf, who steered the Pilots to their first-ever national title in any sport. “This is one of the last times that this team will be together, and that makes this bittersweet.

“This is the best team ever assembled in the history of the NAIA, but more than that, these players impacted everyone around them.”

LSUS athletics director Lucas Morgan ducked into a pizzeria in Lewiston, Idaho, on the day of the NAIA World Series championship game, and he said the manager wanted to tell him about the 15 players who had eaten their earlier in the day.

“They said they were the most respectful team they’ve ever had in the history of the World Series being there,” Morgan said. “These aren’t just great student-athletes, they are great people.

“They’ve built on this legacy and will have a season to be remembered forever in college baseball.”

Players stood on the stage as proclamations were read out loud by Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux, Caddo Parish Commission’s Stormy Gage-Watts, and an acknowledgement from Bossier City Mayor Tommy Chandler.

But a special phone call came in from U.S. Congressman Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House of Representatives who serves Louisiana’s Fourth District, which includes Shreveport.

Johnson extended an invitation to the White House on behalf of President Donald Trump.

“President Trump acknowledging us and wanting us to visit the White House is just amazing,” said Ian Montz, an outfielder from Lafayette who hit the go-ahead home run in the championship win. “It’s special to bring back a championship to the city of Shreveport and its people.”

The team can add the Washington D.C. visit to the Louisiana state capitol trip coming up.

Each player had their name called, with one of the biggest cheers coming for the lone Shreveport product Brendan Burns of Northwood High School.

Players sat at long tables signing posters, hats, shirts – and babies?

Montz’s 1-year-old sister Remi had her yellow-striped dress signed by at least 10 players – one more piece of history that will live on.

Fans wound their way through the line for more than 90 minutes as sharpies ran dry, sending people scrambling for a working writing instrument to capture a piece of college baseball history.

But even after most of the fans departed, LSUS players signed away – making sure each player had a signed poster in which to remember the moment.

“We’ve had crazy fan support all year from our fans, so this was awesome to experience today,” said Isaac Rohde, World Series MVP. “When we were 11-0, I thought, ‘Why not? Why can’t we win every game?

“But to do it with these guys is such a special thing. We’ll always remember this.”

LSUS Chancellor Dr. Robert Smith added the all-important “59-0 and counting,” indicating that this historic streak isn’t over yet.

While this year’s roster includes 20 seniors, there is a cadre of juniors in place to help LSUS run it back.

“We’re treating it as a clean slate – 0-0 – coming into next year,” said Draven Zeigler, a junior pitcher. “We can’t think about the winning streak.

“We needed a lot of mental toughness and discipline to go 59-0, and that’s something that we’ll certainly take into next year.”

Which is exactly how LSUS built the streak in the first place.