FAMILY FIRST: Travis, Jennifer Lallemand talk importance of family within Crowder baseball program

May 23—The head baseball coach of 19 years at Crowder College has now worked alongside his wife for the past 13. The opportunity arose for the couple, Travis and Jennifer Lallemand, and they said they knew it was the right move for them.

"I kind of jumped at it because we finally would get to see each other a little bit," Jennifer said. "A lot of people asked: 'Are you sure you want to work with your spouse?' It's never been a question in my mind. We didn't see each other much before, and we worked a lot."

Prior to Jennifer being the athletic trainer at Crowder, she had worked at high schools in the Joplin area. Those days would see the couple passing each other on a regular basis. One would be leaving the house as the other was arriving, and it made for little time to be around one another.

It's still a lot of work, but both say it's what they're happy doing and they wouldn't change it.

"A lot of people talk about it being work, but we're sitting here in Grand Junction, Colorado, at the end of the year and this is beautiful. Yeah," Travis said. "There are good and bad days but we do enjoy the work together. When we don't, you'll see us scoot off into the sunset."

That scooting won't be coming any time soon as Jen quickly shut down the thoughts of any timetable for retirement with a "no."

Travis said the impact COVID-19 had on their jobs caused that response to happen. The endless yard work and projects he was doing around the house ruined any chance of him retiring, he said.

So, there may be many more trips to Grand Junction, Colorado, for the NJCAA World Series in the future for the baseball couple.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Jennifer's work goes beyond taking care of an injured athlete in the trainer's room or taking care of one on the field.

"She's our athletic trainer. But she's more than a reactive trainer as I like to call it. She's a proactive trainer," Travis said.

What Travis is referring to is an eight-week program that Jen implemented for the Crowder pitchers to work on mobility and stability training for their arms. Coach said he has seen it help his guys last longer without injury during the length of a 50-plus-game college baseball season.

There are still injuries. That can be unavoidable throughout an athletic season. What they've been able to accomplish is ways to improve the program Jennifer has implemented by trial and error over the years.

COACH'S WIFE

Beyond being a trainer, Jennifer feels a lot of her work is to be the coach's wife, supporting Travis throughout the baseball season.

"Not only supporting him but being that sounding board when he comes home if he is unhappy," Jennifer said.

Along with the support and listening after a tough loss or bad day at the field, being a coach's wife means being willing to give up that family time even at the sound of a phone ringing.

"Knowing that he's going to put in long hours on the phone, that his recruiting supersedes us getting to sit down and talk at night," she added. "He's very selfless in all the work that he puts in. It's about being understanding about that."

There are times that Travis has to say "no" to a phone call when he's at home for the day or evening to be with family.

"Sometimes I refuse to answer the phone," he said.

A lot of his phone calls tend to be what he considers "recruiting out" rather than recruiting players into his program. That would include the 45 players over the last two years that he's sent on to play at four-year universities — 30 of whom were to Division I programs.

"That doesn't happen overnight. We have good players but sometimes people have to hear about them first," Travis added.

He's had to turn down a player asking him to give someone a call so that he can continue his evening with Jennifer and their 9-year-old son, Luc.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Roughriders are 49-13 and headed to their third NJCAA World Series in the past four seasons, only missing the trip to Grand Junction, Colorado, in 2023.

Lallemand talks to his team about being the group that puts in the work to play into late May or early June and make it to Colorado.

"There are guys that want to win and ones that prepare to win," he said. "We start talking about it in August. That's what we want to play for. There are some guys that come to junior college and they want to get theirs and get out. Don't come to Crowder and play for me."

Crowder will be playing its first game of the double-elimination series at 10 a.m. Sunday against Blinn College, from Texas. The Buccaneers are 42-16 this year.

ADDING FAMILY

That effort to force young athletes to push the ego aside and play for the team (family) first has shown Jennifer what can be a recipe to success.

"This is not just baseball. It's about Travis developing young men. I'm kind of the softer side of it," Jennifer said. "With all of us combined, Travis, Luc and I, we solidify that, 'Hey, we're a family. Let's get through this together and keep going.'"

Family is a big part of what coach Lallemand pushes onto his players and it's vital to the team. That can be seen in the connections made with former athletes.

"We have a great relationship with them and a vast majority of them. When we (talk) it's like we haven't missed a beat," Travis said.

One example that Jennifer gave is former player Ethan Voss. Voss is now at Colorado Mesa University and actually came to pick them up this year when they landed at the airport for the World Series. She noted that Luc "loved" Voss and that players like Voss enjoy coming back around to Crowder to visit with the family and catch up. Voss even attended practice on Wednesday evening in Colorado.

Travis forced family into the naming of the college's baseball field when Crowder decided to name it after him in 2020.

The college's original plan was to have the field named "Lallemand Field." But Travis wanted the word family to be included. Just like he talked about during the celebration in 2020, that field was about more than himself.

"I feel like we've ran this as a family, this organization, over the years," Travis said. "It's all the former coaches and players over the years."

Not just he, Jennifer and Luc, or anyone else who carries the last name Lallemand, but each and every human that has come through the Crowder baseball program is a part of the name Lallemand Family Field.

Travis was adamant about using family in the field name even though Crowder wanted it initially to be about him.

"Yeah, but family represents my program and the players that have been here. I just don't believe one person does anything. There's always a support structure behind it," he said. "My players have been that. Yeah, I've been that for them as well but I believe it comes full circle."

He says that can be a direct correlation to the success his program has had. He doesn't deny that ego and being competitive are part of what he does. He admitted to wanting to be the best he can be at all times. But it appears putting family first has won over the last 19 years within the Crowder College baseball team.

"It's about what we do as a group. It's a 'when one person wins, everybody wins' mentality," Travis said. "I didn't get into this for the wins and losses. I got into it to build these relationships. I've done that and I'm proud of that and that's what the name on the field represents."