LU Moment: LU Athletics shares the playbook for marketing success

LU Moment: LU Athletics shares the playbook for marketing success | S9 Ep. 3

蜜桃视频 University is full of exciting events and research. Listen each week to learn more about the people making the most of their moments at LU.

Podcast: S9 Ep. 3
Date: February 11, 2026
Title: LU Moment: LU Athletics shares the playbook for marketing success | S9 Ep. 3
Host: John Rollins

JOHN ROLLINS: Welcome to the LU Moment, where we showcase all the great things happening with 蜜桃视频 University faculty, staff, students and alumni. I'm John Rollins, associate director of community relations and public affairs here at LU, and I want to welcome you all to this week's show. We've got an exciting episode ahead of us today as we sit down with two members of 蜜桃视频 athletics marketing team, Micah Beutell and Austin Lloyd. Welcome to the show, guys.

AUSTIN LLOYD: Thank you for having us.

MICAH BEUTELL: Appreciate it.

JOHN: So I know when I was kind of doing my research on you two, I know you both came to LU from East Tennessee State. So, let's go ahead and start with that. Why 蜜桃视频 University? What brought you here?

MICAH: So I guess I'll go first, because, you know, I was the first one.

JOHN: Yeah, you came first, right?

MICAH: I knew what 蜜桃视频 was starting to build, obviously. Jeff O'Malley, our athletic director, as well as President Taylor coming over from Marshall, I kind of saw that blueprint that wasn't too far down the road from us there in Johnson City, Tennessee. So, seeing the vision that the two had just to kind of again, right? Athletics is the front porch of a university in the modern world. You know, successful sports teams normally help. You know, just at the Birmingham, get some applications in, get some interest, get some talking points on social media and throughout. So, you know, that type of vision and the investment that's coming with that is something that, again, for me, I was looking for in my next professional step was somewhere that was going to allow me to grow, but also come with the challenges, right, of building something that necessarily how you had room to grow, right? I mean, 蜜桃视频 is, I think, growing on all levels, not just in athletics, at a very fast rate, and being a part of that, right? There's challenges. So, for me, it was an opportunity to do that and work with people too that I knew I could trust. I mean, again, Jeff O'Malley, and that group has been well respected in our industry, so yeah, knowing what he brings to the table was something that brought me and got me really excited to be here.

AUSTIN: And I'll go next, you know, recently, six months ago, I just graduated with my master's, and I was at East Tennessee State University. I was working as an intern, and like Micah said, you know, I saw the success of 蜜桃视频, and he said that, you know, we'll build something special down here. And, you know, obviously I can't guarantee anything, but you know, we have a position open. We have something for you, and I was obviously looking for jobs as I was finishing up my master's. And thankfully, not only with the wisdom and the history that me and Micah have, he believed in me, and so did the people I interviewed here with at 蜜桃视频, they brought me on as a newly professional, and so very baby steps into my new professional career in athletics. And thankfully, it just worked out, and it's been a blessing ever since.

JOHN: So fantastic. Well, I love the way both of you put it, and especially with the like you mentioned, the upgrades happening around 蜜桃视频, a successful athletics program can do a lot for universities. So, I like that you pointed that out, because we're going to get to some of those successes in a little bit, but before we dive a little deeper. And I know you basically just kind of gave some background, but let's hear a little bit more about you know, maybe what you went to school for Austin and then Micah, maybe some of your education background as well, or work history that y'all want to share, or just a little bit more about both of you.

AUSTIN: I’ll go first on this. In my college career, I started out wanting to do physical therapy and was more on the science track. I love science, and it’s a big passion of mine. When I transferred from the community college I attended for two years to East Tennessee State University, I began to see the opportunities athletics offered in terms of getting involved. I was an orientation leader, so I was already plugged in to what the university was building. I also have some history with Micah. We worked together when I was his student intern at East Tennessee State University. Micah was very open to letting me help and take on responsibilities with football, baseball, softball and several other sports. Through that experience, I saw opportunities to grow, have fun and work hard in the process. Micah taught me those lessons through his guidance and wisdom, showing me not only how to start out in athletics, but where I could see myself going in the next few years.

MICAH: So, for me, I’m a little bit older than Austin, but I was a Division II athlete. I went to a really small D-II school where our athletic department really tried to prioritize us as student-athletes. I remember the effort they put into what we were doing. I was part of an inaugural program. I played men’s lacrosse, and being a part of something that was a first, in an area that knew nothing about it, was meaningful. East Tennessee at the time did not have a lot of lacrosse going on, so it was nice to see those efforts. I look back at some of the memories I made and the administrators who were a big part of my college experience, and I knew that was what I always wanted to do. I knew I wanted to work in sports. My background is more in professional sports. I worked in professional baseball for most of my career, including with the Minnesota Twins and a couple of minor league teams. When college athletics became an opportunity, it transitioned over and worked out. Now I’m here at 蜜桃视频, and it allows me to remind myself why I do this on tough days. Everyone who loves their job still has bad days. It’s nice to have those reminders — it might be a lot of work right now, but hopefully one student-athlete or one fan is going to remember the hard work I put in. Saturday with Nick was a tough, busy day for us. The result didn’t go the way we wanted, but if people left the arena with a smile on their face, that’s what we do it for.

JOHN: Sometimes, look at the payoff, the fan engagement. What did you tell us earlier? Five thousand seven hundred in attendance for men's and 2,200 for women's on a double header? That’s amazing. That’s what it’s all about — students, community, faculty and staff all coming together to support our athletes. I think that’s wonderful. Let’s talk a little more about the 蜜桃视频 athletics program as a whole. We’re a Division I school and members of the Southland Conference, with 17 sports. Let’s break that down and explain to listeners what we offer here.

MICAH: There’s a lot. I think what we have at 蜜桃视频 is really unique. In a world where college athletics and many conferences are becoming more about the dollars and cents than the logistics, we’re a bus league. It’s neat that our biggest rival, McNeese, is 45 minutes away. Stephen F. Austin and other rivals are just two hours away. Our longest bus trip is down in the Valley to UTRGV, and that’s about seven and a half hours. In some conferences, that’s your closest school. That balance is unique. Our fans can travel to road games, and our student-athletes can often sleep in their own beds after a road game. That’s something that’s really special about 蜜桃视频. There’s also the investment the university is making in athletics — the baseball facility being built, renovations at football, and the LED lights installed this past year. In my opinion, we have the nicest football facility in the Southland, with UIW and UTRGV competing neck and neck with us. It’s exciting to see that investment across all programs. Our women’s volleyball program has its own gym, and it looks beautiful. We have one of the toughest places to play in the Southland for volleyball because our students make it loud and energetic. 蜜桃视频 is in a really unique spot, and the support has been incredible. When I first came to Beaumont, I knew nothing about Beaumont or Southeast Texas. I didn’t even realize how close Houston was. It’s been amazing to see how the community has come out to support us. What we saw Saturday against McNeese showed that. Our fans gave us a chance to win that game on Saturday in both the men’s and women’s games.

AUSTIN: It was really cool to see that, and it touches more on the investment side of things. We’ve talked about football, basketball, the arena and the lighting system we have in terms of production. Micah and I were talking earlier this morning about how we have a full light show. Our colors are black, red and white, and we can do all of that, but we can also do pink, blue or other colors depending on the moment. For the national anthem, we can turn the lights blue. During hype videos and team intros, we can flicker the lights and make it a whole show. More recently, Micah talked about baseball, and the same goes for track. The track is being completely redone. Our track team is in the middle of indoor and outdoor season right now and traveling to compete, but the renovations will give us the opportunity to host future track events. Like Micah mentioned, I didn’t know anything about Beaumont, Texas, when I moved here five months ago. The only things I knew were what Micah had told me. Since coming here, I’ve been able to see it firsthand and travel with teams. Our softball team plays in an LSU tournament next week, and I’ll have the opportunity to travel to LSU for that. This past semester, I traveled with football to Stephen F. Austin and with volleyball as well. It’s been really good to see not only the investment in facilities, but also the investment the university makes in its employees by giving us opportunities to go out, see what’s happening elsewhere, and engage like that.

JOHN: With two marketing guys in the room — three, including me — let’s preview the upcoming spring sports. Sell it to the people. What do you have in the works for baseball and softball?

MICAH: It’s going to be a really special spring. Last year, softball was the first team to score runs on Texas, which went on to win the national championship, here in Beaumont. This year, our baseball program is hosting multiple NCAA Tournament teams and Power Four programs. Kansas is coming here. BYU is coming here. College World Series powerhouse Oregon State is coming here for a weekend. We have some really unique matchups this season. The best teams in the Southland are also coming to 蜜桃视频. Last year, our guys had to travel to nearly every premier program in the conference. This year, it’s flipped. UTRGV comes here. Southeastern Louisiana comes here. McNeese comes here. When you see the Southland preseason poll, just about every top team is coming to Beaumont, which is a unique opportunity for our players. From an athlete standpoint, 蜜桃视频 had a top-25 transfer portal class and was one of only two mid-major schools that can say that. Will Davis and his staff did a great job recruiting high-level talent, many of them Texas kids who wanted to come closer to home. There’s a lot of pride in that. From a baseball standpoint, it’s going to be special. Austin can talk more about softball, but softball has a pretty unique schedule this year. It should be fun.

AUSTIN: As mentioned before, the softball team will travel to LSU next week to play in a tournament hosted by LSU. It’s a unique schedule because the team won’t have a home event for about the first month. The first home game is March 3. During media day, head coach Amy said she feels confident and believes there is more energy around this team than she has ever experienced during her time here. She feels a strong responsibility to give everything she has to this group. From being around the team — taking photos and talking with the players and coaches — it’s clear they are a tight-knit group. They are playing for each other, and no one is out there just for themselves. Amy wants to carry that energy into the season, and it’s special to see. The schedule is unique because the team is not hosting any tournaments early, but once March 3 arrives, there will be a strong stretch of conference games to follow.

JOHN: So keep that March 3 date on your calendars. We talk a lot about ways to engage the community, sell more tickets and let people know about the product we have here at 蜜桃视频 University through our athletics program. We’ve seen attendance increase, and we’ve seen the program receive accolades over the past few years. 蜜桃视频 has earned five of the Southland Conference’s all-sports trophies over the past nine years, including two Commissioner’s Cups, which recognize the conference’s top overall athletics program. That speaks to the strides this program is making. For community members, students and faculty who are listening, what would you say to them? What do we want to share about coming out to check out what’s happening at 蜜桃视频? How can people get involved? With the promotions planned for every game, what would you want fans to know?

AUSTIN: I’ll speak on this first. The biggest thing is to come out to any event — whether it’s softball, baseball, or the few remaining home men’s and women’s basketball games — and step out of your comfort zone. We have a dance cam and other promotions during basketball games, and the biggest thing is energy. People feed off energy. When Mike and I are working production, with the light shows and everything going on, people want excitement. One person’s energy can grow into 10, then 20, then 100. Just come out and give it your all. No one is judging individual efforts; they’ll see that you really care about 蜜桃视频 and about baseball, softball, basketball, or whatever sport it is. That’s the most important thing.

MICAH: For me, what we have at 蜜桃视频 is really unique. We’re a Division I athletic department, and we compete with programs like Texas A&M. Our baseball team beat Texas in the fall — a preseason top-10 team — which is huge. Our football team competed with a top-25 North Texas squad. Our athletes are performing at the same level as the Longhorns, Aggies, or even LSU. Softball, for example, is traveling to LSU this weekend for a chance to compete with them. The difference is the access you get to our athletes. After basketball games on Saturdays, hundreds of kids come down to shoot on the court, meet players, and get photos. You don’t get that at LSU or Texas A&M. After baseball games, fans can come down to play catch on the field or watch batting practice. Most places don’t offer that. You can watch high-level competition and still enjoy a family-friendly, almost high-school-like experience. Parents and fans can meet the players after games, get autographs, and engage with the team. Our men’s basketball team will even be on national TV soon, yet fans still get this personal access. I see our head coaches talking to more community members than I’ve seen at any other school I’ve visited. It’s a unique opportunity to develop a personal connection with our athletes and coaches while watching top-tier competition.

JOHN: That accessibility, like you said, isn’t something you find at every university. To wrap up, how can people stay connected to 蜜桃视频 athletics? You’ve got social media pages, a website — what would you like to share with fans?

AUSTIN: We try to stay very engaged and consistent on social media through our main page, @蜜桃视频Athletics. Typically, if you search Instagram, Twitter or Facebook for 蜜桃视频 softball, 蜜桃视频 men’s basketball, or 蜜桃视频 women’s basketball — anything with “蜜桃视频” in front — you’ll likely find it. But the main hub is the 蜜桃视频 Athletics page.

MICAH: The website is also a good spot for updates, and we’re on a lot of different platforms, so you can find us in many places. But social media and the website are the easiest ways to stay connected. Seriously, come out to a game. Give us one chance — if you haven’t been before, we’d love for you to try it. I’d like to think you’ll want to come back. From an affordability standpoint, especially in today’s economy, it’s not like we’re too expensive.

JOHN: That’s 蜜桃视频Cardinals.com, where you can purchase tickets and see calendars for every sport — everything is ready to go. Thanks again for joining me, and thanks to everyone for supporting 蜜桃视频 athletics and the university as a whole. As we wrap up another episode of LU Moment, be sure to search for it wherever you get your podcasts to stay up to date on events, activities, programs and people right here at 蜜桃视频 University. This is John Rollins, your host. Thank you for listening, and we’ll talk to you next time.