Jul 31, 2025 By Chris Dugan 4 min read

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, then we can catch excellence.” – Vince Lombardi

With all due respect to Vince Lombardi, the legendary NFL coach, perfection is indeed attainable, according to Lex Meinderts, a rookie relief pitcher with the Wild Things.

Meinderts is right. He has seen perfection up close. He knows what it looks like.

This spring, Meinderts was the closer on the LSU-Shreveport University baseball team that went 59-0 and won the NAIA World Series. The Pilots were the first college baseball team at any level to complete an undefeated season.

“That’s something I’m very proud of. It still hasn’t sunk in yet. It felt impossible, then we did it,” said Meinderts, a native of The Netherlands.

LSU Shreveport defeated Southeastern (Fla.) 13-7 in the national championship game in Lewiston, Idaho.

The Pilots’ 59-game winning streak is the longest in college baseball history. They were a dominant force from a statistical standpoint, with a .376 team batting average and 2.38 ERA. They did win some close ones, pulling out four one-run games along the way.

“For me, I started thinking undefeated season after our preseason, before we got into conference play,” Meinderts said. “We played some really good teams early in the season, top-10 teams. We were 11-0 and I remember looking at one of my teammates and – we were definitely the best team in our conference – and saying that we could do this. We got to 40-0 and broke a record, then 47-0 at the end of the regular season. At that point, everybody said it’s go time. We didn’t want to lose a game because, like nobody remembers who lost in the first round of the regionals.”

Meinderts had a 2-0 record this spring with seven saves – when you’re as dominant as LSU-Shreveport was, there weren’t many opportunities for saves or relief wins. He struck out 47 batters and walked only eight in 32½ innings.

It was Meinderts’ third season at LSU-Shreveport and he admits he wasn’t sure that this year’s team was the program’s best back at the beginning of the season. He says the team’s chemistry was the difference-maker.

“Team chemistry is important,” he said. “We held everybody accountable.

“When we got through the first round of the postseason, we said we’re going to do this. There was no doubt in our minds. Even when we fell behind 6-1 in the sixth inning in a conference tournament game, or 4-0 in the second inning of the championship game, there was no panic.

“Our coach, Brad Neffendorff, did a good job of keeping us level headed. … But he did say that he could see the team that we could be.”

Meinderts said he noticed how the Pilots’ undefeated streak caught the attention of the Shreveport community and national media outlets.

“Two weeks into the season we’d have 20 people at out games, by the end of the regular season there was not enough room for everybody to have a seat. We were getting interviewed on the field, which none of us were used to. … That season is something I’ll never get tired of talking about.”

Meinderts’ journey from the The Netherlands to pro baseball included stops in Curacao and Batesville, Ark.

“I played for three years on the Netherlands’ un-18 national team and did well. Then I spent two months in Curacao working with a Tampa Bay rays scout. He helped me get a full ride to a junior college.”

Meinderts finished his college baseball career with three seasons in Shreveport, first as a starting pitcher before transitioning to closer.

The Wild Things signed Meinderts in June and placed him on the Visa Inactive list for a month. Since being added to the active roster, Meinderts only three games but his best outing was Wednesday against New Jersey. He tossed 1 2/3 hitless innings and struck out three batters. He was in line for the win until New Jersey scored two runs in the ninth inning to take the lead.