Hudson Welty enters his second season at Southeastern in 2026–27, continuing to build on a foundation of culture, pace, and player development.
The 2024-25 season marked a year of growth and resilience for Welty in his first campaign leading the Fire. Southeastern finished 14-17 overall and earned a second-place finish in the Sun Conference Tournament. The Fire opened the season in emphatic fashion with a program-record 127–83 win over Bryan College, then battled through a challenging schedule highlighted by an 88–80 win over No. 15 Florida Memorial in conference play. Consistency proved to be a theme throughout the year, as SEU’s longest winning streak came during spring break with three straight victories.
Statistically, Southeastern ranked among the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, finishing 11th in the NAIA at 10.3 made threes per game. That offensive firepower was on full display during the Sun Conference Tournament. After defeating fifth-seeded New College of Florida, the Fire shot 59 percent from the field and 51.7 percent from beyond the arc to upset top-seeded Keiser 96–87 and advance to the championship game, where they fell to second-seeded Ave Maria. Two Fire players earned Sun All-Conference honors, while Matthew Lentz was recognized as a Sun All-Academic Team selection and the league’s Champion of Character.
Before arriving in Lakeland, Welty served as an assistant coach at several programs with consistent NAIA National Tournament success. He spent two seasons as the lead assistant at MidAmerica Nazarene University, where the Pioneers won 45 games. Prior to that, he was part of the staff at Arizona Christian University, helping guide the Firestorm to the 2022 NAIA National Semifinal after winning the Lakeland Bracket of the national tournament.
Welty also gained experience as a graduate assistant at Indiana Wesleyan University, contributing to 59 wins and a Round of 16 national tournament appearance across two seasons. Earlier in his career, he was an assistant coach at Covenant College, where the Scots set program records for winning percentage (.667) and conference victories (16).
Throughout his coaching career, Welty has recruited across the Midwest, Southeast, and West Coast, known for developing disciplined, high-character student-athletes who thrive on and off the court.
As a player, Welty was a four-year starter and three-year captain at MidAmerica Nazarene, where he helped the program reach the NAIA National Semifinals. In 123 career games, he shot 55 percent from the field and 72 percent from the free throw line.
