Parish baseball players make LBCA All-State
Another All-State baseball team has been released, and on this squad, 11 players from Ascension Parish made the cut.
The Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association recently named its All-State teams. Five players from Ascension Catholic were honored, four from Dutchtown and St. Amant and Ascension Christian each placed one player on the squad.
In Class 1A, the Ascension Catholic twin duo of Brooks and Bryce Leonard was named LBCA All-State.
Brooks made the team as a pitcher. The Northwestern State commit went 7-1 from the mound this past season.
Bryce made the squad as a utility player. Also a Northwestern State commit, Bryce hit .379 with 27 RBIs this past season. He went 6-3 from the mound.
Making the All-State squad at catcher was senior Lex Melancon. Melancon is a Nicholls signee.
Ascension Catholic’s final two LBCA All-State selections were senior infielder Jacques Husers and sophomore outfielder Jackson Landry.
These five players helped lead the Bulldogs to a 23-8 regular-season record and a District 7-1A championship victory.
Ascension Catholic went on to reach the state quarterfinals. The Bulldogs were one victory away from the semifinals, but they fell to St. Frederick in game three of the best-of-three series.
Also making the LBCA Class 1A All-State squad was Ascension Christian senior outfielder Andrew Landry.
Landry helped lead the Lions to a 24-10 regular-season record. Ascension Christian went on to the playoffs, but the Lions lost two close games to sixth-seeded Sacred Heart in the opening round.
The LBCA 1A Hitter of the Year was St. Frederick’s Thomas Marsala. Marsala hit .491 with 53 RBIs and four home runs in helping lead his team to the Division-IV semifinals.
The Pitcher of the Year was Covenant Christian’s Conner Matherne. Matherne also helped lead his team to the Division-IV semifinals.
The Coaches of the Year were Oak Grove’s Ty Rollinson and Calvary Baptist’s Jason Legg. Rollinson led Oak Grove to the Class 1A state title, and Legg led Calvary Baptist to the Division-IV state championship.
Four Dutchtown players were named to the LBCA Class 5A All-State team.
Senior pitcher Nick Gisclair was selected. Gisclair is an LSU-Eunice commit.
Senior infielders Will Delaune (Delgado commit) and Tanner Vadnais also made the squad. Delaune hit .398, while Vadnais (LSU-Eunice commit) hit .350 with 44 RBIs.
Senior Nathan Monceaux made the All-State team as a utility player. The Loyola University signee went 10-1 with a 1.86 ERA from the mound. From the plate, he hit .341 with 35 RBIs.
These four standouts helped lead Dutchtown to a 30-3 regular-season record and its first outright District 5-5A title since 2013.
The Griffins went on to reach the state tournament for the first time since 2010. There, they dropped a heartbreaker to eventual champion West Monroe in the semifinals.
Also making the LBCA Class 5A All-State squad was St. Amant senior pitcher Jacob Mayers. Mayers is headed to Nicholls.
He helped lead the Gators to a 28-6 regular-season record this past season. St. Amant went on to reach the state tournament for the first time since 2014.
After upsetting Sulphur in the semifinals, St. Amant reached the state title game for the first time since 2004. There, the Gators fell to West Monroe, 9-6.
The LBCA Class 5A Hitter of the Year was Acadiana’s Cardell Thibodaux.
The Pitcher of the Year was Barbe’s Gavin Guidry. The LSU signee went 8-0 with a ridiculous 0.16 ERA and led the Buccaneers to the state quarterfinals.
The Coaches of the Year were Catholic’s Brad Bass and West Monroe’s Wade Simoneaux. Bass led the Bears to the Division-I state championship, and Simoneaux led the Rebels to the Class 5A state crown.