Big schools bring home state titles
Published 2:15 pm Thursday, June 3, 2021
Warren Arceneaux
Rodrick Anderson
In this edition of the Triple Play, staff writers Rodrick Anderson and Warren Arceneaux discuss the large schools baseball season and look ahead to 2022.
Which area team was most impressive?
WA: Barbe. The Bucs went 39-2 and won the Class 5A state championship, including a dramatic 1-0 win over Sam Houston in an extra-inning thriller in the semifinals.
RA: St. Louis. The Saints finished the season in impressive fashion, winning 18 of their final 19 games, all while dealing with the destruction wrought by Hurricanes Laura and Delta last fall.
Name a player who excelled.
WA: Barbe’s Kyle DeBarge transitioned to catcher and threw out 14 of 20 attempted base stealers. He led the Bucs from the leadoff spot, stealing 48 bases and scoring 39 runs.
RA: Sam Houston’s Alex Norris was the Broncos’ ace as they made their fourth consecutive run to the state tournament. Norris went 10-3 with a 0.75 ERA, including 10 shutout innings in a 1-0, 11-inning loss to Barbe in the semifinals.
Which team that didn’t make it to the state tournament likely will make the trip in 2022?
WA: Iota. The Bulldogs missed in heartbreaking fashion, losing to Iowa at home in Game 3 of the quarterfinals. Dawson Wallace, Tyler LeJeune and Matt Crochet will be top returnees next season.
RA: South Beauregard. The Golden Knights’ lost a three-game series to Brusly in the quarterfinals missing the state tournament, but they are never away from the state tournament for long with their ability to reload. South Beauregard has played in the state tournament three out of the last five seasons and have a pair of second-team all-district underclassmen to build around in Carter Caraway and Bryce Jensen.
