Title shot on line for Welsh, DeQuincy

American Press

13-05-2025

DeQuincy's Turner Rodriguez drove in two runs on May 8, 2025, in the Tigers' 10-0 win over Vinton in the Non-select Division IV quarterfinals at DeQuincy High School. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press)
Welsh and DeQuincy know a thing or two about each other.
They have been district rivals off and on for years, met in the quarterfinals in 2023 and battled earlier this season. But today's matchup will be on the big stage of the state baseball tournament in Sulphur.
'It's kind of cool having two local teams battling out,' Welsh head coach Caleb Hayes said. 'We're familiar with each other, them being in our same district for a couple of years.
'They're familiar with us. We're familiar with them. It's going to be a battle, and that's what the semifinals are supposed to be.'
No. 2 Welsh (22-10) and No. 3 DeQuincy (24-11) will play in the Non-select Division IV semifinals at 5:30 p.m. today.
DeQuincy has won four of the last five meetings, including the 2023 quarterfinal game and earlier this season. It was a close game until the Tigers scored four runs in the sixth inning and won 7-3.
In past years, teams usually got at least one day of rest before playing in the championship game. Now that the larger divisions (I, II, III) went to best-of-three series for championships, the schedule changed for the smaller schools with semifinals and finals on back-to-back days. Both coaches said they plan to hold nothing back as they try to advance to the title game at 2 p.m. Wednesday. No. 1 Oak Grove (16-12), the four-time defending state champion, plays No. 4 Mangham (14-15) in the other semifinal game.
'You have to play to win this game,' Carlson said. 'You can't really hold anybody back.
'There is no point in worrying about the next opponent unless you get there. You have to go all in on this game. That is why you play a lot of games. I think both teams have enough pitching to play back-to-back days.'
Both teams have deep pitching staffs, but each has relied on its ace in the postseason. DeQuincy's Carson Rainwater has pitched two shutouts with 16 strikeouts and three walks, while Welsh's Dane Iguess has allowed three runs in 12 innings with 24 strikeouts and five walks.
'We're not going to save any pitching or anything like that,' Hayes said. 'We're going to put our best guys up there, try to get the semifinal win, and then if we have to, we'll piece together that final game with the rest of our staff, which I think we have a pretty good staff as far as just Division IV.'
DeQuincy last played in the final in 2023 when it lost to Oak Grove 11-10 in 12 innings.
Each team has a strong senior group, but the Tigers have the experience edge as Carson Rainwater, Andrew Dowden, Diron Valentine, Royer, Hext, Turner Rodrigues will play in their third consecutive semifinal game.
'Hopefully our experience will pay off,' Carlson said. 'This year, we are a little better at hitting the ball than we have been.
'Pitching is roughly the same, so that has been pretty consistent. It seems like this year, we are a little deeper in hitting and deeper at pitching.'
Welsh lost to Loreauville 12-5 in the 2A final in 2018 and hasn't played at the state tournament since 2019.
'We're the new dogs,' Hayes said. 'All three teams, even on the other side of the bracket, they've all been there the last couple of years.
'It's going to be a challenge for us to handle that environment and just do the best we can with it, and just not make the moment too big. At the end of the day, it's just another game of baseball.'