Latest news with #Non-selectDivisionIV
American Press
10 hours ago
- Sport
- American Press
All-Southwest La. Small Schools: Iguess, Fontenot named MVPs
K inder's Brianna Fontenot and Welsh's Dane Iguess closed out their high school softball and baseball careers with stellar seasons to lead their teams deep into the playoffs. They are the American Press All-Southwest Louisiana Small Schools MVPs. Softball Fontenot won her third All-Southwest MVP honor. She won her first as a freshman in 2022, and last season she was the Big Schools MVP when the Yellow Jackets were in Class 3A. 'From when the season started, till the end, she gave everything that she had even on her rough days,' Kinder head coach Sarah Chaney said. 'When some games were on the line, coaches, as well as her teammates, had trust in her to do whatever she needed to do.' Fontenot batted over .500 for a fourth time while striking out once in 87 plate appearances. The Purdue signee and prolific hitter had 24 extra-base hits, including seven home runs, and drove in 40 runs to push her career totals to 52 home runs and 204 RBIs. She led the Yellow Jackets to the quarterfinals for the second time in her career with 12 multi-hit games and 10 games with two or more RBI. In the circle, she was equally feared with a 15-1 record and a 2.33 earned run average in 102 1/3 innings. She struck out 119 batters and walked 17. She pitched two no-hitters, including one against Oakdale on March 19 with 12 strikeouts. She finished her high school career with 504 strikeouts and a 60-14 record in four seasons as a starter. 'Brianna has made such an impact on Kinder High softball since the beginning of her freshman year, coming in as a starter and learning and growing as a teammate, and also as a person and player,' Chaney said. 'I wish her the best at Purdue and can't wait to see what she accomplishes there.' Baseball Iguess headed up a strong senior class to lead the Greyhounds to the state tournament for the first time since 2019. The 6-foot-2 southpaw went 9-1 in 12 starts on the mound and pitched five complete games. In 72 2/3 innings, he struck out 93 batters with 18 walks and a 1.80 ERA. Opponents struggled against him, batting .197. 'He had a great year,' Welsh head coach Caleb Hayes said. 'I think it is going to go down as one of the best pitching years in school history. He is just a competitor.' Iguess hit .330 as the Greyhounds' leadoff batter with seven doubles, using speed to steal 20 of 21 bases and score 27 runs. At the top of the order, he didn't get many opportunities to drive in runs (8), but he came up big in the Non-select Division IV semifinals with a walk-off RBI hit in Welsh's 8-7 eight-inning win over DeQuincy. Iguess was a defensive asset with a .902 fielding percentage. In the postseason, Iguess went 2-0 with 25 strikeouts and seven walks in 18 innings and helped the Greyhounds get through the quarterfinals after losses in 2023 and '24. 'He actually started in a quarterfinal game as a sophomore and junior and both of those didn't go our way,' Hayes said. 'It was kind of fitting that we rolled with him in the quarters and we leaned on him in the semifinals, and we got to the state championship game.' Coaches In his sixth season as head coach, Hayes, a former Greyhound standout, took Welsh back to the final for the first time since 2018. Welsh won two of its first seven games but turned things around to earn the No. 2 seed in Non-select Division IV and finish 23-11. The Greyhound lost to the four-time defending state champion, Oak Grove, in the final. In her first season as head coach, Chaney helped her former high school break out of its regional round jinks and reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2022. The Yellow Jackets lost in the regional round in 2023 and '24 as a top-four seed. Kinder started the season 12-1 and finished 17-6. They bowed out of the playoffs to Non-select Division III runner-up Jena in the quarterfinals. Small Schools Baseball Pos. Player, School Cl. Statistics P Carson Rainwater, DeQuincy Sr. 9-4, 1.39 ERA, 116 Ks P Gage Guidry, Vinton Jr. 6-2, 1.67 ERA, 108 Ks P Cohen Cormier, Welsh Sr. 5-5, 2.50 ERA, 40 Ks P Riddick Meaux, Kinder Jr. 5-1, 1.60 ERA, 30 Ks C Andrew Dowden, DeQuincy Sr. .486 avg., 3 HR, 50 RBIs INF Cameron Bonin, Lake Arthur Jr. .458 avg., 17 RBIs, 19 runs INF Rylan Young, Grand Lake Sr. .455 avg., 38 RBIs/8-0, 55 Ks, 1.50 ERA INF Connor Courmier, Vinton Sr. .350 avg., 13 RBIs, 12 runs INF Gabriel McKee, Rosepine Sr. .379 avg., 24 RBIs, 35 runs OF Dane Iguess, Welsh Sr. .330 avg./9-1, 93 Ks, 1.80 ERA OF Blaze Brister, Merryville Jr. .395 avg., 12 RBIs, 15 runs OF Turner Rodriguez, DeQuincy Jr. .400 avg., 35 RBIs / 7-2, 74 Ks UT Layne Bageux, Lacassine Jr. .371 avg., 3 HR, 29 RBIs UT Law Faulk, Grand Lake Fr. .484 avg., 25 RBIs/ 5-0, 1.10 ERA UT Braeden Strother, Oakdale Sr. 5-3, 2.07 ERA, 45 Ks/ .273 avg. UT Hunter Broussard, Reeves So. .362 avg., 20 RBIs, 31 runs UT Madden Spicer, Hackberry Fr. .278 avg., 21 RBIs/4-3, 60k MVP — Dane Iguess, Welsh COACH OF THE YEAR — Caleb Hayes, Welsh Softball Pos. Player, School Cl. Statistics P Ainslie Willis, Oakdale Jr. 10-5, 3.12 ERA, 97 Ks P Brianna Fontenot, Kinder Sr. 15-1, 2.33 ERA, 119 Ks P Marli Jones, Rosepine So. 13-6, 3.60 ERA, 142 Ks P Maddie Vinatieri, DeQuincy So. 14-11, 3.80 ERA, 172 Ks C Aubrey May, Kinder Jr. .419 avg., 12 doubles, 22 RBIs INF Alaina Bearb, Grand Lake Jr. .352 avg., 37 runs, 16 SB INF Analeigh Roberts, Rosepine Jr. .378 avg., 8 HR, 26 RBIs INF Aubrie Richard, Bell City Jr. .364 avg., 6 doubles, 14 RBIs INF Shay Lott, Merryville Sr. .477 avg., 37 SB, 18 RBIs OF Layla Gauthier, Lake Arthur Sr. .529 avg., 13 RBIs OF Reesie Jinks, Fairview Sr. .646 avg., 25 runs, 32 SB OF Onnie Remedies, DeQuincy Fr. .411 avg., 34 RBIs, 12 SB UT Madelyn Nolen, Starks Sr. 12-6, 113 Ks/ .570 avg., 38 RBIs UT Jolie Gary, Vinton Sr. .551 avg., 6 HR, 33 RBIs/ 982/3 IP, 116 Ks UT Addison Hollier, Lacassine So. .490 avg., 22 RBIs, 20 runs UT Jolie West, Oakdale Sr. .565 avg., .643 OBP, 27 RBIs UT Maggie Johnson, Welsh Sr. .407 avg., 16 RBIs, 25 runs MVP — Brianna Fontenot, Kinder COACH OF THE YEAR — Sarah Chaney, Kinder
American Press
15-05-2025
- Sport
- American Press
Oak Grove wins fifth consecutive title, blanks Welsh in finals
Welsh pitcher Ethan Beard tags Oak Grove's Jenson Hurley after he tried to score on a passed ball in the bottom of the third inning of the Non-select Division IV state championship game on Wednesday at McMurry Park in Sulphur. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) SULPHUR – No. 2 Welsh had their chances Wednesday in the Non-select Division IV state championship game at McMurry Park but couldn't close the gap as No. 1 Oak Grove won 10-0 in six innings to win its fifth consecutive state championship. It was Welsh's first state championship game appearance since 2018 and third in program history. 'I am super proud of this group,' Hayes said. 'The seniors have been through a lot. 'They made it to three straight quarterfinals, and it had never been done before. This is tied for the best season in school history, the runner-up. They have a lot to be proud of.' Welsh (23-11) was coming off an emotional extra-inning win over No. 3 DeQuincy Tuesday night and got some base runners early. Nick Gillett and Grant Haydel hit back-to-back singles in the top of the second inning, and Ethan Beard and Dane Iguess opened the third inning with back-to-back hits. The Greyhounds were able to move the runners into scoring position, but failed to score each time. Welsh trailed just 3-0 at that point but couldn't get a runner past second in the final three innings. 'We competed against a very good Oak Grove team,' Hayes said. 'It didn't go our way. 'I feel like we hit the ball with them. The hits were six to seven. I think that we just ran out of some magic. Yesterday was a special game. We just ran out of juice today.' Oak Grove's (18-12) Jackson Bradley was named the game MVP after pitching a complete game and driving in two runs on a double in the third inning. Tanner Duff, who had the walk-off hit in the 12th inning to beat DeQuincy in the 2023 state championship game, opened the scoring with a towering solo home run to left-center field in the bottom of the first inning. Gaige Neal hit a two-run double in the second inning, and the Tigers added three runs on errors in the fifth inning.
American Press
14-05-2025
- Sport
- American Press
Iguess gets walk off hit, Greyhounds advance to finals
Welsh's Dane Iguess got a walk off hit Tuesday to give the Greyounds a 7-6 win over DeQuincy in eight innings in the Non-select Division IV semifinals at McMurry Park in Sulphur. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) SULPHUR – Welsh senior Dane Iguess battled through illness on Tuesday in the Non-select Division IV semifinals, but he stayed in the game and got a walk-off hit to send the Greyhounds to the state championship game at the LHSAA state baseball tournament at McMurry Park. With one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, Iguess hit a line drive to center field to bring home Grant Haydel, and the No. 2 Greyhounds (23-10) defeated No. 3 DeQuincy (24-12) 7-6. Iguess started the mound and pitched six innings before being relieved. He had to be checked out more than once. He finished with three strikeouts and two walks and allowed three earned runs on seven hits. 'People that were here saw him throwing up his stuff, and he battled through it,' Welsh head coach Caleb Hayes said. 'I think adrenaline, just the moment, and he battled through it. 'He could hardly walk after the game. He's just the ultimate competitor. Just so proud of him and the team for the fight tonight.' Iguess came up big in the seventh inning as well. The Greyhounds were down 5-4 with one out when Iguess singled. He moved to second on Casey Cormier's sacrifice bunt, stole third and scored the tying run on Brecken Haydel's hit to right field. 'I mean, it's never over,' Hayes said. 'I feel like when they took the lead in the seventh, we were kind of hanging our heads. But we got six seniors that kind of took the fight and said, it's not over.' Welsh sophomore Cohen Fontenot's single tied the game at 6-6 with no outs. Welsh will play four-time defending state champion No. 1 Oak Grove in the finals at 2 p.m. today. It is the Greyhounds' first final since falling to Loreauville 12-5 in 2018. 'We're playing the juggernauts, Oak Grove, who are looking to win their fifth straight,' Hayes said. 'It's going to be another freaking battle. We're going to go to war and see what happens.' Welsh looked in control after scoring twice in the fifth inning on a walk and an error to take a 4-1 lead, but Grand Lake rallied twice to take a one-run lead. Andrew Dowden hit a two-run double for a 5-4 lead with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. Dowden went 2 for 4 with two doubles and three RBI. DeQuincy out hit Welsh 11-7, but committed three errors and gave the Greyhounds six extra base runners on walks. Carson Rainwater started on the mound for the Tigers and pitched 6 2/3 innings before being relieved by Grant Rainwater, who ended up taking the loss, with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. Rainwater struck out six batters and walked four. DHS 000 012 21 – 6-11-3 WHS 020 020 12 – 7-7-2 PITCHING: W – Cohen Cormier (2ip, 4h, 3er, 0k, 2bb). L – Grant Rainwater (.1ip, 0h, 2er, 0k, 2bb). TOP HITTERS: DeQuincy – Noah Pettifield 2-4 (2 runs), Andrew Dowden 2-4 (3 RBI, 2 doubles). Welsh – Dane Iguess 2-5 (run, RBI), Brecken Haydel 1-3 (2 RBI). RECORDS: DeQuincy – 24-12. Welsh – 23-10. Baseball State tournament At McMurry Park in Sulphur Championship Best-of-3 series Non-select Division I No. 1 Live Oak (32-6) vs. No. 11 Sam Houston (35-7), Thursday 5:30 p.m., Friday 5:30 p.m., Saturday 5:30 p.m. (if necessary) Division II No. 1 Brusly (35-5) vs. No. 2 North DeSoto (27-13), 2 p.m. Thursday, 2 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday (if necessary) Division III No. 1 Sterlington (33-8) vs. No. 2 Erath (25-11), 11 a.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. Friday, 11 a.m. Saturday (if necessary) Select Division I No. 1 Catholic-Baton Rouge (35-5) vs No. 3 Brother Martin (31-7), 5:30 p.m. Thursday, 5:30 p.m. Friday, 5:30 p.m. Saturday (if necessary) Division II No. 1 Teurlings Catholic (32-4) vs. No. 7 E.D. White (23-18), 2 p.m. Thursday, 2 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday (if necessary) Division III No. 2 University Lab (27-9) vs. No. 4 Catholic-New Iberia (24-11), 11 a.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. Friday, 11 a.m. Saturday (if necessary) Single elimination Semifinals Non-select Division IV No. 1 Oak Grove 4, No. 4 Mangham 2 No. 2 Welsh 7, No. 3 DeQuincy 6, 8 inns. Select Division IV No. 12 Ouachita Christian 12, No. 1 Covenant Christian 7 No. 2 Vermilion Catholic 9, No. 11 Riverside Academy 8 Class B No. 1 Pitkin 4, No. 4 Hicks 1 No. 3 Family Community 6, No. 2 Weston 2 Class C No. 4 Ebarb 18, No. 1 Family Christian 8, 6 inns. No. 2 Harrisonburg 15, No. 3 Maurepas 10 Finals Non-select Division IV, No. 1 Oak Grove (17-12) vs. No. 2 Welsh (23-10), 2 p.m. Wednesday Select Division IV, No. 2 Vermilion Catholic (24-7) vs. No. 12 Ouachita Christian (18-15), 2 p.m. Wednesday Class B, No. 1 Pitkin (22-7) vs. No. 3 Family Community (23-12), 11 a.m. Wednesday Class C, No. 2 Harrisonburg (18-2) vs. No. 4 Ebarb (15-10), 11 a.m. Wednesday
American Press
13-05-2025
- Sport
- American Press
Title shot on line for Welsh, DeQuincy
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.'
American Press
09-05-2025
- Sport
- American Press
May 8 Southwest La. prep baseball scores and stats
DeQuincy's Turner Rodriguez makes a sliding catch in left field on Thursday at DeQuincy High School. The Tigers beat Vinton 10-0 in five innings to advance to the Non-select Division IV semifinals. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) Thursday Baseball Semifinals Best-of-3 series Non-select Division I Sam Houston 2 Barbe 1 SHHS 100 100 0 – 2-2-0 Barbe 000 010 0 – 1-3-0 PITCHING: W – Owen Galley (7ip, 3h, 1er, 4k, 2bb). L – Lawton Littleton (7ip, 2h, 2er, 8k, 5bb) TOP HITTERS: Sam Houston – Ashton Bultron 1-2 (run, RBI, HR), Haden Peshoff 1-3 (run, RBI, HR). Barbe – Jordin Griffin 1-3 (RBI). NOTE: Sam Houston leads the series 1-0. RECORDS: Sam Houston – 31-7. Barbe – 34-5. Division III Sterlington 6 Westlake 2 WHS 000 110 0 – 2-5-2 SHS 000 600 x – 6-3-1 PITCHING: W – Landon Johnston (4.2ip, 4h, 2er, 2k, 5bb). L – Hadley Hardesty (3ip, 1h, 4er, 1k, 2bb). TOP HITTERS: Westlake – Bradyn Spears 1-3 (run, RBI). Sterlington – Tre Burch 1-2 (run, 2 RBI). NOTE: Sterlington leads the series 1-0. RECORDS: Westlake – 26-11. Sterlington – 32-7. Single elimination Non-select Division IV DeQuincy 10 Vinton 0, 5 inns. VHS 000 00 – 0-3-6 DHS 230 41 – 10-8-0 PITCHING: W – Carson Rainwater (5ip, 3h, 0er, 5k, 2bb). L – Gage Guidry (4ip, 8h, 6er, 4k, 4bb). TOP HITTERS: Vinton – Gage Guidry 1-2, Kortlin Kyle 1-2. DeQuincy – Nolan Schrader 1-2 (run, 2 RBI), Turner Rodriguez 1-3 (run, 2 RBI). RECORDS: Vinton – 17-12. DeQuincy – 24-11. Mangham 12 Oakdale 1, 5 inns. OHS 100 00 – 1-4-4 MHS 800 4x – 12-10-0 PITCHING; W – Lane Almond (4.2ip, 4h, 1er, 7k, 4bb). L – Braeden Strother (3.2ip, 7h, 3er, 2k, 2bb). TOP HITTERS: Oakdale – Kylar Ballard 2-3. Mangham – Lane Almond 2-3 (run, RBI, double), Jacoby Young 2-2 (2 runs, RBI, HR), Carson Mooney 2-3 (2 runs, 4 RBI, HR). RECORDS: Oakdale – 19-13. Mangham – 14-15.
