District honors doled out to parish players

With the close of the 2015 baseball season, post-season honors have flooded in for some of the players across the parish. The push for perfection has reaped benefits for both teams and individuals. Evangeline Parish is rich in baseball talent and once again that talent has showcased itself as several individuals have been selected to their respective all-district teams.
In district 5-1A, the Sacred Heart Trojans continued to reign supreme. The Trojans took home the district title and battled their way to a spot in the quarterfinals. Sacred Heart ran roughshod through the regular and district seasons, going 26-5 overall and a perfect 6-0 in district. The Trojans rumbled through the first two rounds of the playoffs, defeating Varnado 9-0 and Crescent City 11-0. Unfortunately, Sacred Heart lost a heartbreaker to a red-hot St. Ed’s Blue Jays, 4-2, in the third round.
For their perfect play in district, the Trojans placed six players on the first team squad. Senior Phillip Vidrine was named the MVP of the district as well as being placed on the first team as a pitcher. Vidrine was 12-2 on the year and had 76 innings of work on the hill. Vidrine had an ERA of 1.20, while striking out 63 and only walking eight. Also named to a first team pitching slot was junior Caleb Soileau. Soileau was 7-0 in 48 and one third innings of work. Soileau had an ERA of 0.58, struck out 31 and walked 12. Senior first baseman Brandon Hudspeth joined Vidrine and Soileau on the first team list. Hudspeth hit .356 on the year with a slugging percentage of .471 while collecting 15 runs batted in.
Also named to the first team was junior third baseman Keaton Tate. Tate batted .431 with a slugging percentage of .569. Tate hit two home runs, scored 39 times and collected 22 runs batted in. Senior outfielder Evan Mire was also named to the first team. Mire hit .272 with an on-base percentage of .412 and scored 27 times, while driving in 16 runs. The sixth player to be selected to the first team was junior outfielder Jacob L. Lafleur. Lafleur had a tremendous season at the plate, hitting .489 with a slugging percentage of .711, including three home runs. Lafleur scored 32 times while driving in 37 runs. Along with the first team selections, Head Coach Cody Vidrine was named district Coach of the Year.
Sacred Heart also had six players named to the all-district second team. Seniors Josh LaHaye and Ben Bergeron along with juniors Sam Tuminaro, Nick LaHaye, Garrick Fontenot and Jacob A. Lafleur were all placed on the second team. Honorable mention honors went to senior Dylan Scully.
In district 4-2A, the Mamou Demons worked their way from a shaky start to the season all the way to the district runner-up spot. The Demons completed the year with an overall record of 9-18 and 6-4 in district. Mamou travelled to Oak Grove for a first round playoff game, but could not overcome the Tigers in a 9-4 loss. The Demons were able to place four players on the all-district first team.
Senior Corey Bordelon was named as a first team pitcher. Bordelon finished district with a 2-1 record and a 1.75 ERA. Junior Jude Fontenot was named as first team catcher. Fontenot hit .323 on the year. Senior outfielder Chris Pitre joined Bordelon and Fontenot on the first team. Pitre hit .467 on the year. The fourth Demon on the first team squard was junior utility player Dylan Duplechin. Duplechin earned his spot by hitting .519 with six home runs.
Mamou also had a number of second team selections. Senior pitcher Hunter Fusilier, senior third baseman Tanner Rougeau and junior utility player Chet Guillory were all named to the second squad. The Demons did not have an honorable mention player.
District 5-3A was a tough one for the Pine Prairie Panthers. Despite the competitiveness of the district the Panthers managed to secure the runner-up spot with a district record of 7-3. Pine Prairie also recorded an overall record of 17-9 on the season. The Panthers had to face off against perennial baseball powerhouse Notre Dame the first round of the playoffs and came up short in a 14-2 loss.
For their tough district play, Pine Prairie placed four players on the all-district first team. Senior pitcher J.T. Joubert was selected to the first squad after going 4-1 in district with a 1.15 ERA and 44 strike outs. Joubert only walked 14 and threw a perfect game against Port Barre late in the season. Junior Dylan Doucet was named as the first team shortstop. Doucet hit a smooth .500 in district with 32 runs scored and 14 runs batted in.
Also named to the first unit was senior third baseman Matthew Rougeau. Rougeau hit .316 in district with 18 runs batted in and scored 14 times. The fourth member of the Panthers to make first team was senior Evan Lacross. Lacross was named a utility player after hitting .276 with eight runs batted in and eight runs scored.
Two Pine Prairie players were selected to the all-district second team. Junior outfielder Joshua Fontenot and junior utility player Sylus Carson were honored for their hard work on the diamond. There were no honorable mention selections for the Panthers.
The Ville Platte High Bulldogs performed admirably throughout the regular and district seasons. The Bulldogs were very competitive in district play, losing to Pine Prairie and Northwest by two runs both times the teams met in district play. For their competitive play, Ville Platte had one player named to the all-district second team. Junior Nick Vidrine was selected as a utility player for the Bulldogs, playing several positions throughout the year, including pitcher.