Leading with humility

Duplechain finishes stellar career at Mamou; moves on to next level:

Everyone that has ever donned a baseball uniform and put on a glove wishes for two things; to be the best you can be and to have as much fun as you can.
For Mamou High’s Dylan Duplechain, those two goals have been met ten-fold.
Duplechain has had one of those high school baseball careers that some people only dream about. The recent Mississippi College signee hit .402 in the four years he played for Mamou, along with 22 home runs and 76 RBI.
In this, his final season as a Demon, Duplechain hit .500 with 13 home runs and 38 RBI. He also stole 20 bases on the year.
Because of his stellar performance in 2016, Duplechain has been named as the Evangeline Parish MVP. He was also selected as the MVP for District 4-2A this past season.
For Duplechain, being named MVP twice this season was a huge thrill.
“I was very ecstatic and honored when I found out about being named the MVP of the parish and the district,” stated Duplechain. “It just showed that all of my hard work paid off and people were able to see that.”
Even though the four-year player for the Demons will be moving on to the college ranks, Duplechain knows there are some things that he will miss from his high school experience.
“I am really going to miss the closeness and the brotherhood I shared with my teammates,” stated Duplechain. “I am also going to miss the fans and their support. They have always been around for us no matter what.”
Usually when a player has had an accomplished career, there is always some thing that has motivated and inspired that player. Such is the case for Duplechain.
“My biggest motivation has been my little brother, C.J.,” commented Duplechain. “He has had brain damage since he was six months old. He can’t walk, talk or eat. He has to be fed through a tube. Being on the field makes me happy because I know that he, and many others like him, cannot even walk or be on the field for one of the greatest games on Earth.”
Duplechain’s competitiveness on the field was one of the main reasons why his goal of playing on the next level came to fruition. This is shown in a major memory from this past season.
“One of the things I won’t forget from high school is getting the win on the mound against Kinder this season,” said Duplechain. “I did not get to pitch against them until this year, but I really wanted to face them. They had been so good the past few years and I wanted to beat the best. It was great because we ended up beating them that game.”
With his tenacity and humble approach to the game, Duplechain is destined for great things at Mississippi College.
“I am ready for the next chapter in my life,” said Duplechain.

Butts coaching experience filled with tenacity and humbleness:

Pine Prairie head coach Scott Butts’ humble attitude has been a major player in the way he approaches the game today.
Because of his leadership and tenacity for learning the game, the Panthers were able to close the 2016 campaign with an overall record of 14-12 and appeared in the regional round of the playoffs. For this reason, Butts has been named the Coach of the Year for Evangeline Parish.
“I was asked to be the head baseball coach at East Beauregard High School and never having coached high school baseball, that was a daunting task to say the least,” said Butts. “I really wasn’t ready for that position. So, the second year I was there, they hired a new football coach and I spoke with him and told him that I need to be an assistant baseball coach. He had been a head baseball coach before, so he took over and I became the assistant.”
The Fairview High graduate, Butts’ only experience with high school baseball, before his stint at East Beauregard, came in his junior year.
“I did not get to play baseball my freshman and sophomore year because we did not have a team at Fairview,” stated Butts. “My junior year we re-started the team back up. I guess we got the ball rolling, because since then they have been pretty successful.”
Butts began his coaching career at Evans High School as the head boy’s basketball coach. He spent two years there and then transferred to Deridder High School for one year.
Butts then left the coaching profession and began working at the Boise paper mill for the next seven years, until he was released due to cutbacks.
Butts returned to education, teaching at Oakdale High for one year before moving on to East Beauregard. He spent the next year at Pitkin High School until he found his way to Pine Prairie three years ago.
“When I first came to Pine Prairie, I was the assistant baseball coach under Jake Guillory,” said Butts. “After he left, I agreed to take over. I knew these boys could play, so that was an easy decision.”
One part of the game that Butts really loves to coach is pitching.
“I was a mediocre relief pitcher in high school,” stated Butts. “But, when I was in East Beauregard, the head coach I coached under gave me a video from T.C.U. I kept watching that video over and over and that is where the foundation for my pitching philosophy comes from.”
Butts knows that however successful the Panthers were this year and in the future, he is not the only factor playing a part in that success.
“My two assistant coaches, Caleb West and Andy Noel deserve a great amount of credit for this team’s performance. They are a great help to me and the kids trust them 100 percent.”