Team Louisiana prepares for World Series

Question: When do expectations become reality? Answer: When you win the State Championship. Just ask the 2014 Ville Platte Major All Stars as they advance to the Dixie Youth World Series in Lexington, South Carolina. First pitch for the newly crowned Louisiana team will be Saturday, August 9th at 5:45 p.m. EST (4:45 p.m. Central Standard Time) against Dillon, South Carolina.
Before the first practice was ever completed back in May, the players and coaches all had the expectations of making it to the World Series. Especially since 8 out of the 12 players had participated in the 10 year old AAA World Series in 2012. To some this must seem like cockiness. To Head Coach Thomas Scully, Assistants Brent Duplechin and Timmy Soileau and the players, this was far from being conceited. This just showed how much confidence the team had in themselves.
According to Coach Scully he knew the talent was there, it was just a matter of working hard and putting in the time. “I made the statement back in September that I thought we could make it to South Carolina. We just needed to get better every day and get better every game. It was important for us to get through district and get to the right regional.” Little did Coach Scully know how much this would ring true.
The Ville Platte all-stars cruised through sub-district with a perfect record. However, district was a true test of the confidence instilled in the team. After losing to Deridder, Ville Platte had to battle back and beat a tough DeQuincy team for the championship. This placed them into the Metarie Regional, where not only did Ville Platte have to battle the bracket of opposing teams, but also the weather. After torrential rains cancelled two days of the tournament, the future Louisiana representatives finally persevered and downed the St. Mary all-stars for the regional crown.
The battle for the state title, according to Coach Scully, was going to be “a battle of endurance.” Both teams had to play on Wednesday, one day extra, in regionals and both faced a quick turn around on Friday for the state playoff. This would put a premium on pitching. “We knew they had used a lot of their pitchers,” said Scully. “We were in good shape on our pitching. We just didn’t know how well we matched up on the hitting standpoint.” Apparently Ville Platte stacked up well against their opponent in both areas. The boys in blue swept West Ouachita in two games, earning them the right to wear the purple and gold of Louisiana. “It was an amazing feeling to win state. My mind was rushing, my blood was pumping. I couldn’t wait to go to the World Series,” stated an exuberant Dru Scully.
Where does this huge amount of confidence that Team Louisiana exudes come from? According to the players and coaches two major factors produce that confidence: experience and a “family” atmosphere. With 67 percent of the players and two-thirds of the coaching staff already with World Series experience, Team Louisiana thinks this is a big advantage. According to Aiden Lejeune, “It will be a big advantage having gone to the World Series before. We know how to work hard and have learned a lot from the last time.” Coach Brent Duplechin has reminded the team about the last time they went to the dance. “We have the same approach we had back in 2012. That is to have fun and get better. We have already accomplished both of those goals. The support from the parents, grandparents and the community has really given this team the confidence it needs going into the World Series.”
Family has been the theme for these young men throughout the entire all-star season. “We worry about what we can control. If you do the right things everything will work out in your favor. If you do not do the right thing, you will not be rewarded. I believe that our faith and family has brought us this far, that is why we wear the cross on the back of our jersey,” expounded Coach Scully. According to Christian Duplechin the players have really bought into the philosophy of the coaches. “The coaches have been around baseball a long time and have shown us how to take things in stride. They have really taught us how to all be on the same page. We are not jealous of each other. We support each other like a family. This has made us successful.”
No doubt the Louisiana all-stars will be ready for the grueling week ahead. Offensively, the team has scored 174 runs in 16 games. Continuing the drills that have made them successful at the plate is a priority for Coach Scully. “We have them doing several different hitting drills to prepare for every type of situation. Each player gets around 60 to 80 cuts per practice.” Defensively, Ville Platte has held their opponents to 41 runs. “We run practice like a game situation. When we switch pitchers we rotate players on defense so as to give our guys the experience of being at multiple positions. This allows them to be confident at any position,” stated Scully.
Team Louisiana’s 15-1 overall record will most definitely be an advantage in South Carolina. As they say winning attitudes breed winners and these young men have the right attitude. Good Luck Team Louisiana and bring home the championship trophy!