Coming together

BY: TRACEY JAGNEAUX
Sports Editor

With the end of the season last Thursday for the Louisiana Majors, Head Coach Stokie Fontenot and the rest of the team have had the time now to take stock of their outstanding post-season campaign.
“At the beginning of the all-star season, we started with a diverse group of players,” said Fontenot. “A couple of them had played in the World Series the year before; some had not been on an all-star team ever.”
“It was our job to get them to learn how to play as a team, rather than as individuals. In sub-district and in district, you can get away with playing as individuals, but you can’t do that going into the later tournaments.”
The Majors run to the finals of the Dixie Youth World Series began in sub-district play. Ville Platte ran roughshod over their opponents going 4-0 in that tournament.
As the team advanced on to the district tournament, one could see the confidence and the camaraderie in the players develop and grow. Ville Platte once again went undefeated, taking their place in the South Regional tournament in Ponchatula.
The regional tournament saw Ville Platte learn how to face and overcome adversity. Injuries to key personnel
along with their first loss of the all-star season gave the team the opportunity to show how championship teams rebound. Ville Platte wound up having to defeat Morgan City twice to advance on to state.
“I think that the loss in the regional tournament was the turning point for the players. It showed them why it is important to play as a team,” stated Fontenot. “We really had a special group of guys this year. When one person was hurt, it was next man up.”
“Every player knew their role on the team and took that role to heart. If one person was not able to perform, the next person stepped up and did the job that had to be done.”
In the State Championship series, Ville Platte took game one over Winnsboro. In game two the all-stars stumbled and had to rely on the resiliency that lead them to the regional title, as they took game three and secured the state trophy and a trip to the World Series.
Going into the final and most important tournament of the year, Ville Platte, now known as Louisiana, had a tremendous amount of confidence and was on top of their game both offensively and defensively.
Louisiana took the first game in dominating fashion, but fell to Virginia in game two. A renewed focus after the loss propelled Louisiana through to the finals against a South Carolina team that had obliterated their opponents throughout the tournament.
“Going to the World Series is a tremendous honor,” commented Fontenot. “We were all so proud to represent the City of Ville Platte and the State of Louisiana. But, all of the hoopla that surrounds the players when they get there can sometimes become too much of a distraction.”
“I think that is what happened when we played Virginia. Honestly, the loss was probably the best thing that could happen. It made us refocus on the game itself. To me it was a blessing in disguise.”
“Against South Carolina in the finals we were just overmatched. We had some errors that could have made the game closer, but they were just the better team that day.”
“I am very proud of our players and how they fought the entire tournament. We met all of the goals we set out to achieve at the beginning of all-stars.”
Fontenot knows that without the help of people surrounding the program, especially the parents, the season would not have been the success it was.
“It is one thing to have the players buy into the system,” Fontenot said. “More importantly, I believe, is to have parents that support the coaching staff one hundred percent. We had that this year. Our parents were incredible in the way they let us coach and do what was necessary to be successful.”
“I really want to thank Coach Delaney Fontenot and Coach Chuck Monier. They were a tremendous asset as assistant coaches. They truly made my job a whole lot easier.”
“Also, Brent Duplechin and his son Christian were huge pieces to the season. They came and threw batting practice almost every day. As coaches we also relied on Brent and Cody Vidrine to give us advice throughout the season.”
As they say, sports are just a microcosm of life. What happens on the field of battle prepares you for the battles of life. For the Louisiana Majors, this season was a lesson learned well.
Here is a recap of the games played at the World Series.

Louisiana vs. Arkansas
Louisiana showed their offensive prowess in game one against Arkansas, scoring 23 runs on 10 hits. After Arkansas plated two runs in the first, Gabe Fontenot led things off for Louisiana, scoring in the second inning on a double by Tyler Perron.
Louisiana tied the game in the fourth when Noah Soileau crossed the plate. Louisiana batted around in the fifth inning scoring four more runs.
The boys from Evangeline Parish exploded for 17 runs in the sixth inning, with every player scoring at least once in the inning.
The big hits came from Peyton Feutch and Gabe Fontenot who each hit a home run. Feutch’s blast was of the grand slam variety, while Fontenot added a two run dinger.
In the game, Fontenot was two for four, while Perron was three for five with a double.

Louisiana vs. Virginia
The offensive firepower shown by Louisiana in game one did not appear in game two, as Virginia held Louisiana to only five hits in an 8-4 win. Still, out of the five hits for Louisiana, three were homeruns
Virginia took the early 5-0 lead after two innings of play. Louisiana got on the board when in the third inning with a Mike Monier solo homerun. Virginia extended the lead in the fourth adding three more runs.
Louisiana answered in the top of the fifth when Gabe Fontenot blasted a solo home run. Noah Soileau made things interesting in the top of the sixth when he smashed a two run home run. However, it was not enough for Louisiana to overtake Virginia.
The only other two players to pick up hits for Louisiana were Peyton Feutch and Issac Leger. Both recorded

Louisiana vs. Texas
In the first elimination game faced by Louisiana, the boys in purple and gold delivered a gutty performance in a 9-6 win. Louisiana eight hits, including three extra base hits in the game.
Louisiana scored the first run of the game in the first inning when Noah Soileau crossed the plate on a Gabe Fontenot double. Texas tied the game with a single run in the bottom of the inning.
Louisiana took control in the game in the top of the second, adding seven runs on three hits including a triple by Jack LaHaye. Texas cut into the lead by plating two runs in the bottom of the second.
Texas scored two more runs in the fourth to cut the lead to 8-6. However, Louisiana managed to tack on a lone run in the top of the sixth when Daegan Mitchell knocked in Soileau. Texas rounded out the scoring with a single run in the bottom of the sixth.
Soileau was three for four, while Tyler Perron was one for three with a double.

Louisiana vs. Mississippi
Taking a cue from game one, Louisiana collected 10 hits en route to a 13-2 drumming of Mississippi. Louisiana.
The game was a quick one, as Louisiana scored early and often in a run-rule victory. Mississippi scored first with a lone run in the top of the first.
Louisiana took the lead for good, plating two runs in the bottom of the first on singles by Peyton Feutch, Noah Soileau, Daegan Mitchell and Jack LaHaye.
Louisiana blew the game open in the bottom of the second, batting around and plating seven runs. The big hit was a three-run home run by Mike Monier.
Mississippi added a run in the top of the fourth. However, Louisiana closed the game out in the bottom of the inning, plating the final four runs of the game.
Leading the way for Louisiana was Tyler Perron who went two for three with two singles.

Louisiana vs. Virginia
A rematch against Virginia turned out to be a revenge game for Louisiana. A thirteen hit barrage gave Louisiana the 14-4 win over the team that produced the first loss of the tournament for the all-stars from Ville Platte.
Virginia took a 2-1 lead over Louisiana after the first inning of play. Daegan Mitchell provided the lone run for Louisiana on a solo home run. Virginia still lead by one run, 3-2, after the completion of two innings of play.
Louisiana tied the game in the fourth when Noah Soileau scored on a double by Jack Lahaye. Louisiana put the game away in the final two innings, outscoring Virginia 11-1, including a three-run home run by Soileau.
LaHaye went four for four, Mitchell was three for four, Mike Monier was three for four and Hayden Fontenot went two for four.

Louisiana vs. South Carolina
The championship game did not go well for Louisiana from the start. South Carolina rode a 7-3 first inning advantage all the way to a 14-3 win. Louisiana could not get their offense jump started as they only managed two hits in the loss.
Louisiana plated their three runs in the first on two hits, including a solo home run by Noah Soileau and a single by Jack LaHaye. South Carolina expanded their lead, plating six more runs in the second inning. The champions plated their final run in the third inning.