Daire and the Generals experience educational first year

By: LANCE REED

Sports Editor

The Louisiana State University at Alexandria baseball team is currently enjoying its first year in competition. The Generals are sporting a 16-21 record and competing in NAIA Division. Two members of the Generals are from Ville Platte and are graduates of Sacred Heart High School. One of those players is Thomas Daire.

Thomas Daire, a freshman, is enjoying his first year of collegiate baseball. The youngster is part of the pitching rotation at LSUA and currently posts a 3-3 record. He is one of 18 true freshman on the LSUA roster. Daire is a 2007 graduate of Sacred Heart High School.

People will remember Daire from his early days in Dixie Youth where he began pitching with Pat Guillory and Dr. Tommy Fontenot. As his love of baseball grew, so did his love of being on the hill.

When he got to high school, Daire almost had an immediate impact at Sacred Heart. After his freshman year, the son of Laura and Tommy Daire began to become an integral part of the SHHS pitching rotation. He was a three-time selection on the All-Parish and All-District teams. Despite an arm injury during his junior year, Daire worked hard in the outfield, while getting his arm rehabilitated. When most athletes would have given up on pitching, Daire was back on the bump to help his team during his senior year.

After playing last summer with the Louisiana Lumberjacks, Daire was invited to play with the Generals.