St. Charles Catholic defeats Menard for back-to-back baseball titles; coach steps down afterward
By LaMar Gafford
SULPHUR, La. - Defending a championship is hard to do in one sport.
But to do it in two sports is an impressive feat.
St. Charles Catholic defeated Menard, 9-1, in the Division III select championship game Friday at McMurry Park for its second consecutive baseball title.
After the win, Comets' coach Wayne Stein announced to Crescent City Sports’ VK Jones that he would step down as baseball coach - paring down his duties to football coach so he can spend more time with his family. Stein guided the Comets to football titles in 2021 and again in 2022.
“This is my last season in baseball,” Stein said. “I’m stepping down as baseball coach. Our kids knew that.
"I didn’t make an announcement. I didn’t want it to be about me. It was about those seniors. I wanted it to be for them and I am so happy to see them go out this way.”
The Comets exploded for six runs in the fifth inning to take command of the game as Ayden Authement went 3-for-4 with three RBIs to take Most Outstanding Player honors.
Authement had a leadoff single to set up him scoring the first run of the game and helped St. Charles regain the lead in the third with a two-run single to make it 3-1. With runners in scoring position in the fifth inning, he struck again with another single to give the Comets a 7-1 lead.
“I just come out here and play baseball,” Authement said. “I just want to be here for my teammates and be a clutch guy. It’s all personal to me.
"Coach Stein watched me grow up. He coached all my brothers. ... He’s like a father to me. I can trust him all the time.”
The Comets were also able to get a great pitching performance from Brandon Kragle. Kragle threw 6.1 innings and only surrendered four hits, while recording eight strikeouts.
For the Eagles, it was a tough pill to swallow after looking for their first title since 2007 and never losing a championship game in five previous attempts.
Menard countered the Comets’ early score with a Coen Laroux single in the second to make it 1-all, but could not keep pace despite having a runner in scoring position in the fifth and sixth innings.
However, they return a loaded junior class and lose just one senior in Andrew Prejean - a Meridian (Miss.) Community College signee.
“When you have so many juniors, it’s so hard to only place nine in the lineup, but these guys come out and compete every day against each other,” Eagles coach Jordan Marks said. “They also have each other’s backs.
"I think they’re going to come together and we’re going to get better this summer, and I hope to be back next year.”
Division V select state baseball champion Avoyelles Charter
Division V select baseball championship
Avoyelles Charter 3, Family Community 0
The year of firsts continue for Avoyelles Charter and its boys athletic programs.
After the Vikings celebrated a boys basketball title in March, they paired that up with a baseball title after defeating Family Community, 3-0, for the Division V select championship Friday at McMurry Park.
“I’m just so happy for these seniors and these young men,” Avoyelles Charter coach Stu Regard said.
“They’ve really come such a long way this year to jell together. Our parish loves sports and playoff time, so I couldn’t be happier for our community and Avoyelles Parish.”
Vikings junior Conner Mayeux tossed a five-hit shutout to earn Most Outstanding Player honors, while fanning six strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work. Senior infielder Mason Bordelon earned the save by pitching 2.2 innings of no-hit ball and striking out four.
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“It was very amazing to win (Most Outstanding Player),” Mayeux said. “I put in a lot of work for this and I just grinded all season.”
Avoyelles Charter scored all its runs in the fourth inning - taking advantage of a pair of Warrior errors. It only mustered three hits as Carson Lemoine and Bennett Coco both singled in the fourth inning and Bordelon added a double in the sixth.
Prior to that, Warrior junior pitcher Raylee Thomas kept Charter at bay by retiring the first 10 batters he faced. He finished with seven strikeouts and no earned runs, but his offense did not give him much help by stranding seven runners.
Family Community scratched out five hits and had the tying run at the plate in the fifth inning, but Bordelon got Emmitt Parker to fly out to right to end the threat. FCCS did not have a runner advance past second base for the game.
“I was like, ‘I gotta shut these boys out to get us a championship,’” Bordelon said of his relief appearance.
Thanks to the win, APCS became the first team since Simpson in 2019 to win a boys basketball title and a baseball title in the same year.
Division IV non-select baseball championship
Oak Grove 11, DeQuincy 10 (12 innings)
The Division IV non-select championship game between Oak Grove and DeQuincy was nothing short of an instant classic.
After going hitless in his first five at-bats, Tanner Duff's walk-off base hit gave Oak Grove its second straight title.
Brodie Stuart earned Most Outstanding Player honors by going 4-for-7 with six RBIs to pace Oak Grove, while Reese Ashworth went 5-for-7 with four RBIs for DeQuincy.
Division IV select baseball championship
Ouachita Christian 8, Ascension Catholic 0
Ouachita Christian is back on top of the baseball world.
The Eagles won their third baseball title in four years thanks to Karson Trichel's hitting and pitching. Trichel earned Most Outstanding Player honors after allowing one hit in six innings, while going 1-for-2 from the plate with an RBI.
Bryce Leonard got Ascension Catholic's lone hit with a leadoff single.
