Lutcher, Pearl River, St. Charles Catholic seek state finals sports Wednesday in Sulphur

BASEBALL BRACKETS

Non-Select
DIVISION I   |   DIVISION II   |   DIVISION III
DIVISION IV   | DIVISION V

Select
DIVISION I   |   DIVISION II   |   DIVISION III
DIVISION IV  | DIVISION V

The LHSAA state semifinals begin Wednesday at McMurry Park in Sulphur.

Top seed Lutcher seeks its second state title in three seasons when the Bulldogs take on No. 12 Iowa in the Non-Select Division II semifinals. The game is slated for Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. on Field 41. Lutcher defeated Iowa in the 3A quarterfinals in 2022.

The Bulldogs (29-7) won the Class 3A state championship in 2022 and played in the 3A title game in 2021.

Lutcher has won five state titles and finished second four times.

The Bulldogs have outstanding pitching, led by LSU commit Marshall Louque and Quinn Smith.

“Iowa is that program of consistency,” Lutcher coach Ryan Jensen said. “They are here every here and won it last year. They still have some guys on their team that we faced two years ago and they have a lot back from last year’s title game. They do an excellent job of playing the small ball game. They make plays and throw strikes. We will face a big arm in Cole Corbello. It will be a challenge. That’s what you expect here. We have played well the last two weeks. We are hitting our stride and our pitching has been fantastic. We’ve made plays behind them. I think we’re in a good place. Expect a low scoring game.”

In the other Non-Select Division II semifinal Wednesday, No. 10 Pearl River continues its run, taking on No. 6 North Vermilion at 5:30 p.m. on Field 40.

The Rebels (29-10) is in search of its first state championship. The Rebels have reached one title game in program history.

Pearl River has taken down No. 23 Morgan City, along with higher seeds in No. 7 West Feliciana and No. 2 Iota to get to Sulphur.

Pearl River has overcome adversity. Senior Helgin Guerra died in a car accident Saturday.

“It’s been stressful for me,” Rebels coach Buddy Turnage said. “For the players and community, it has been a great high, extremely exciting. You can hear the buzz in the community. My guys want to play for the name on the front. They want to represent Pearl River to the best of their ability and I’m proud of that. Jeremy Trahan does a phenomenal job with North Vermilion. We know they will play as hard as we play. It will be a dogfight. It would be something special to win a first title. Our young men had a coach pass away from brain cancer previously and had a classmate pass away earlier this week. They have persevered and stayed the course.”

In Select Division III, two-time defending state champion and top seed St. Charles Catholic takes on No.4 Holy Savior Menard at 2 p.m. on Field 41.

The Comets (29-8) advanced defeating No. 8 Pope John Paul II in three games in the quarterfinals. St. Charles Catholic defeated the Eagles 9-1 in the state title game last season.

Kragle and St. Pierre are the top pitchers. Kragle beat Holy Savior Menard in the title game last year.

It has been a trying year for the Comets as two-time state champion coach Wayne Stein had to take over early in the season with the departure of Ty Monica after Stein had stepped away from baseball to concentrate on coaching the Comet football team.

“The baseball part was pretty normal,” Stein said. “It wasn’t like it was a hard transition. We just went back to work, started out slow, trying to find our identity. We found it and had a 20-game win streak. Having a tough Pope John Paul team helped us. We showed our culture in game three. Holy Savior Menard is basically the same team as last year. They had just one senior. I think both teams expected to be here. I just hope we play well. Whoever plays well over the next three days is the champion. I feel we’re focused. We’re comfortable being here, for the seventh time in eight years.”

LHSAA Prep Baseball Results from Tuesday, May 6
Non-Select Division IV
(1) Oak Grove 6, (4) DeQuincy 5
(2) Mangham 3, (3) French Settlement 1

Non-Select Division V
(5) Quitman 1, (1) Pitkin 0
(3) Hicks 5, (2) Weston 1

Select Division IV
(1) Opelousas Catholic 3, (5) Central Catholic 0
(11) Glenbrook 3, (2) Covenant Christian 2

Select Division V
(1) Avoyelles Public Charter 6, (5) Rapides 0
(3) Family Community 7, (2) Grace Christian 2

LHSAA Prep Baseball Semifinal Schedule for Wednesday, May 7
Non-Select Division II
(12) Iowa vs. (1) Lutcher, 5:30 p.m. Field 41
(10) Pearl River vs. (6) North Vermilion, 5:30 p.m. Field 40

Non-Select Division III
(5) Doyle vs. (1) South Beauregard, 11 a.m. Field 41
(14) Berwick vs. (2) Sterlington, 11 a.m. Field 40

Select Division III
(4) Holy Savior Menard vs. (1) St. Charles Catholic, 2 p.m. Field 41
(3) University Lab vs. (2) Parkview Baptist, 2 p.m. Field 40