Former Shaw baseball coach Pat O’Shea dies at 67

Pat O’Shea, who guided Archbishop Shaw to excellence on the baseball diamond from 1977-94, died Thursday after a battle with cancer. He was 67.

A former assistant coach at Jesuit, O’Shea arrived on the West Bank and promptly led the Eagles to their first-ever Catholic League baseball title in only his second season. Shaw also won back-to-back district championships in 1983 and 1984 and reached the Class AAAA title game in 1983.

Shaw-based Conmaco won the 1978 American Legion state championship and finished as state runner-up in 1981.

“Pat understood the game well and got along well with his players,” said Bryan Lazare, who was an assistant to O’Shea at Shaw for 16 years. “The players played hard for him. Once the game started, he was very good and very competitive, and I think that rubbed off on his players.”

Current Hahnville coach David Baudry replaced O’Shea at Shaw after having faced his teams as a Jesuit assistant.

“The one thing you knew about Pat’s teams was they were always prepared,” said Baudry. “He was always a good source of information and advice my first two years.”

Longtime Jesuit coach and current athletic director David Moreau’s first job was as junior varsity coach at Shaw in 1981-82.

“The one thing he taught me,” Moreau said, “is if you think trouble is about to happen, do your best to stop it. If you feel it or see something, try to stop it. Don’t wait to be in trouble.

“Coaching against Pat, you were going to have to be at the top of your game. He was such a good manager of the game, maybe the best there’s ever been in the Catholic League.”

O’Shea’s top players at Shaw included left-handed pitcher Paul Mancuso, who went on to UNO; outfielder David Smith, who played at Delgado and Tulane; and Terry Joseph, who played baseball at Northwestern State and is now the defensive backs coach at Notre Dame.

O’Shea went on to serve as an assistant coach at Delgado Community College for five seasons.

In March, Shaw dedicated the home dugout at Winterschiedt Stadium in O’Shea’s honor. More than 100 of his former players showed up for the dedication.

Funeral arrangements are pending.