Kade Anderson of St. Paul’s, Gavin Guidry of Barbe named to USA baseball U18 team

A pair of Louisiana stars are among the best players in the country at the high school level.

Junior pitcher Kade Anderson of St. Paul’s and Gavin Guidry of Barbe have been named to the USA Baseball under-18 national team. Both are LSU commits.

Beyond Blessed for this great opportunity! Can’t wait to get after it!!! @eastcoastbball @LSUbaseball @SPSHomeRunClub https://t.co/haY7tCRerG

— Kade Anderson (@KadeAnderson15) August 31, 2021

So pumped!!! Can’t wait to ball out in the red white and blue!!!! Beyond blessed🇺🇸🇺🇸 https://t.co/ri2QlL7UlW

— Gavin Guidry (@GavinGuidry5) August 31, 2021

The American team will compete in a seven-game friendship series against Canada Sept. 3-9 in Bradenton, Sarasota and St. Petersburg, Florida.

Anderson, a left-hander, features a fastball which has touched 91 miles per hour and regularly averages 85-88 miles per hour. Anderson also has a good change-up to go along with a dependable curve ball. He struck out six batters, pitching a four-hitter in a 6-0 victory over Holy Cross on March 19 in a game seen live at CrescentCitySports.com.

REPLAY: Kade Anderson pitches gem as St. Paul’s blanks Holy Cross

The 6-foot-2, 175 pounder backed that up by striking out 17 in a 4-0 playoff victory at Holy Cross on April 29 in another game seen live at CrescentCitySports.com.

REPLAY: Kade Anderson brilliant as St. Paul’s blanks Holy Cross in playoff series opener

Anderson finished his sophomore season 8-2 for the Wolves. He has also pitched for the Louisiana Knights.

On the mound, Guidry (6-2, 182), a senior right-hander, has topped out at 93 miles per hour. He averages 87-90 with his fastball and has a good curve ball. Guidry also features a solid change-up.

As a shortstop, Guidry has range and a good arm to go with good speed and he is rated as the top shortstop in Louisiana for the Class of 2022.

Guidry was the winning pitcher in the Class 5A state title game, beating West Monroe this past season and was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player.

The U18 squad features two other LSU commitments – LHP Michael Kennedy of Troy, N.Y. and utility Blake Mitchell of Sinton, Texas.