Parish has the goods to make state tourney run

No disrespect to Christmas, but right now is the most wonderful time of the year.
And it all begins locally, with Evangeline Parish featuring a few teams this season that if all goes right may find themselves making the short trip down I-10 Westbound to Sulphur for the state tournaments.
It’s an especially good year for baseball and softball.
On the baseball end, it’s hard to look past the deep pitching staffs that both Sacred Heart and Pine Prairie feature.
Sacred Heart, a senior-led squad, is long on both talent and experience within its squad.
They made a quarterfinal appearance last season and took Ouachita Christian to the brink, winning game one and nearly qualifying for the state tournament before some a hit batter sent the Eagles to Sulphur instead of the Trojans.
But nearly every pitcher who played a major role in last season’s squad, including game-one winner Briggs Ardoin and now junior Jackson Bruney, came back and have been as good as advertised this season.
The Trojan lineup, which includes a dynamic middle-infield pair in Gabe Wilmouth and Hayden Droddy and junior outfielder Wade Pitre, has enough punch to keep it in games as well.
The question for Sacred Heart remains whether that OCS nuisance will once again attempt to step in their way on the road to Sulphur.
Pitching, too, is the strength of both Pine Prairie squads that have a puncher’s chance at the state tournament.
The baseball program has a pair of Ardoins, Colin and Evan, that give the Panthers a good a shot as any team in the non-select bracket at advancing to the state tournament if it gets into a three-game series.
The question for Pine Prairie baseball, though, is whether it has the offensive firepower to step up against elite competition.
Among its nine losses this season are state tourney contenders Sacred Heart, Eunice, South Beauregard and Iota.
Those four programs traditionally are strong, of course. However, they’re exactly the type of teams the Panthers will have to conquer if it has state tournament aspirations.
The Lady Panther softball program wrapped up the District 4-3A crown last week, and it has gone as junior pitcher Ava Kordish has all season.
Kordish is among the state leaders in strikeouts from the circle, and anytime she’s pitching Pine Prairie will be in the thick of the game it is in.
Their question also, though, is whether the offense can keep up with Kordish’s heroics. Kordish has been her team’s best player on both sides this season. It remains to be seen whether such a lofty brand of hero ball can make its way to Sulphur.
That’s not to say the Lady Panthers are a one-woman show. They are long on experience and have comfortably disposed of most of the teams on its schedule this season.
However, Kordish’s breakout season has surely been noticed by the state by this point. Her leading Pine Prairie to the state tournament would be the ultimate icing on what has been a fantastic season for the Lady Panthers.
With the playoffs around the corner, it’s an exciting time to be a baseball and softball fan in Evangeline Parish.
And who knows? A road trip may even be in your near future.