District dividends

Successful teams breed successful players.
And, with the success of the baseball teams in Evangeline Parish this past season, it’s no wonder that several individual players have reaped post-season accolades in their respective districts.
One of those teams, the Sacred Heart Trojans, had a tremendous year, going 19-14-1 and making it to the state quarterfinals in Division IV. Sacred Heart finished second in their district and played one of the toughest schedules in Louisiana. With that being said, the Trojans had several players named to the District 5-1A list.
Beginning with first team honors, Sacred Heart had the privilege of gaining four spots to the top list in their district; Cade Manuel, Wesley Launey, JT Harper and Gabe Fontenot.
Manuel was selected as a pitcher to the first team after posting a 3.58 ERA while striking out 27 in 27.1 innings pitched. Manuel, a senior, also batted .216 on the season with 13 runs and eight RBI.
Garnering first team status as an infielder was Wesley Launey. The senior shortstop batted .403 on the year with seven doubles, one triple and two home runs. Launey drove in 17 runs and scored 33 times.
Making first team as an outfielder, Harper batted .355 on the season and sported a slugging percentage of .701 after hitting 15 doubles, one triple and seven home runs. Harper, a Bossier College commit sported an on base percentage of .431
Fontenot was a jack of all trades for the Trojans, playing multiple positions, including pitcher. Fontenot batted .358 on the season with 24 RBI and 12 runs scored. He also threw 41.1 innings and produced a 2.88 ERA.
Gaining second team honors for the Trojans were catcher Garrett Fontenot, pitcher Drew Bordelon, infielder Christian Duplechin and outfielder Alec Gotro.
Named to the honorable mention list were Cannon Beaver, Nick Perry and Connor Bordelon.
In Class 3A, the Pine Prairie Panthers earned the No. 20 seed in the playoffs by going 15-15 in the regular season. The Panthers completed District 5-3A play with a record of 9-5. Pine Prairie fell to North Vermilion in the first round of the post-season.
For their performance on the field during district competition, two Panther players, pitcher Jordan Ardoin and utility player Kyler Carson, were honored with first team status.
Ardoin, an LSUA signee, went 7-3 on the year with a 1.62 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 65 innings of work. Ardoin also batted .533 on the season, scoring 36 times and driving in 32 runs. He blasted 15 doubles, one triple and six home runs.
Carson, a catcher by trade, hit .360 on the season with eight doubles and two home runs. Carson drove in 21 runs, scored 23 times and held an on base percentage of .460.
Second team selections for Pine Prairie included pitcher Gage Strother, third baseman Joel Franks and outfielder JJ Sims.
Picking up honorable mention status were Peyton Ledoux and Nick Ortego.
The Mamou Demons started off slow but finished strong in 2019, winning eight out of their last 13 games. The Demons completed the regular season with an overall record of 13-16 and a District 5-3A record of 8-6.
Mamou earned the No. 23 seed in the playoffs, but lost a 6-5 heartbreaker to Iowa in the first round.
The Demons placed three players on first team in the district; outfielder Daylon Ardoin, utility player Kaden Serie and utility player Tanner Atchinson.
Ardoin finished the regular season with a batting average of .532, collecting 26 RBI and stealing 32 bases. Ardoin hit one double, three triples and two home runs.
Serie was also a stolen base machine, swiping 27 bags while hitting .378 on the season. Serie had seven doubles, one triple and four home runs.
Atchinson batted .429 with 40 RBI and 18 runs scored. The junior hit six doubles and two home runs.
Second team honors for the Demons went to utility players Devon Boone and Landon Deshotels. Gaining honorable mention status were Aubrey Martel and Andre Tate.
Ville Platte High did not have the season they expected, but also played in one of the toughest districts in the state which included Kinder, Welsh and Notre Dame. The Bulldogs finished the season with an overall record of 2-15.
Ville Platte had one player recognized on the all-district list, second team utility player Noah Doucet.