Tarpons carrying No. 1 ranking now … but their goal is to carry it to the finish line

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It’s early, yes.

But right now, the South Lafourche baseball team is No. 1 in the state in Class 4A.


The Tarpons have had a monstrous start to the season, posting an early 11-1 record, which has included wins over Central Lafourche, Newman, Riverside and other annual postseason contenders.

Because of that start, the Tarpons are easily No. 1 in LHSAA power ranking projections – a spot they’ve held for most of the season.

Players say the success is not that much of a surprise. The Tarpons were good last year, while also being plagued by injuries and youth.


This year, the group is healthy and older and also coached by a new hand – veteran first-year coach Andrew Ravaglia they believe it’s time to shine.

“The season is going great,” said senior outfielder and Nicholls signee Austin Cantrelle. “We are doing everything right and playing as a team.”

Cantrelle’s words couldn’t be truer.


These Tarpons have a little bit of everything right now in their path to victory.

Offensively, South Lafourche is good from top-to-bottom in its lineup, averaging close to 9 runs per game.

The Tarpons have weapons up and down their batting order – a good combination of speed and power.


The contact hitters are guys like Cantrelle, Jacob Danos, Beau Callais, Jack Blanchard and Jelby Cheramie, among others – guys who handle the bat well and get on base at a high clip.

Danos has been especially good, hitting .421 with a .574 on-base percentage.

When there are ducks on the pond, the big boppers are there to get them home.


In the heart of the Tarpons order are sluggers Kasey Guidry, Blake Ougel, Mark Pitre and Davin Richoux – guys who power home the majority of the team’s runs.

Guidry has been scorching hot this season. In 12 games, he’s hitting .452 with a .630 on-base percentage with 2 home runs and 13 RBI.

Richoux has also been a terror, hitting .371 on the year.


Both Guidry and Cantrelle agree that this team’s offense is one that can put fright into opposing pitchers.

“Our lineup is looking great,” Cantrelle said. “We are doing everything that has to be executed. Whatever has to be done, we have been getting the job done.”

“Our lineup consists of 8 seniors, and one junior,” Guidry said. “Anything and everything the opposing team throws at us, i guarantee you we’ve seen it before.”


But while offense gets a lot of the attention, it’s the team’s pitching that is South Lafourche’s bread and butter.

Ravaglia is a pitching coach by trade. He has worked as a pitching coach at the college level and has improved the arms of players he’s coached at every stop he’s made in his career.

With South Lafourche, it’s no different.


The Tarpons have played 12 games, but have allowed just 34 runs, including five games where they’ve held opponents to one run or fewer – including two shutouts.

The ace of the staff is senior Blake Ougel – a powerful, dominant lefty who is 3-1 in four starts this season with a 1.40 ERA.

Ougel is a monster on the bump. In 25 innings, he’s allowed just 21 hits, five runs with 25 strikeouts.


“He’s a really good one,” Ravaglia said.

But he’s not alone.

The Tarpons also pitch Guidry, Pitre, Cheramie and others – to help the team earn its current 1.41 staff ERA.


Guidry is 3-0 in 4 starts with an ERA of 0.94. Pitre has been perhaps the most impressive. He’s still yet to allow a run in 11 innings of work, including a complete-game shutout of Houma Christian.

When the Tarpons need relievers, Cantrelle, Jake Galjour and others have been pitching in to finish games.

“Our pitching is amazing,” Cantrelle said. “Pretty much everyone on this team can get up there and through strikes. So far, every starter has gone out there and given us a chance to win.”


So now, the challenge is to finish the job.

The quick start and No. 1 ranking are part of a bit of a déjà vu scenario for the Tarpons, who were in the exact same position last year heading into district play.

But the youthful Tarpons didn’t handle the expectations well, struggling in league play before earning just a low-seed in the Class 4A State Playoffs.


This year, the team wants more.

Cantrelle said he remembers the late-season struggles of last year and vowed that these Tarpons are older, wiser and more talented than they’ve ever been before.

He said the team’s goals are lofty, but realistic.


Heck, when you’re 11-1 and have outscored opponents by a 104-34 margin, it’s easy to get a little greedy and expect big things to happen.

“Our goals this year are to be district champs,” Cantrelle said. “We’d also like home playoff games to start the first couple of rounds. This is our year to bring home a State Championship to the bayou and I believe we can. We have all the tools. We just need to keep playing great as a team and we think we can achieve anything.”

Tarpon baseball


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