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It’s commonly said in sports that winning builds team chemistry.
But sometimes you come across a squad where that family feeling is there long before the championships pile up.
That’s when you can achieve something truly special.
And that’s what the 12-year old LCO Boys Baseball All-Star team has brewing down in Larose.
In six tournaments this summer, the all-star team complied a 22-3 record and culminated the campaign with titles at the Louisiana state championship tournament and the Gulf South World Series.
Coach Jacques Pitre attributes the team’s success to its years of togetherness on and off the diamond.
“We play together. I’ve been coaching for four years. Every kid on this team has played at least three out of those four years. The majority of them have played all four. We spend a lot of time together,” he said. “A lot of the teams you hear they won’t even stay at the same hotel. There are always issues with the parents. With us, everybody gets along. Everybody’s friends, and we’re one big family. We’ve kind of grown that bond over the years.”
You don’t have to hang around a team practice very long to hear the word family get tossed around quite a bit.
“I’m glad to be on this team cause we’re family here. It’s been like that for a few years now. We know our strengths and weaknesses cause we’ve been together for so long,” said infielder, catcher and pitcher Isaiah Levens.
So it was extra sweet when the team dominated the field at the state tournament, winning all five games and doing it with a little added motivation. Despite just participating in the state tournament being enough to be eligible for the Gulf South World Series, the coach bended the facts a bit to get the most out of his players.
“I told the kids this year since they moved it to Gulfport from Mandeville that they had to win or come out second to make it to the World Series to use that as a motivation, and it worked,” Pitre said.
The group has now won the state championship in consecutive years and has played in the state championship game four years in a row.
“I think our family attitude helps us a lot cause you see some teams and in the dugout you hear them arguing and blaming each other. We really don’t do that, and it keeps us together closely as a team,” said outfielder and second baseman Jonah Chaisson.
Then, the LCO 12-year-old All-Star Team kept the momentum rolling in Gulfport earlier in July and beat teams from Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia to win the Gulf South World Series with a perfect 6-0 record.
“It’s really good how we all know each other and we can count on them all to hit the ball and could on us to catch and field the ball,” said centerfielder Jake Pitre.
Jacques Pitre said the team crushed its two opponents in pool play 19-0 and 12-0 before winning their first bracket game 11-1.
The team’s toughest game came in the quarterfinal round when it took an extra-inning effort to defeat the Mississippi state runner-ups.
In the semi-final, the LCO All-Stars downed the Georgia state champs by a mercy rule score of 10-2 in four innings and then knocked off the Mississippi state champs 8-6 to win the gulf south championship.
“Everyone on this team is very talented. They’re all equally worthy of praise. There’s no one kid that just shines over everybody else where you say if he’s not there we don’t stand a chance,” explained coach Pitre. “In fact there’s a couple of the teams we played this year where they said they can’t pitch around one guy and try to walk him because the next kid’s gonna get up and hit. There’s no bottom of the batting order. Everybody puts the ball in play. They’re a tough group to play against from what other coaches and fans tell us.”
Jye Orgeron pitched all six innings of the championship game and ended the contest with the biggest strikeout of his young life.
“It felt amazing. Gave me the chills,” Orgeron said.
And the team’s togetherness came out in one jubilant outburst as the celebration ensued.
“Whenever Jye struck him out and we all jumped up and dogpiled on him, it was fun,” said outfielder Evan Guidroz.
But Orgeron is far from the team’s only reliable pitcher. Ten out of the 12 players on the team pitched at some point during the summer campaign, and coach Jacques Pitre said the other two are capable of pitching as well.
“It really boils down to you gotta be able to throw strikes. We have the defense to play behind the pitchers. It helps to have an ace. We don’t really have one that’s throwing 70 miles per hour or has some kind of really good curveball. We just say get up there throw strikes and the defense is gonna play,” the coach explained.
Coach Jacques Pitre says the team will now move up in classification from the All-Star level to the Double-A level on the travel-team circuit in August, and the long-term goal is having the group stay together and play together when they get older and reach South Lafourche High School.
“It’s all about seeing them and how much fun they’re having. We try to stress to them that it’s not just about baseball. This is life. Everything’s gonna be a team effort: your job, your marriage and hopefully whenever you coach other kids when you get older. We stress to them that one day you’re going to look back and these are the good ole days. These are the times you’re gonna talk about when you get older. Enjoy it,” he said.
The 12-year-old LCO Boys Baseball All-Star team just keeps on winning. The youngsters took home the Louisiana Championship this summer, as well as winning the Gulf South World Series. In total, the local team compiled a 22-3 record during the summer, something that is probably good news for the future of South Lafourche’s baseball team.
