Fans optimistic about Saints, but unsure how far the team can go
August 2, 2017
Ladder of the law
August 2, 2017
A Houma-based softball team earned a prestigious title earlier this past week, earning the State Championship crown.
The Xplosion 14U softball team won the USSSA Fastpitch Softball 14U State Championship Tournament from July 24-25 in Slidell, outlasting the other teams in both pool and bracket play to win the title.
The team, coached by head coach Lee Guidry and assistant coach Shawn Estay, features talented players from around the area – ages 11-13.
Guidry said to win the title is an honor – a fitting end to the summer for a team that he said he competed favorably throughout their time together, earning several top finishes at the tournaments they’ve played.
“This is a really great accomplishment,” Guidry said. “We had a great season together. We had a lot of second-place finishes and first-place finishes throughout the summer. So for the girls, it was kind of funny. This was sort-of like a natural thing for them – to win it. They didn’t show much excitement at first. It took a while for it to sink in, but once it did, you could see that they were all really excited and proud for what they had accomplished. They deserve it.”
For the Xplosion, the tournament started off on the wrong foot.
Guidry said the team was a little jittery in its first pool-play game, losing a close game to fall to 0-1 in its pool.
They didn’t lose again.
After the defeat, Guidry said he told the girls to relax and settle in and they did exactly that, storming through the rest of pool play without a blemish.
In the bracket portion of the event, the Xplosion did the same, staying hot to push itself into the championship game without a loss. That meant that someone would have needed to beat the team twice to take the title.
But Xplosion didn’t even lose once.
Guidry said his team was challenged in the Championship game, playing a hotly contested, hard-fought game that went down to the wire.
But the team used dominant pitching, timely hitting and a total-team effort to secure a 3-1 victory, clinching the State Championship.
After the game, the team got its rings, posing for photos with their new prizes.
Guidry said he was most proud of the group for their ability to rebound from the early loss and continue to push forward.
“We play in 14U, but our girls are 12 and 13-years old,” Guidry said. “We played up. I even have an 11 year old on the team. We never used that as an excuse. We just played our game. The girls kept playing and did their best and that’s all you can ask for as a coach.”
Guidry said the summer season is over now for the Xplosion, but because of how the tournament went, four of the team’s players will now move on to play another game.
He said four members of the team, infielder/outfielder Sarah Brown; infielder/pitcher Kailee Guidry; pitcher/infielder Jayden Falgout and catcher/infielder Xariel Washington, were nominated to compete in the USSSA All-State Game, which will be held in Alexandria on Aug. 5.
“They’ll get the chance to play one more time,” Guidry said. “It was great to see them get recognized for their hard work and dedication.”
The coach added that he’s excited for the future, touting that several of his players will now go on to play at the prep level for schools around Houma – several for Vandebilt and others at Houma Christian, Ellender and CCA.
“It will be great to see them continuing to grow,” Guidry said. “I think they all have bright futures.”
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2017 Xplosion 14U softball team
Sarah Brown – IF/OF
Kailee Guidry – IF/P
Jayden Falgout – P/IF
Lia Martin – IF/OF
Xariel Washington – C/IF
Emily Allemand – C/OF
Laikyn Spry – 1B
Laila Anderson – IF/OF
Grace Legendre – P/IF
Kelly Authement – P/OF
Lexie Lirette – OF
Vanessa Bonner – OF
Kourtne Lee – 3B
Head Coach – Lee Guidry
Assistant Coach – Shawn Estay
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