Theotine "Theo" Ulysse Dardar
June 23, 2009
Diana Benoit Toms
June 25, 2009
For the last five years, the Swampland Baseball League has made sure summer for the area’s high school baseball players isn’t boring.
The league has helped spark the South Terrebonne Gators, Thibodaux Tigers, E.D. White Cardinals, South Lafourche Tarpons. Berwick Panthers, Morgan City Tigers Lutcher Bulldogs, Patterson Lumberjacks and Vandebilt Terriers into the playoffs and has given coaches an early look at their team long before the new baseball season starts.
With the buzz surrounding the summer league, one team – the Cajuns, based out of Central Catholic High School in Morgan City – decided to join the league for the first time this season.
Although they are the smallest team in the league, coaches at the 1A school wanted to use Swampland as a chance for the team to play up in competition against some of the bigger schools in the area.
“We have to be able to compete against bigger teams and teams that are better,” Coach Zack Zulli said. “My whole thing is we can only get better against teams of that caliber because when you play your district, you’re ready for it.”
The Eagles finished their 2008 campaign 10-17 overall and 3-5 in district, losing 10-2 to St. Mary’s of Natchitoches in the Bi-District round of the Class 1A state playoffs.
But after only losing two seniors from a year ago, Zulli believes the league is a chance for his team to grow better together.
It showed in last week’s game against the E.D. White-based Capital One Cardinals.
The team erased a 13-2 deficit in the top of the fourth with a 13-run inning to take the lead 15-13.
The Eagles lost the game 20-15, but Zulli believes his team is getting valuable learning experiences that they would have been lacking had it not been for participating in Swampland Baseball this year.
“We’ve been playing pretty tight the last three games,” the coach said. “We are learning how to compete and fighting hard. When you put up a double digit inning and come from behind after being down like we were, it shows a lot of fight in your team.”
“This can only make us better,” he added.
Despite not having the number of players the 4A or 5A schools in the league have, the Cajuns are still getting valuable work in for their pitching staff, according to Zulli.
“We’ve been able to give a lot of kids some opportunities and really give our pitchers a chance to develop,” he said. “At times if you have to play a lot of games like this it can cause a little strain. Our numbers are down. I feel numbers-wise we are probably one of the smallest teams out here but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It means more guys getting reps.”
Even the Cajuns’ opponents understand how much of an advantage Swampland will be to the team.
Capital One head coach Shane Trosclair said the Cajuns have been one of the tougher teams in the league in only their first season, something that will benefit them when it comes to 1A play.
“This is going to help them out big time,” he said. “They only lost two starters, and they are in Swampland now for the first time. That team is at least going to the quarter or semis, if not more. They are going to get a lot out of this.”
Zulli knows his team is in for a tall order, but he’s confident they will win one of the close games in Swampland play.
“We’re going to get one of these eventually,” he said. “This whole experience has been worth it.”
The Cajuns’ (Central Catholic of Morgan City) Luke Landry swings at a pitch during Swampland baseball action against the E.D. White Cardinals last week. In an effort to play bigger competition, the team joined the league for the first time this season to challenge its players. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER
