Lady Cards look to be in the 7-3A title chase

Mention District 7-3A softball to hardcore fans and talk likely immediately turns to two schools: the Berwick Lady Panthers and Patterson LadyJacks.

After all, the two St. Mary Parish schools have dominated the standings since the district’s last restructuring.

But E.D. White head coach Scott Dupont would like to add another team to that list, his Lady Cardinals.

With the most player depth he’s had in years, the coach is confident that the Lady Cardinals have what it takes to be in the hunt for the district title chase.

“We’re confident that we can play with Berwick and Patterson,” Dupont said. “We proved that last year. This year, we think we can get over the hump and, hopefully, pull some victories.”

Last season, the Lady Cardinals hung tough with both teams, but ran out of steam defensively when it mattered the most.

With the majority of the team back in action – only Kacey Rodrigue, a 2008 graduate, is missing from the lineup – Dupont is excited about this season’s possibilities.

“We have a lot of maturity this season,” he said. “We have a good nucleus returning and we have more depth at pitching than we’ve had in some time. Our mind-set is right, too; that’s one of the most important things.”

Seasoning was evident in the Lady Cardinals’ season opener last Tuesday against cross-parish rival South Lafourche. Despite trailing 3-0 early in the fourth inning, E.D. White responded with 12 unanswered runs to coast to a 12-3 win.

Dupont believes if his team can maintain their composure and intensity, good things lay ahead.

“We’ve practiced all offseason about not getting too high with the highs or too low with the lows,” he explained. “Our maturity showed.”

With the added experience, Dupont predicts the Lady Cardinals’ defense will benefit the most.

A senior-laden infield – first baseman Kristen Gaubert, second baseman Kyla Rodrigue and third baseman Maci Gravois – join freshman catcher Claire LeBouef, who earned the starting position in the offseason.

Sophomore Emily Chiasson, who also saw playing time last season, returns to the shortstop post.

The Lady Cardinals’ outfield comprises of senior Lauren Blanchard in centerfield, juniors Victoria Roy in leftfield and Alex Blanchard in rightfield.

Junior Jeanne Robichaux, opening day’s starting pitcher, is expected to see significant time on the mound.

“Our four seniors have done a tremendous job of being leaders, and our junior pitcher (Robichaux) has really come alive and become more vocal,” Dupont said. “Last year, she was a quiet leader but this year she is vocalizing more and actually talking to her teammates. They’re responding to her and that is a good thing.”

Offensively, Dupont said his team is equally as strong, consistently hitting the ball and scoring runs.

“We feed off of the momentum of our hitting,” he said. “I really feel that if we can continue to hit the ball pretty well, and if we can continue to score a good bit of runs, our defense is solid. We have the pitching. I think us being able to ride that wave to success is going to depend on us hitting the ball.”

E.D. White’s Jeanne Robichaux awaits a pitch against the South Lafourche Tarpons last week. Robichaux, who is also the pitcher, is hoping to keep the Lady Cardinals competitive with the two St. Mary schools. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER