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June 26, 2012
South Lafourche native Thomas Zak calmly catches a baseball from his catcher Jhy Orgeron and starts his pre-pitch routine.
He positions his feet on the rubber – gingerly placing his toes exactly where they need to be on the mound.
With footwork in order, Zak then readies his body and arm into the proper position – doing so while attentively staring into Orgeron’s glove.
It’s a deep stare – a look of pure concentration.
It’s now time for the pitch.
With a smooth delivery and a short, upward leg kick, Zak delivers a strike – right on the outside corner of the plate to a right-handed batter.
The pitch’s velocity was good and its depth and height was even better.
“Right there, buddy,” said the voice of baseball coach Jacque Pitre. “If you keep the ball there, they’ll have a tough time getting to it.”
Zak’s delivery sure looked like that of a big boy, if not pure grown-man status.
He’s only 10 years old.
His fast-track to baseball maturity is commonplace among the entire Larose-Cut Off U-10 All-Star Baseball team, which is rolling through the summer in dominant fashion, scoring several top finishes in its summer tournaments.
Dubbed the Tarpons (after the area’s high school), the youngsters are impressing both opponents and their coach with their play.
“There are quite a few times where I am sitting in the dugout just wowed by what a 10-year-old kid just did on a baseball diamond,” Pitre said. “We have our pitchers who are throwing just awesome games. We turned a triple play in one of our games and we have turned a ton of double plays in a bunch of different ways. … It’s coming together right now. It’s really fun to watch them play.”
The South Lafourche-based little league team surely seems to be loaded in all facets of the game.
Offensively, Pitre said the Tarpons are one of the best teams in the state among their age group.
Orgeron, Jake Pitre, Myles Matherne and Marcus Matherne are among some of the top sluggers in what the coach calls a “lineup loaded with depth.”
“A couple of parents of a few of our opponents have asked, ‘Well, where’s the bottom of y’all batting order,’?” Jacques Pitre said with a laugh. “We really don’t have a bottom to our order. We have 11 kids and all of them can hit the ball. That’s a great thing to be able to say.”
With the Tarpons’ offense hanging crooked numbers on the scoreboard, it is up to the team’s pitchers to keep opponents in check.
They do that job well – and some.
Zak leads a talented group on the mound that includes Orgeron and Jake Pitre.
The coach said that wealth of numbers is a huge plus because rules strictly limit the number of pitches and innings a child is able to throw in a tournament.
“Altogether, we have seven kids who can pitch,” Pitre said. “That helps a big way in a tournament. The more pitchers you have, the better it is for you. Thomas is probably our top guy on the mound, but we have other kids who are able to throw great games for us.”
Whatever the formula – the Tarpons are winning games.
As of press-time, the youth All-Stars had an 11-2 record this summer with both losses coming to the Zachary All-Stars.
The young Tarpons are playing arguably their best baseball of the summer season right now, having scored a first-place finish in this past weekend’s tournament in Livingston.
To get the title, the Tarpons had to endure a three-hour, 8-inning battle in the semifinals.
“We’re winning ballgames,” Pitre said. “There’s no feeling better than that.”
The coach said he credits the newfound success to a commitment to fundamentals the team has shown.
The Tarpons do things the right way and rarely miss out on the routine play.
The team practices for 90 minutes a couple times a week and the majority of the practice is geared toward teaching the roster the basics of baseball.
“What I’ve noticed over the years is that a lot of these kids aren’t taught the fundamentals of the game,” Pitre said. “Here, we work on the simple stuff. With us being in baseball, we’re working on the kids’ gloves being on the ground for a ground ball or keeping your eye on the ball. … With kids, it’s all about the fundamentals. When we get the fundamentals down, nobody wants to play against us.
“We’re pretty good.”
But let’s face it – kids will be kids.
These boys love to win.
But they also love to have fun, too.
Orgeron said he has been playing baseball his whole life.
The youngster, who said Albert Pujols is his favorite player, smiles a boyish grin when asked if baseball is his favorite sport.
“Of course it is,” Orgeron says with a slight laugh. “I just love it when I’m on the baseball field.”
Zak agreed and said there’s no better way to spend the summer.
“It just makes me feel so good when we get them to go three-up, three-down and then we get to bat,” he said. “There’s nothing better than that.”
For the coach, it’s all about the family and camaraderie.
“I look forward year-round to coaching these boys,” he said. “I don’t know who has more fun – them or me.”
Jake Pitre answered that question simply – the players.
They get to spend the summer with their friends doing something they love.
“I have so many friends on the team,” Jake said. “To be able to travel all over with my pals, it’s just awesome. I’ll never forget this.”
Larose-Cut Off youth baseball player Thomas Zak fires a pitch during practice last Thursday. With a mix of pitching, hitting and defense, the U-10 baseball team is having success this summer. The Tarpons are currently 11-2 and recently won a weekend tournament in Livingston.
