The defending Class AAA champs had to battle through a roughed District 5-AAA slate just to reach the playoffs.
After dropping two games in the first round of league play, the Lady Pios battled back in the second half, winning four of their final five games to claim second place and earn an automatic postseason berth.
For their efforts, Notre Dame landed six players on the 5-3A All-District team and three on the second.
“I think this just shows how much of a team we were,” said ND coach Lauren Delahoussaye of the league selections. “There wasn’t just one individual that carried us. We definitely had individuals that had a lot to do with our success but really and truly, we had a lot of threats in our lineup.”
Notre Dame advanced to the state tournament once again with back-to-back playoff victories over Plaquemine and Kaplan but they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Berwick.
“Looking back, even though we didn’t win it all, we still had a remarkable season,” said Delahoussaye. “We had a few losses that really hurt us along the way but we did our best to pick ourselves up and we battled through. I was really proud of the girls for working the way that they did.”
The Lady Pios senior leadership on the field came from first-team selections Taylor Simon and Amelia Lavergne.
Simon, an LSU Eunice signee, made the squad at shortstop after hitting .500 in the 10 league games while Lavergne was one of four pitchers selected after posting a 4-2 record.
“ Taylor , being our leadoff hitter, very rarely did not get on base,” said Delahoussaye. “That to me just sets the whole tone for the game. She did an awesome job in leading the lineup and leading the defense as well.
“Amelia is the same way pitching wise. She worked really hard this year and halfway through the season I saw a big change in her. She really came through as a leader on the mound.”
Joining Simon and Lavergne on the first team are sophomore first baseman Katherine Kirsch (.500), junior outfielder Charlotte Brown (.536), sophomore utility player Taylor Boulet (.417) and junior designated player Ally Daigle (.583).
“All the girls just had great attitudes throughout the season,” said Delahoussaye. “They never really focused on the negative. They tried their best to stay positive and I thought they all did a really good job of that.
“It’s hard to keep any of those girls off the base paths and I think that really defined who they are. They never gave up and they never quite.”
Notre Dame’s second team selections include junior second baseman Hilliary Stelly, sophomore outfielder Alexa Thibodeaux and freshman pitcher Molly Stelly.
“We had a lot of underclassmen play really well this year,” said Delahoussaye. “Our seniors will leave some big shoes to fill, but I’m also excited about having all those younger girls coming back. They have that die-hard attitude and they’re going to go out and give it their best.”
Rayne, which finished third in district play and advanced to the quarterfinals where they dropped a 2-1 decision to eventual state champion Catholic High of New Iberia, had three players tabbed to the first team.
LSU-Eunice signee Mariel Meche made the squad at pitcher while Tori Motte got on in the outfield and Kelsey Hollier made it as a uttility player.
Rayne’s Courtney Boutin earned second team honors.
Kaplan won the district by going 9-1 in league play. In doing so, the Pirates nabbed the team’s top honors in Coach of the Year Shay Herpin and Most Valuable Player Brittany LeBeouf.
LeBeouf, a junior pitcher, went 8-1 in district play.
The final pitcher selected is North Vermilion’s Brittany LeBlanc.
The rest of the infield consists of Kaplan second baseman Mallory Hebert (.429) and North Vermilion catcher Randee Vincent (.417).
Brown and Mott are joined in the outfield by Kaplan’s Ashton Hargrave (.424).
Erath’s Megan Norris (.393) and Kaplan’s Bailey Prejean (.310) earned spots as utility players.
Abbeville landed two players on the second team in pitcher Alyssa Landry and first baseman Lexi Broussard.
Erath’s Noel Hebert and Alayna Harrington made the unit as pitchers while Haley Landry and katelyn Richard made it on the infield.
Kaplan’s Shayna LaSalle is listed at catcher while Katie LeDoux made the team in the outfield and Ranase Frederick got on at utility.
North Vermilion’s Brittany Connor also made the team in the outfield. Robin Hoke and Miranda Martin are listed as utility players and Alex Dardar is the designated player.
Notre Dame’s Meranda LeBlanc and Heidi Bellard made the honorable mention list as well as Rayne’s Katelyn LeDoux, Ariel Meche, Kristin Gaspard, Amanda Bourque and Alex Peltier.
First Team
Pos. Player Grade School
P Brittany LeBeouf Jr. Kaplan
P Amelia Lavergne Sr. Notre Dame
P Mariel Meche Sr. Rayne
1st Katherine Kirsch So. Notre Dame
2nd Mallory Hebert Jr. Kaplan
3rd Stephanie Picard Sr. N. Vermilion
SS Taylor Simon Sr. Notre Dame
C Randee Vincent Jr. N. Vermilion
OF Charlotte Brown Jr. Notre Dame
OF Ashton Hargrave Jr. Kaplan
OF Tori Mott Sr. Rayne
UT Kelsey Hollier Sr. Rayne
UT Taylor Boulet So. Notre Dame
UT Megan Norris Jr. Erath
UT Bailey Prejean Jr. Kaplan
DP Ally Daigle Jr. Notre Dame
Most Valuable Player: Brittany LeBeouf, Kaplan
Coach of the Year: Shay Herpin, Kaplan
Second Team
P Alyssa Landry Sr. Abbeville
P Mollie Stelly Fr. Notre Dame
P Noel Hebert Jr. Erath
P Alayna Harrington Jr. Erath
1st Lexi Broussard Jr. Abbeville
2nd Hillary Stelly Jr. Notre Dame
3rd Haley Landry Sr. Erath
SS Katelyn Richard So. Erath
C Shayna LaSalle Jr. Kaplan
OF Brittany Conner So. N. Vermilion
OF Katie LeDoux Jr. Kaplan
OF Alexa Thibodeaux So. Notre Dame
UT Ranase Frederick So. Kaplan
UT Courtney Boutin So. Rayne
UT Robin Hoke Jr. N. Vermilion
UT Miranda Martin Jr. N. Vermilion
DP Alex Dardar Sr. N. Vermilion
Honorable Mention: Notre Dame - Meranda LeBlanc, Heidi Bellard; Rayne - Katelyn LeDoux, Ariel Meche, Kristin Gaspard, Amanda Bourque, Alex Peltier.
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