Lejeune, Lege set to join Cane Cutters

Published 8:30 am Thursday, April 9, 2020

YOUNGSVILLE — Two Acadiana area players will make their summer baseball league debut for the Acadiana Cane Cutters when the season begins, according to a prepared statement from the team.

Local college players Peyton Lejeune and Ethan Lege are set to join the squad and expected to make an immediate impact, the statement said.

Lejeune, a Teurlings Catholic High School graduate from Church Point, will be an infielder for the Cane Cutters. He was a starter for LSU Eunice as a freshman this year, and according to the statement, his discipline at the plate and strong defense caught his coaching staff’s eye right away. Lejeune batted .326 in 14 games with 19 runs batted in. He had five multi-RBI games and posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage while starting on the left side of the infield.

Lejeune was the ninth-ranked middle infielder coming out of the state in 2019.

Lege, a Vermilion Catholic High School graduate from Abbeville, also will be an infielder for the Cane Cutters. According to the statement, he was just starting to heat up at the plate when Nicholls State’s baseball season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lege batted .385 in 13 plate appearances with two RBIs, appearing in six games. He was the 17th ranked shortstop in Louisiana in 2019.

“I’m excited to have two true freshmen from the Acadiana area on the club this season,” Cane Cutters general manager Ricky VanAsselberg said. “Both players are very talented, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do with the Cane Cutters this summer.”

The Cane Cutters return five players from the 2019 roster and two from the 2018 roster to this year’s squad.

Tyler Thibodeaux, Champ Artigues, Zavier Moore, Trace Henry and Hunter Meche return from the 2019 roster while Trey Harrington and Tyler Booth played for the Cutters in 2018.

Thibodeaux, a catcher from Breaux Bridge who plays for Northwestern State, earned Texas Collegiate League All-Star honors in 2019. In five games during the shortened 2020 season, the redshirt sophomore started three at catcher with no errors in 33 defensive chances.

Artigues, an infielder from Hammond, returns to the middle infielder for Acadiana. Artigues transferred to Southeastern Louisiana from Louisiana Tech, hitting .250 with four RBIs in 16 games this season. The St. Thomas Aquinas High School product was a three-time All-State selection and a member of the 2018 LBCA Composite All-State team. as a senior he was chosen for the Louisiana High School All-Star Game after hitting .453 with a .716 slugging percentage and 43 hits, 19 of which went for extra bases.

Moore, a junior from Southern University, is a Shreveport Native and an infielder who was a 2019 TCL All-Star. He hit .245 with eight RBIs and was successful in all four of his stolen base attempts in 14 games during the shortened 2019 college season. He had a .925 fielding percentage as a regular starter in the Jaguars infield.

Henry, also a 2019 TCL All-Star, was an outfielder for the Cane Cutters in 2019. The Mooreville, Mississippi, native transferred to UL Monroe after two seasons at Jone County Community College in Mississippi. He hit .321 with 12 RBIs, 17 runs and seven stolen bases in 17 games before the seson was cut short.

Meche, a left-handed pitcher from Rayne, is a juinor at LSU Alexandria who pitched in 18 games in 2019, posting a 5.49 ERA and a 5-2 record.

Harrington, a junior at SLU, is a Lakeland, Tennessee, native. The right-handed pitcher had a 3.86 ERA in four appearances in 202 with one save and three strikeouts, allowing only a .167 batting average against. Harrington was considered the setup man out of the Lions bullpen.

Booth, a left-handed pitcher from Lake Charles, is a junior at LSU Eunice and had a 4.56 ERA in 47 innings pitched with 51 strikeouts and a 4-2 record in 2019. He was a regular starter in LSUE’s rotation..

The Cane Cutters are scheduled to open their season at home on Thursday, May 28, against the Baton Rouge Rougarou at Fabacher Field. All home games will be broadcast live on ESPN 1420 AM. For information on tickets go to the etam’s Website, www.canecuttersbaseball.co, or call the team’s office at 451-6582.