Seven Teche Area teams advance to prep softball playoffs

Published 3:00 am Friday, April 15, 2022

Seven Teche Area teams have punched their tickets to the prep softball playoffs this season, with two teams winning first-round home games. The season, which began on Feb. 15, lasted eight weeks but featured as many as 40 contests.

Class 4A

Westgate is the only team from the area to advance to the softball playoffs, and also the only public school in New Iberia to achieve that honor. The Lady Tigers went 5-19 this season but did pick up an 8-2 win over St. Martinville in the last regular-season game of the year.

Westgate struggled early on in the year with multiple injuries to starters, forcing head coach Brett Courville to move many players into unfamiliar positions. As the roster has returned to full health, expect Westgate to put up a fight against their first-round opponent, No. 5 seed Eunice.

Class 3A

Erath entered the postseason on a loss following the last-minute weather cancellation of their game against Vermilion Catholic, but don’t let that fool you. The 15-14 Lady Cats are looking to impress in their first playoff appearance under new head coach Amber LeBlanc, and their performances in the regular season have proved that this team can compete with some of the best talents in the state.

The Lady Cats will travel to face No. 10 seed Mamou in the first round of the playoffs, hoping to pull off an upset against the 18-9 Lady Demons.

Class 2A

No. 15 seed Loreauville entered the playoffs as the highest-ranked 2A school in the area following a 16-18 season and a third-place finish in district play. The Lady Tigers lost in their last game of the season, a nine-inning thriller against Iota, but with 34 games played so far this year, the team is ready for whatever the playoffs can throw at them.

Loreauville will host No. 18 seed Red River on Saturday. The 13-6 Lady Bulldogs have seven canceled games on their regular-season schedule, so the experience gap should provide Loreauville with an added boost in the first round.

No. 27 seed Delcambre finished the season on a six-game losing streak, but the 6-21 Lady Panthers won’t let that throw them off of their game when they travel to face No. 6 seed Dequincy. Delcambre has kept three losses to within just three runs, proving that they can be a thorn in the side of many top teams.

Rounding out the Class 2A appearances is No. 32 seed West St. Mary. The Lady Wolfpack finished the regular season with a 4-8 record, but their inexperience combined with a .500 record will prove difficult to overcome when they hit the road to play No. 1 seed Many in the first round.

Class 1A

Centerville is only the second team in the area to enter the playoffs with a first-round home game. The Lady Bulldogs are 3-13 in the regular season, which could spell disaster when they host No. 19 seed West St. John, who also has won just three games so far this season.

Division III

Following a late-season resurgence, the Lady Panthers picked up a second-place district finish and a 13-19 regular-season record. Catholic High went on a nine-game run of wins leading up to the end of the regular season, but losses to Hanson and Beau Chene mean the team has been without a win for a week.

New coaches Nelda and Brian Pontiff will expect top performances from their team in the playoffs this year and will rely on the excellent batting form of Braye Bernard to put runs on the board when they travel to face No. 8 seed Episcopal. The winner of the first-round game will advance to face No. 1 seed Notre Dame, who has a first-round bye.