CHS SB 4

Catholic High’s softball coaches have their eyes on some lofty goals this season.

“Our goal this year is to win district and win state, and that’ll be on our older kids to lead the way for the younger ones,” said assistant coach Brian Pontiff after the Lady Panthers’ season opener against Breaux Bridge. “The JV team this year is going to be our varsity team next year, so we’re trying to develop everyone the best that we can.”

Last year, Catholic High went 14-17 and made it to the quarterfinals of the LHSAA Division III playoffs before falling to No. 1 seed and eventual state champion Notre Dame.

This year, the coaches have set their team up to run the gauntlet in the early stage of the season, facing several 4A and 5A schools to get their younger players ready for the demands of varsity softball.

“We were glad to get a big win over a 4A school, because that will help us in the rankings,” Pontiff said of the team’s 15-0 victory over Breaux Bridge in the first game of the season. “We’re hoping to do well against those big teams this year because we’re trying to set ourselves up for the playoffs and trying to get used to performing at a high level.”

Unfortunately for the Lady Panthers, the team suffered several setbacks early in the season that left them more unprepared than they would’ve liked.

“We didn’t have a preseason and that hurt us,” Pontiff said. “We had a jamboree, so that was one game. We have a lot of younger kids that we’re preparing and they’re getting better. We also had a lot of injuries and we’re just now starting to get those kids back. We had five major injuries and we just lost another one, which really hurt us.”

One of those injuries was to senior catcher Riley White, one of Catholic High’s best offensive performers last season. Despite suffering a devastating ACL injury that looked like it would cut her season in half, White put in months of hard work to make her way back to the field for the beginning of the season.

“We weren’t expecting her to come back to us this quickly,” Pontiff said of the senior. “From what they were telling us, we were looking at her missing seven or eight games. Our goal was to just have her focus on district.”

“We had a bet before the season that if she got an early release, she would get a hug. One day she came back and said ‘coach, you owe me something.’ The doctors said that she was in the coach’s care and we’re going to make sure that we take care of her, so we made the decision to transition her to third base so there’s less movement.”

The change hasn’t seemed to hinder White’s ability to make her mark on the game. Against Breaux Bridge, the senior was one of Catholic High’s most productive batters and her third-base play was without error.

Catholic High’s only other eligible senior, Brave Bernard, also impressed in the team’s opener against Breaux Bridge. Playing as a center fielder, Bernard’s speed and leadership make the outfield a difficult place for opposing batters to find any reprieve.

After losing two star seniors last season, Hana Maturin and Bailey Mire, Pontiff said that his team, specifically his younger players, are stepping up to replace their performances.

“It was hard to lose those two last year,” he said. “Bailey was our lead off hitter and did very well for us. She was very clutch. This year we have an eighth grader in that slot, so we’re pushing to see where we can get with her. Hana was another one that we’ll miss. She was a shortstop that had a lot of range and we have another eighth grader in that role this season.”

The youthful makeup of the CHS team is going to be something that will continue for several seasons, but Pontiff said the team is blessed with young players that aren’t afraid of hard work.

“We’re very young and we’re going to be young for the next couple of years. Other than that, we’ve been blessed,” he said.

“The girls are all willing to work hard and, with the weather, it hasn’t been easy, but we’re dealing with it.”

One of the players that is returning with varsity experience is junior pitcher Mia Poirier, who was one of the Lady Panthers’ go-to players in the circle last season.

“Mia has worked hard for us in her last two years,” Pontiff said of the pitcher. “She pitched well last year for us and was one of our workhorses, so we set goals for her this year and she said she wanted the ball.”

“I told her that it was up to her to show us what she can do again this year.”

So far, Catholic High has racked up a 1-3 record, with losses to Cecilia, NISH and Southside providing valuable lessons even if the team didn’t come away with wins.

CHS will return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Lafayette to face 4A powerhouse LCA. The game is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.