Catholic High was counting on Luke Hewitt to turn in a lengthy pitching performance with the state championship on the line.

The fourth-seeded Panthers had used seniors Lane Fenske, JohnDavid Hidalgo and Jace Ruskoski in the first two games of the Division III select final series against No. 2 University Lab, the defending champion.

CHS, which was vying for its first crown since 2001, split the first two games with the Cubs, who had come-from-behind to win in a regular-season meeting against the Panthers in New Iberia. 

Hewitt, a sophomore left-hander, issued some walks in relief in the regular season game. He labored through the first inning at the state tournament in Sulphur at McMurry Park, throwing 51 pitches and walking five as the Cubs took a 2-0 lead. 

“Obviously, it didn’t start like I wanted,” Hewitt said. “But I knew I had a good defense behind me, and the offense to battle back. I had to dig deep and find it within me to throw strikes the last four innings. I had the seniors in my head.”

Hewitt did just that, filling up the zone over the next four innings. He held the Cubs scoreless after the first, which allowed him to complete five innings before reaching the 115-pitch maximum.

“In the first inning, I was struggling with command,” he said. “My arm was feeling good. I was wondering what was going on. I found a way to minimize the damage with a strikeout with the bases loaded. The first inning wasn’t an ideal way to begin a game, but I kept in the back of my head that I was doing it for my teammates.”

The Panthers (26-12) pulled it out in extra innings, winning 7-4 after Cohen Evans and Hidalgo drove in four runs in the eighth. Ruskoski got the win in relief, with Owen Morris finishing on the mound.

“It means everything to me,” Hewitt said of sending head coach David Jordan out with a title in his final year at the helm. “It’s every kids’ dream to win a state championship. I know it means everything to these seniors. There was a special group of guys behind me rooting for me.”

Pitching coach Jason Sullivan, who is taking over as head coach, made a visit to the mound in the first inning to visit with Hewitt, who only allowed three hits and struck out three.

“He calmed me down,” Hewitt said. “I started to settle in after that. The conversation was about not making the moment too big. He mentioned that I’ve started games before, and that they had confidence in me.

“It felt great,” Hewitt continued, speaking about the next four innings. “That’s what a lot of people want to see from a pitcher, right? To struggle, and then to come back, throw strikes and shut them down.”

Hewitt threw a no-hitter against Houma Christian in the District 7-2A Tournament. He finished the season with a 2.13 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 51.1 innings. Opponents hit just .205 against him. Eight of 30 walks were in the final game. He often served in a closing role, relieving senior starting pitchers.

“Kudos to U-High,” he said of the Cubs collecting walks. “Half of them were on 3-2 counts. They were fouling off pitches. I knew they weren’t really squaring the ball up and seeing me that well. I had to bear down and throw strikes.”

Hewit will play this summer with the Elite Squad organization coached by former LSU and Major League pitcher Russell Reynolds and his father, ex-pro David Reynolds. Local sophomores Lincoln Guillory (Teurlings Catholic) and Landyn Craft and Cooper Hawkins from St. Thomas More are on the team.

Hewitt will be a top arm with the three senior pitchers graduating. He’s looking forward to that, as well as continuing to learn under Sullivan. 

“We have a special bond,” he said of his relationship with Sullivan. “We talk outside of practice. Anything I need, I can call him. He calls me. Coach Jordan taught me so much. Coach Sullivan has taught me so much. “Being behind Lane and (Hidalgo) really helped me out.”