Catholic High’s Fenske ends high school career with ‘storybook season’
Published 10:25 am Saturday, June 14, 2025
The value Lane Fenske brought to the Catholic High baseball program went far beyond the numbers.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound senior, who was named the Class 2A MVP by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, led the Panthers to a state championship.
Fenske recorded a 6-3 pitching record with a 1.19 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 77 innings. He also batted .342 with 14 doubles, 22 RBIs, 23 runs and 10 stolen bases.
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But that doesn’t begin to tell the whole story.
“It was a storybook season,” said CHS head coach David Jordan, who turned over the reins of the program to pitching coach Jason Sullivan in May. “What people see on the field is the pitching and hitting.”
“What they don’t see is what a leader Lane was. The results are what they are.”
Earlier this week, the Panthers capped off their 2025 campaign with a banquet where Fenske and five other seniors were honored. It wasn’t a typical group.
“I couldn’t thank them enough for their dedication the past four years,” Jordan said. “Every once in a while, you coach a team that’s not made up of boys. It’s men that we had.”
Fenske was on fire in the playoffs. In Game 2 of the quarterfinals vs. St. Louis, he pitched a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts while allowing one run in 7.1 innings with his team’s back against the wall after losing Game 1.
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“I want to give props to our fans and our support,” Fenske said. “It makes a crazy difference and gives you something to play for.”
He threw a perfect game in the Division III select semifinal series opener vs. a surging Dunham team that eliminated top-seeded Parkview Baptist in the quarterfinals.
“He definitely is a perfectionist,” Jordan said of the LSU-Eunice signee. “If anything goes wrong, he is analytically figuring it out. That’s the kind of kid he is. A lot of times you get kids like that, but they’re lacking other characteristics. He didn’t lack anything.”
In Game 1 of the final vs. University Lab, Fenske again handcuffed a powerful opponent, throwing a four-hitter with five strikeouts and allowing one run in a 2-1 win. The game served as payback for a regular season loss to the Cubs where Fenkse homered and left the mound with a lead in the late innings.
“He’s like a bulldog on the mound,” Jordan said. “He was a different species and a fierce competitor. That’s what you hope to have when you train them all the way up.”
Jordan credited pitching guru Tom House and Lane’s dad, Eric, with contributing to his success. This summer, the Fenskes will travel to San Diego to work with House in preparation for Lane’s freshman year at LSU-E, which is known for pitching excellence.
“Lane comes from a background of pitchers,” Jordan said. “HIs dad is a pitching instructor who played college ball. And it’s not just pitching. Lane is a heckuva hitter. He can swing the bat as well as anybody. He’s a tremendous first baseman.
“To have a coach on the field at first base: it’s immeasurable. You hope to God you have kids like that. It usually doesn’t happen.”
Fenske said the CHS program is in good hands with Sullivan.
“A lot of props to coach Sully,” he said. “We had a great pitching staff. We had the talent. He was always pushing us to work harder. He knows the guys; they know him. He knows how to win.”
Fenske doesn’t expect to be a two-way player at LSU-E, although he’s eager to try if the opportunity arises.
“I don’t think they’re going to let me hit, but I wouldn’t mind it,” he said. “You have to work out with the hitters if you do. That would take away from pitching.”
Throughout the season, Jordan said that he expects Fenkse and all-state pitcher/outfielder J.D. Hidalgo (Southwest Miss. CC) to ultimately end up at big-time NCAA programs.
“(LSU-E head coach) Jeff Willlis and (pitching coach) Alan Orgain could be anywhere in the country. They could be in the SEC, but they choose to be in Eunice. That’s one reason I’m going there.”