LOREAUVILLE — Last season, the Loreauville Lady Tigers made it to the second round of the Class 2A playoffs before bowing out in a tough, hard-fought loss to Kinder.

It continued a run of excellence that the Lady TIgers have had since head coach Jude Dugas took over the team several years ago, including appearances at the state tournament and quarterfinals.

As the new softball season dawns, Dugas looked back on last season and shared what he expects from the Lady Tigers this year.

“Last year we knew that we would have a young team, we started three freshmen and an 8th grader but we had Kate (senior Kate Landry) and a good group of seniors that kind of led the charge and we wound up having a good year,” Dugas said. “We were second in the district, had a 20 win season, second in the district and a nail-biter in the second round from being in the quarters.

“It was a year of growth, a year of learning and we are just trying to build upon that this year.”

The 2022 version of the Lady Tigers will be a year older with a year more experience according to Dugas.

“Those same youngsters are a year older now and a year more experienced after playing some 35 games last season,” the LHS coach said. “We’re just looking to build upon that.

“The loss of the senior class was tough and the thing we are trying to do now is get the youngsters to jell at the right time as we get into March and April when the playoffs come around.”

Some of the players Dugas is counting on are some holdovers from last season including seniors Mallory Segura, Anna Broome and Jalayla Fuller.

“Mallory is a utility player for us,” Dugas said. “She’ll play first, second and third for us.

“Anna is the starting left fielder and Jalayla is a utility outfielder for us.”

Some of the other players that Dugas is counting on this season are underclassmen Makenzie Bonin, who is a three-year starter at catcher; two sophomore pitchers in Sadie Landry and Alyssa Soileau and freshman Lexi McLin who according to Dugas, is a really special, talented player.

“Those four are the nucleus of the team and we need to them to really get this going and lead the charge,” the LHS coach said.

When it comes to outcomes for the 2022 season, Dugas is looking for one thing.

“If you look at last year, we were one game away from a district title,” Dugas said. “I think the first goal on the list is to check that box.

“Let’s avenge the district title loss and win District 7-2A. And then we really believe that we can make a run in Class 2A. So far, we’re off to a rocky start but we’ve played a heavyweight lineup. The theory behind that is that it prepares you for a title run in April. We’re taking these things, learning from our experiences and ultimately be playing our best ball come playoff time in April.”