Catholic’s Andrew Clapinski Reflects on State, National Titles – and Gatorade Honor

by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

Andrew Clapinski was a 150-pounder with plenty of ambition when he entered Catholic High’s baseball program four years ago.

He played on the junior varsity team as a freshman and waited for his opportunity a year later, starting at designated hitter and serving as a utility player, learning behind two catchers that would eventually sign Division I scholarships.

When it was his turn to take over as the team’s starting catcher, Clapinski latched onto the position and never let go the past two seasons – becoming a vital member of back-to-back Division I select state championship teams for Catholic which won a national championship in 2024.

“If you designed a leader who leads on the field, off the field, and in the classroom and in his community – every phase – Andrew’s who you would come up with,” Catholic coach Brad Bass said. “He’s a disciplined young man who leads by example.”

Clapinski moved into the role as the team’s clean-up hitter in the offense, leading the Bears in several categories to match his unquestioned leadership and defensive prowess – a combination that resulted in the LSU Eunice signee earning the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year.

He’s the second straight player from Catholic to win the prestigious award, joining standout pitcher William Schmidt.

“After the season was over, I thought maybe there was a shot that I could get it,” Clapinski said of the award that also factors academic achievement (weighted 4.13 GPA) and community service. “Throughout the season I was just focused on trying to win a state championship with my guys and nothing more than that. It’s (the response) been awesome.”

Clapinski led Catholic with a .459 batting average, a .780 slugging percentage, a .554 on-base percentage, 13 doubles, and 41 RBIs, and was second to shortstop Jack Ruckert with six homers. 

“The main thing was hammering the weight room and living in there,” Clapinski said of his overall development. “A lot of the singles I had my junior year turned into doubles, doubles turned into homers. That helped me not only at the plate but behind the plate and in the field. 

“I felt like my swing and all of my mechanics were pretty good,” Clapinski said. “I needed to put on some strength and continued to do so to make sure I was going to get to that next level.”

Clapinski recalled the origin of his journey, rising from a timid freshman to learning the position behind Clayton Pourciau and Seth Fontenot, to becoming one of the team’s leaders over the past two seasons where he started 80 games.

“I was a buck 50, kind of scared to do anything around the older guys,” he said. “The older guys in the 2022-23 classes were huge mentors for me. Clayton and Seth made it easier for me to fit into the program. They taught me so many things. 

“And we have the greatest coaching staff in the state, arguably in the country,” he said. “The player development, the ability to create chemistry the entire organization. We say brotherhood a lot and it’s as true as it can be. It’s such a special place at Catholic. I don’t know if I would have been able to do it anywhere else.”

Bass said Clapinski has been a shining example when it came to fulfilling one of the program’s mantras.

“In our program, you don’t wait your turn, you earn your turn, and he did,” he said. “He was behind Clayton and Seth at the time and as a sophomore, he was our designated hitter a big part of that year for us. He didn’t put up the numbers (.265, 12 RBIs) that year that he wanted, but he never missed a barrel. He had more lineouts than anybody I’ve seen play the game. We knew that he had an uncanny ability to hit.”

Clapinski, who was a part of Catholic’s 2022 state title team, was one of the team’s mainstays over the past two seasons where Catholic went 77-10 with two state championships and a national title. The senior class was 142-17.

“The catcher’s the captain of the field,” he said. “I kind of have to know what’s going on everywhere. You have to be a strong leader behind the plate because everybody can see me on the field. My body language can dictate how other people’s body language is and I have to be aware of that. I have to set a good example.”

Clapinski, the MaxPreps Player of the Year in Louisiana and Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association’s first-team all-state catcher may have been at his best, even without a bat in his hands.

He compiled a 1.000 fielding percentage this season with no errors in 250 total chances and throwing out 75% of would-be base steals.

Moreover, with a pitching staff that returned limited experience in Lucas Lawrence and Mills Richardson, the Bears had a sterling 1.76 earned run average a year after Schmidt and Ryder Loup were part of a staff ERA of 1.15.

“Just getting to know those guys off the field, hanging out with them, and becoming really good friends,” Clapinski said. “That builds trust and chemistry and once you have that, it’s very easy on the field. If I see that they’re upset or not feeling it that day, I can go talk to them and have a conversation because we’re good friends off the field.”

Clapinksi finished his career with a .996 fielding percentage with two errors in 451 total chances.

“He steps in and is catching 98 miles-an-hour (Schmidt) as a junior and not missing a beat,” Bass said. “It was pretty incredible the job he did of leading two pitching staffs to state titles, one to a national title. 

“He took over a staff this year that was really inexperienced,” Bass said. “For him to be the rock back there for those guys is invaluable. As a coach that’s something you can’t put a price tag on. People knew who he was. They had tremendous respect for him and as a coach or pitcher caller, it sure makes it a lot easier when people aren’t picking and choosing spots to run.”

Clapinski was at the heart of this year’s leadership group along with fellow seniors Ruckert and Noah Lewis.

A year removed from the school’s first national title, the Bears faced additional scrutiny and relied on the calming effect of the senior class that helped pave the way toward another state championship.

“I kind of took on a leadership role with Jack and Noah being the guys with the most experience from the year before and high school career,” he said. “A lot of guys that hadn’t been there before looked up to us. We just led by example whether it was in the weight room in the fall or in the fall in the spring. 

“We were just trying to set a good example for the younger guys,” he said. “We’re obviously not going to be there anymore, somebody’s got to step up next year. We tried to leave a good foundation and better than we found it for the guys that came in after us.”

Bass commended Clapinski for his adaptability.

“He was pushed out of his comfort zone this year and became a vocal leader, alongside Jack Ruckert and some of the other seniors on our team,” he said. “It was incredible to see how senior-led we were, and Andrew was at the front of that charge.”

Clapinksi batted .388 over his 113-game career, collecting 28 doubles, 12 homers, and 98 RBIs. 

During the Bears’ postseason run, he hit .312 with five RBIs, two doubles and a triple. He was also part of a pair of complete-game victories in the state championship series from Bennett Smith and Lawrence against Brother Martin.

“It’s always great to see the smiles on people’s faces when you win a state championship,” Clapinski said. “It’s even more rewarding to do it with childhood friends that I played with since I was 7-8 years old. It’s really special and I’m going to miss all of those guys for sure. 

“That’s why I thought it was so special this year because we had these high expectations coming off last year,” Clapinski said. “It was kind of a bumpy road at the start. We just stayed the course and team chemistry was a big part of that. Nobody got too high or too low. I couldn’t have asked for a better finish.”