Hunted or Hunters? Three-time defending state champion St. Amant braces for No. 1 Sam Houston
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
St. Amant’s the three-time reigning state champion in Class 5A softball but feels as though it’s a decided underdog going into Friday’s state tournament.
It’s there where fourth-seeded St. Amant (25-9) faces top-seeded Sam Houston (36-2) – a team that defeated them earlier this season and still has plenty of incentive. The Lady Broncos, who are riding a 26-game winning streak, had their season end the past two seasons at the hands of the Lady Gators, including a 4-0 decision in the 2023 state title game.
“They’re the No. 1 seed, and look what they did to us,” St. Amant ninth-year head coach Amy Pitre said of her 12-1 setback on March 26. “At this point, everyone is 3-0 and that’s what you’ve got to remember. One thing we’ve done every year in Sulphur is preach a relaxed focus. Hopefully, we’ll continue to play with that relaxed focus mindset. We’re underdogs, but I don’t think anything changes with how we approach the tournament.”
The Class 5A semifinal matchup is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at North Frasch Softball Complex in Sulphur. No. 3 Dutchtown faces District 5-5A foe No. 7 Walker in the other state semifinal at 5 p.m.
Not only has St. Amant won Class 5A’s last three state titles, but the Lady Gators are also looking to add to their program total of nine crowns which ranks them third all-time behind Vandebilt Catholic (15) and John Curtis (12).
The makeup of this year’s St. Amant team, though, is decidedly different than the one that defeated Sam Houston in a 9-8 shootout in last year’s quarterfinal round before rolling to another state championship after wins over Southside (8-3) and Ponchatoula (7-2).
“Not many people gave us a shot,” Pitre said. “What happened with this group is they started to learn how to prepare, learned how to come to practice every day and prepare. We’re coming to practice to prepare for a game, to prepare for the next opponent. They’ve learned how to do that as the year went on.
“You get into the postseason, and you get a little more time to prepare and that helps,” Pitre said. “A lot of these kids weren’t on the field last year during that run, but they were still on that team. They realized this could be their chance to get in there and make something happen. It was great to see them go out and do that. The most important improvement was how they prepared. That is key.”
St. Amant, which received a first-round bye, edged Southside (4-2) in regional competition before blowing out arch-rival East Ascension, 16-6, in a six-run mercy-rule victory.
“It was as coaches finding a lineup that works with the kids we have,” said Pitre, who has a five-member senior class of Kinley Meche, Ryleigh Moran, Amayiah Franklin, Ava Vicknair, and Lauren Allen. “We have a combination of some speed and power. We had back-to-back homers against EA and that was crazy, but that’s not who we are. We have similar numbers to the 2019 state championship team. They were very much how are we going to score runs? We’re going to do whatever it takes and use a lot of kids in a lot of different situations.”
Sophomore Bailey Ducote has given the team quite a jolt with her defense and bat. She moved from the outfield to become the team’s starter at shortstop and leads the team with a .493 average, 56 runs scored, 15 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases.
Sophomore Olivia Johnson, the starter at third base, has helped carry part of the power and run production load this season. Her .417 average trails only Ducote, and she’s tops in homers (11) and second in RBIs (53) after serving as the team’s designated player in 2024.
Catcher Brooke Rabalais and Meche are the team’s other two batters at .400 or better for a team that carries a .351 batting average.
Rabalais bats .409 with 12 doubles, five homers, and a team-high 57 RBIs, while Meche has a .400 average with a team-high 17 doubles, two homers, and 28 RBIs.
“These are kids that were kind of at the bottom of our lineup last year and we’ve asked them to be the big kids this year,” Pitre said. “They’ve done exactly what we’ve asked them to do and have improved every single day along the way.
“Bailey Ducote has been phenomenal for us,” Pitre said. “Making that transition from the outfield to shortstop and being a leader at the top of the lineup. Moran has been a big base runner for us and has started in center field and alternated between one and two in the lineup. It’s been awesome to see her finally get her shot and be successful.”
Moran bats .346 with 6 RBIs and leads the team in stolen bases with 32. Pitcher Braylee Decoteau has been a constant in the lineup with a .277 average, five doubles, three homers and 32 RBIs.
The Lady Gators were able to rely on Decoteau down the stretch last season, but have additional pitching options if trouble arises.
Decoteau (14-2, 2 saves, 4.29 ERA, 101 strikeouts in 89.2 innings) is still the leader of the pitching staff that can also count on freshmen Brently Bourque (6-2, 2.73, 27 Ks, 56.1 innings) and Hailey Hebert (3-2, 2.7, 22 Ks, 41 innings).
“Braylee got hot towards the end of last year and we stuck with her as much as possible,” Pitre said. “This year she’s had some help. We were able to take some pressure off Braylee and give her some help. We were a lot quicker to go to the bullpen because we could. We were able to give her a lot of rest because of that. I feel like in the postseason and she’s that experienced kid when it matters.
“We were not very good on defense and when you’re not very good and don’t make the plays you need to make against a team like Sam Houston, you’re in trouble,” Pitre said. “They’re going to make you pay at some point. And they’re good enough offensively where you don’t need to give them any help. Hopefully, with a couple of days of work, we can put up a better showing offensively. We’ve got to be better defensively because they’re going to get their hits. They’re a great offensive team.”
Featured Image Courtesy: St. Amant Softball on Facebook