Baton Rouge Area Weekly Notebook Presented By Trade Construction • June 7
by Jerit Roser // Capital Area High School Correspondent
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The awards season and coaching carousel continue to provide a few last end-of-year storylines around Baton Rouge as more of the focus turns to offseason development and college recruiting.
Dunham basketball star Carlos Stewart added prestigious Gatorade Louisiana Player of the Year honors to his long list of accolades that already included the LSWA’s Class 2A and overall Mr. Basketball awards.
The Santa Clara signee helped lead his Tigers to a second straight Division III championship in his final high school season.
Stewart averaged 31.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.2 steals en route the the title.
All-state baseball, softball honors start rolling in
The LSWA’s release of the first four classes of all-state baseball and softball honors have included more than a half dozen standouts from around the 225 area code.
Catholic (Pointe Coupee) pitcher Blaire Bizette headlines the group thus far as the Outstanding Player selection for Class 1A softball.
The Southeastern Louisiana signee finished the Hornets’ state runner-up campaign in Division IV with a 16-4 record, 1.29 earned run average and 142 strikeouts in the circle, while also batting .500 at the plate.
Teammates Hannah Dugas and Taylor Bonaventure joined Bizette on the Class 1A all-state team.
And classmate Aiden Vosburg earned a spot on the Class 1A all-state baseball team.
Athletes from a pair of schools in nearby Livingston Parish also received recognition in their classifications.
Doyle placed a pair of teammate on each Class 2A list in Marley Olivier and Elise Jones for softball and Andrew Yuratich and Cade Lyons in baseball.
And three softball standouts from Holden — senior Olivia Barnes and sophomores Taylor Douglas and Gracie Duffie — earned spots in Class B.
The LSWA will continue to release its Class 3A, 4A and 5A all-state teams throughout the coming days.
Baseball coaching changes in Livingston Parish
A pair of Livingston Parish schools made major changes at the head of their baseball programs.
Denham Springs and coach Mark Carroll have parted ways after his first losing season in 21 at the helm.
The long-time area coach, with prior stops at Central Private and Belaire, holds a 704-368 career record.
French Settlement meanwhile announced this weekend the hires of former LSU teammates Kade Scivicque and Jared Poche as its new coach and assistant coach.
Scivicque and Poche starred at nearby Maurepas and Lutcher, respectively, before heading to Baton Rouge for college.
Istrouma RB Le’Veon Moss commits to Alabama
The first week of Division I college programs being able to welcome high school prospects to campus drew a flurry of official visits, camps and offers for Louisiana athletes.
A few Baton Rouge standouts were among the nation’s most notable storylines, headlined by a surprise commitment announcement Sunday afternoon.
Istrouma running back Le’Veon Moss decided to pledge to Alabama’s 2022 recruiting class over a slew of offers from hometown LSU, Georgia and others.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound athlete is considered arguably the state’s best rising senior running back, in the top tier of that conversation with Jennings’ Trevor Etienne and Lake Charles College Prep’s Tre’Vonte’ Citizen.
Other area athletes pick up notable offers
Rising junior cornerback Jordan Matthews of Woodlawn (Baton Rouge) picked up an LSU offer June 1, even before a strong camp showing Sunday at the Tigers’ indoor facility.
University Lab brothers Austin and Jaiden Ausberry — 2022 and 2023 prospects, respectively — each added Notre Dame to their list of college offers, with Alabama also offering Austin and Texas offering Jaiden.
Ohio State became the latest major program to extend an offer to 2023 Zachary quarterback Eli Holstein.
And fellow 2023 quarterbacks Reese Mooney of Denham Springs and Rickie Collins of Woodlawn (Baton Rouge) added offers from South Alabama and Tulane, respectively.