Vermilion Catholic's Albert, Erath’s Leger named parish’s Co-MVPs

    The Vermilion Catholic Eagles and the Erath Bobcats ventured into unchartered territory this Spring as both programs advanced to the state championship in Sulphur for the first time in school history.
For that reason, Erath head coach Jeremy Picard and VC head coach Ben Harrington are the Vermilion Parish Co-Coaches of the Year. At the same time, pitcher Seth Leger of Erath and pitcher Cole Albert of VC are the Vermilion Parish Co-MVPs.
 The Eagles (25-7) won their final 11 games en route to VC’s first baseball state championship. 
 Albert led the way with his arm, finishing the season with a 9-1 record and an ERA well below 1.00.  He broke into the rotation in early March, defeating the North Vermilion Patriots 4-3 in his first start.  He followed that win with victories over storied programs like Alexandria Senior High and Vandebilt Catholic before defeating Erath 1-0.
  In the playoffs, Albert was nearly unhittable.  He went 3-0 while shutting out St. Ed’s, avenging his only loss in a quarterfinal victory over Ascension Episcopal, and defeating Ouachita Christian 4-1 in the championship game on only three days rest.
 “It was the Teurlings game that allowed me to see who he was,” Harrington said.  “We were down 5-1 in the fourth inning, so I put Cole in to get him some work, and he got hit around pretty hard.  I went to pull him, and he begged me to let him finish the inning.  I didn’t allow it, but it told me everything I needed to know.”
  As for Albert, the goal was always to win a state championship.  He was excited about all the arms VC had at the beginning of the year before injuries plagued the staff.  Those injuries forced him into a bigger role.  He dealt with the pressure one batter at a time.
 “Going into the season, the goal was always to win a state championship,” Albert said.  “At the beginning of the year, we had arms everywhere.  But then Dom (Gautreaux) got hurt, Ayden (Beraud) got hurt, and Cruz (Hebert) got hurt going into the playoffs.
“At that point, I just had to do my thing.  I took it game by game and hitter by hitter, but at the same time, the ultimate goal was always in the back of my mind.”
 Now that the season is over and the celebrations have ended, Harrington is grateful.
“It’s a dream come true,” Harrington said.  “There are coaches who go their entire careers without ever getting to play for a championship, much less win it.  I’m extremely humble and grateful that I had the opportunity to win one.”
The Bobcats (26-13) made the fifth time the charm in the quarterfinals.  Erath had advanced to the quarterfinals four times previously but failed to advance each time.  They cleared that hurdle and then some this season.
   “We lost in the second round last year,” Leger said.  “We knew we didn’t want to let that happen again.  When we got to the quarters, we knew no Erath team had ever gone past that.  We did it.  After that, no one had ever been to the next round either, so we said, let’s do it.  I hope next year they realize they can go back and win it.”
Picard said that the quarterfinal’s curse was a non-issue for this team.  They had one goal and refused to be denied.
 “With the mentality of this team from day one, I don’t think the quarterfinals were even in the picture,” Picard said.  “They had one goal in mind, and that was to make it to the state finals.
 “After losing like we did last year, they were disappointed.  With the mentality, work, and focus they approached this season with, it was clear the goal wasn’t just to get past the quarterfinals.  It was to get to the championship.”
Leger did everything he possibly could to help his team.  The senior posted a 10-2 record on the mound with a 1.53 ERA, including a 4-0 playoff record.  When he wasn’t pitching, Leger played first base.  He ended the season, batting .358 with one home run and 31 RBI.  He feels being named Co-MVP is a testament to all the hard work he’s put in over the years.
   “It’s an honor to be named Co-MVP,” Leger said.  “It’s proof of how hard I’ve worked.”
Picard credits Leger and the entire senior class for the success of Erath baseball. They raised the bar and set an expectation for the future.
 “It was the senior class,” Picard said.  “Seth’s been our guy since he was a freshman, but he didn’t walk in as our guy.  He put in the work and effort, and the guys followed him.
 “You can’t replace a Seth Leger.  You can only hope that guys follow him and give us the same things he has done.  When I say Seth Leger does what Seth Leger does, I mean when I give him the ball, I know we’re going to be competitive.  For four years, I was willing to play anybody, anywhere, any time with him on the mound.”
Joining Leger and Albert on the first team are pitchers Blaze Duhon of North Vermilion and Sabe David of Kaplan.  The infield consists of catcher Brennan Broussard of Erath, first baseman Jackson Trahan of VC, second baseman Dominic Frederick of Erath, shortstop Jonathan Dartez of VC, and third baseman Brody Lambeck of North Vermilion.
  In the outfield, Ross Dartez of VC is joined by Jansen Deangelo of North Vermilion and Jack Landry of Erath.  The utility players on the first team are Remy Broussard of Kaplan, Landen Derouen of Erath, Bryce Lege of VC, Karter Meaux of Kaplan, and Carter Petry of Kaplan.