LSU-E baseball continues to recognize Ross Granger of Erath

Ross Granger has been in the dugout for every LSU-E baseball game since 2016, and he was also a member of the team that secured their eighth national championship in June of 2024.
In March of 2015, Granger signed a baseball scholarship to attend LSU-E and play for the Bengals.
However, the Erath High graduate never threw a pitch for the Bengals. Two months after he graduated EHS, he was diagnosed with a brain stem astrocytoma. Then, on Nov. 11, 2016, he passed away at his house. He was buried on Nov. 14, 2016, in his LSUE baseball jersey.
During Ross’s battle with cancer, the LSU-E baseball team made Ross feel like he was part of the team. Ross was given jersey No. 11 (his high school jersey) at LSU-E. 
After Ross’s passing impacted the team, LSU-E head coach Jeff Willis began a tradition in 2016 that continues today.
At the beginning of the LSU-E baseball season, jersey No. 11 is awarded to an exceptional player who embodies everything that Ross represented.
Also, that player not only wears the No. 11 jersey, but is also responsible for bringing and hanging it in the dugout for every game. The player has to wash and iron the jersey.
This year’s player responsible for Ross’s jersey is Barbe High graduate  Crawford Courville.  Courville, a sophomore, is caring for the jersey for the second year.
Over the weekend, long-time LSU-E photographer Dwight Jodon captured an image of Courville and a teammate hanging No. 11 jersey before an LSU-E home game.
“I’ve been taking game shots at LSUE for many years. The jersey has been in the background of hundreds of shots. I happened to get to the game early Friday and noticed it being hung, so I grabbed the shot. It’s a very special part of Bengal Baseball,” said Jodon.
Ross’s parents, Nathan and Dana Granger, are well aware of the tradition of honoring their son, Ross.
“Coach Jeff runs a first-class operation at LSU-E,” said Nathan. 
Ross requested that a scholarship be awarded in his memory to a deserving student who exemplified and modeled strong faith, academics, leadership, and athleticism.
The Ross Granger Memorial Foundation has been established to raise money for his favorite charities and assist families of children with similar diagnoses to his own.
A scholarship has also been established in Ross’ memory to be awarded to a deserving student who exemplified and modeled strong faith, academics, and athleticism.
The foundation awards five scholarships to seniors throughout Acadiana.  This year, the Ross Granger Foundation will have given out 46 scholarships.
In September of 2017, Erath High named the baseball field at Ross.
Today, the EHS baseball team’s caps still have the initials #WUPKAR printed on them.
Those initials stand for Wake up, Pray, Kick A**, Repeat.