North Vermilion wins Class 4A State Baseball Title

Move over 1994 State Championship Trophy because you now have company.
For the last 27 years, the North Vermilion Class 2A State Championship baseball trophy stood alone in the trophy case at NVHS. No longer. It now has to share the case with a Class 4A State Championship trophy won by the 2021 Patriots baseball team.
The No. 3 seeded Patriots upset No. 1 seeded Tioga Indians 5-3 in the Class 4A finals on Saturday.
The 1994 Patriots were the last team from Vermilion Parish to win a state baseball title until Saturday night.
NV Head Coach Jeremy Trahan remained calm throughout the celebration after the game.
“It does not feel real,” said Trahan. “I am not sure how long it will take to sink in. It feels good, though.”
The Patriots jumped on Tioga in the first two innings with a 5-0 lead. Five runs are all they needed with left-handed junior pitcher John Touchet.
Touchet won the Most Valuable Player Award of the Class 4A State Tournament.
Touchet pitched 6 2/3 innings and had to be pulled because he reached his 115 pinch-count limit. He got to the 115 pitch count mark with two outs and two Tioga runners on base.
“It would’ve been a lot better if I could’ve got the last out, but you’ve got to depend on your family sometimes,” Touchet said. “That’s what I did, and we got the out, and we’re state champs.”
“His (Touchet’s) pitch count got up there at the end, so we had to make a move,” Trahan said. “Cole Veronie came in, he’s been our guy out the bullpen all year long. He got the job done like he’s been doing it all year. He’s been in probably 15 games for us, and that’s what he does.
Sophomore Cole Veronie came in to get the final out. He pitched five pitches and three were strikes.
“I was not that nervous,” said Veronie. “I knew what I had to do. The crowd was loud so, I blocked them out and tried to throw strikes.”
He struck the second batter he faced to end the game.
“It is what you dream about,” Veronie said. “I can not describe it. It is pretty cool to win a state title.”
North Vermilion catcher Blake Lastrapes was one of many silent heroes for the Patriots.
“I knew it was a strike. It was down the middle,” said Lastrapes about the final pitch of the game. “I could not believe it. Winning state is unbelievable.”
The two pitchers combined to give up only two hits. Touchet pitched 6 2/3 innings, struck out two, walked seven and gave up two hits.
“I’m just so proud of these kids for the fight and the effort. Big team win,” said Trahan.
At the plate, the Patriots had seven hits.
Cooper David, Touchet and Lane Patin had doubles.
Leadoff hitter Camden Breaux went 2-for-3, while Patin was 2-for-4 at the plate. Dale Martin knocked in two of NV’s five runs.