Louisiana High School Baseball Crowns Five Champs, Catholic-Baton Rouge Repeats in Thrilling Weekend!

Sam Houston Stuns Top Seed, North DeSoto Rallies, and Teurlings Catholic Dominates in Epic 2025 State Tournament Finale

Catholic New Iberia coach David Jordan / Catholic High Athletics

The Louisiana high school baseball state tournament concluded Saturday with five state champions crowned at McMurry Park in Sulphur. On Friday, nationally ranked Catholic-Baton Rouge won back-to-back Division I select titles.

Here is a look at each of the six divisions. Earlier in the week, we recapped the four smaller divisions and classes.

Division I nonselect champion: Sam Houston

The No. 11-seeded Broncos dropped Game 1 to top-seeded Live Oak on Friday before winning Games 2 and 3 to capture their first state title since 2001.

In Game 1, Live Oak (33-8) starting pitcher Sawyer Pruitt allowed a run in the first inning before holding the Broncos scoreless the rest of the way in a 3-1 win. The 6-foot-7 senior struck out 11 and walked six (three in first inning).

Sophomore Owen Galley, who was named Outstanding Player following Game 3, pitched for the Broncos. In Game 2, Galley had three hits and two RBIs, including a walk-off single, in Sam Houston's 4-3 win.

UL Ragin' Cajuns' signee and Broncos' pitcher Cole Flanagan allowed one earned run in four innings in Game 2. Sophomore Bennett Harlow got the win, throwing three scoreless innings in relief (allowed one hit).

Flanagan had three hits in Game 3. Ashton Bultron (double), Charlie Donaldson (two hits, double) and Galley each drove in a run. In the seventh inning, Live Oak's Brock Davis led off with a double to deep centerfield, but Donaldson threw him out at third base.

Sophomore Bryn Gardner allowed one earned run over four innings for the Broncos, who used four pitchers. Freshman Kannon Keiser threw two scoreless innings, allowing one hit with two strikeouts. After Keiser hit three batters, Colton Donaldson got the save by recording the final out.

Sam Houston and North DeSoto won championships in baseball and softball.

Live Oak was ranked No. 14 in the nation last week by High School on SI. Tanner Hodges, the Eagles' Game 3 starting pitcher, threw in all three contests.

Division I select champion: Catholic-Baton Rouge

The Bears (ranked No. 12 nationally) repeated with a sweep of No. 3-seeded Brother Martin. Senior Bennett Smith got the nod on the mound instead of usual Game 1 starter Lucas Lawrence after the top-seeded Bears' semifinal series finished later than expected (weather), according to Chris Dabe of The New Orleans Advocate.

Smith threw 51 of 69 pitches for strikes in a complete game four-hitter with no walks in the 2-0 win in the opener. Brother Martin senior Cole Navarro pitched well, yielding one earned run. Edward Henriquez, who was clutch in the playoffs for the Bears (37-5), hit a double and scored a run.

Lawrence pitched a six-hitter in Catholic's 8-1 win in Game 2. The Crusaders (31-9) committed three errors, while the Bears - despite collecting only four hits - reached base on eight walks and two hit by pitches.

Navarro (UNO signee) accounted for three of Brother Martin's hits. Stan Wiltz doubled. For Catholic, leadoff hitter Noah Lewis scored twice. Shortstop Jack Ruckert and catcher Andrew Clapinski each had a hit and drove in a run. Henriquez had a hit and scored.

Division II nonselect champion: North DeSoto

The second-seeded Griffins were resilient, bouncing back from a 15-0 loss in Game 2 to win the rubber match.

Trailing 1-0 in the fourth inning of Game 1, North DeSoto (29-14) scored eight runs and went on to win, 8-2. Reni Mason, Porter Doyal and Bryant LaCour each homered and top-seeded Brusly (34-7) committed four errors.

The Panthers sent 18 batters to the plate en route to scoring 14 runs with two outs in the third inning of Game 2. Coy Purpura had three hits (two doubles) and three RBIs. Aiden Washington (three RBIs), Drew Daigle (four RBIs, double) and Josiah Hogan (double) each finished with two hits.

Aubrey St. Angelo, the starting pitcher, drove in two runs on one hit. The Panthers replaced St. Angelo with a reliever after 33 pitches so he could start Game 3, which North DeSoto won, 7-4.

Sophomore Miller Warren (6-4, 225, according to Roy Lang of The Shreveport Bossier Advocate) had two hits and drove in four runs for the Griffins in Game 3. LaCour started and pitched three innings, allowing three runs with seven walks and three strikeouts. Preston Eaves threw the final four innings, allowing two hits and one run with four strikeouts. Warren and LaCour each hit a grand slam during the series.

Eaves also closed Game 1 in relief of ace Braden Jones (5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO), tossing 1.2 hitless innings with a walk and a strikeout. Eaves' strikeout with the bases loaded ended Game 3 to give the Griffins their second state title. The school, located just south of Shreveport, also won in 2012.

North DeSoto junior right-hander Luke Delafield, who took the loss in Game 2, got things going with a hit in the second inning of Game 3. Warren drove in Delafield, who will be a four-year starter at quarterback this fall. Warren is a tight end, and senior outfielder Cole Cory was a star receiver for the football team. Over half of Norh DeSoto's baseball roster also played football.

Division II select champion: Teurlings Catholic

The top-seeded Rebels repeated as champions with easy wins in Games 1 and 3 sandwiched around a 4-3 loss to No. 7 E.D. White on Friday.

Teurlings Catholic (34-4) won Game 1 in five innings, 11-1. Junior left-hander Evan Vincent pitched a one-hitter with nine strikeouts. Kaden Chavis (three hits), Will Power, Jack Purser, Porter Stuart and Jack Ortego each drove in two runs.

E. D. White pulled starting pitcher Grant Kirkpatrick after one inning, which allowed the sophomore to also start Game 3. Kirkpatrick only allowed one hit (five BB) in Game 1.

Cardinals' starting pitcher Owen Blanchard allowed three runs over 5.1 innings in a 4-3 win in Game 2. Junior Grant Barbera, the quarterback of the football team that reached the state final, got the win by throwing 1.2 innings of scoreless relief (1 H, 0 BB, 1 K).

Sophomore Isaac Boudreaux, a 6-foot-4 right-hander, pitched the first two innings for the Rebels and didn't allow an earned run in Game 2. Seniors Jace Garber and Zan Johnson combined on a one-hitter and didn't allow an earned run in a 14-3 win in five innings in Game 3.

Johnson threw 2.1 perfect relief innings with four strikeouts. Purser, a Nicholls State football signee, had three hits (double), four RBIs and scored three runs. Ryan Berard, Brennan Storms, Power and Vincent (three RBIs) each had two hits.

E.D. White (24-20) finished as runner-up for the fourth time, according to 14-0 Productions. The Cardinals have won six state titles. Teurlings Catholic won its 10th crown.

Division III nonselect champion: Sterlington

The new playoff format of three-game series in every round for the larger schools worked beautifully. Five of six series went to a decisive third game, including top-seeded Sterlington and No. 2 Erath, which was making its first finals appearance.

Sterlington (34-9) won its fourth state title and third since 2019 by claiming a 5-3 win in Game 3. With the score tied 1-1, the Panthers scored three runs in the fifth inning. Outstanding player Miller Sheets had a hit and two RBIs. Travis Adams, who homered in the series, threw two scoreless innings in relief of starter J-Rob Breen (5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 3 K).

Erath starting pitcher Talan Landry hit a solo homer to tie the game at 1.

The Bobcats (26-13) won Game 2, 7-6. Senior pitcher Seth Leger (LSU-Alexandria) threw a complete game. Catcher Brennan Broussard hit a two-run triple. Jack Landry and Carter Champagne each had two hits.

Sterlington, which won Class 3A titles in 2021 (vs. Lutcher) and 2019 (South Beauregard), won Game 1 by a score of 5-4. The second-seeded Bobcats took a 4-0 lead into the seventh inning behind sophomore pitcher Landen Derouen, who was replaced by a reliever after walking the first batter.

The Panthers drew five more walks from two Erath pitchers, including the game-winner to Connor Justice with the bases loaded. Landon Johnson didn't walk any while throwing a complete game for Sterlington. Sophomore third baseman Devyn Downs (LSU recruit) hit a three-run triple. Leger and DeRouen, who plays shortstop when he's not pitching, led Erath with two hits apiece.

Sterlington, which also won the championship in football, got a double and run scored from Class 3A all-state linebacker and defensive MVP Tre Burch to take a 1-0 lead in Game 3.

Division III select champion: Catholic New Iberia

The Panthers won state titles in football and baseball, sending coach David Jordan into retirement with a championship, its first on the diamond since 2001.

No. 4-seeded Catholic (26-12) avenged a one-run regular season loss to University Lab by winning Games 2 and 3 in the finals. The Panthers scored four runs in the top of the eighth inning to win Game 3, 7-4.

Catcher Cohen Evans hit a sacrifice fly, followed by senior J.D. Hidalgo's three-run homer. Hidalgo, who had two hits, finished the season with double-digit pitching wins and an ERA under 1.00. The Class 2A all-state defensive MVP threw six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts in an 8-1 win in Game 2.

Hidalgo also had two hits and drove in a run in Game 2. Izaac Andre, Gavin Roy, Hidalgo and Luke Landry, the football team's quarterback, each doubled. Landry had three hits and two RBIs.

Game 3 starting pitcher Luke Hewitt, a sophomore left-hander, settled down after walking five and throwing 51 pitches in the first inning. Hewitt surrendered only three hits and two runs (both in the first inning) over five innings. Senior Jace Ruskoski and junior Owen Morris pitched the final three innings.

Morris, the leading rusher on the gridrion, also closed Game 3 in the semifinals vs. Dunham. First baseman Lane Fenske (LSU-Eunice) had two hits and an RBI. Evans drove in two runs. Freshman shortstop Maddox Nacol had a hit and scored a run. Hidalgo stole two bases; Landry had one.

Fenske pitched six innings, allowing four hits and one run (no decision) with five strikeouts in Game 1, which the Cubs won, 2-1. Ethan Hopkins homered for the No. 2-seeded Cubs (28-11), who were seeking to repeat as champs. Grant Sunstrom tossed a five-hitter with four strikeouts and one walk.

Senior outfielder Gavin Roy (receiver) and junior third baseman Izaac Andre (defense) were key starters on the football and baseball squads. Catholic NI beat Dunham in the football state title game.

Lane Fenkse (right) and Owen Morris of Catholic New Iberia baseball / Mike Coppage

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