The 2024 high school baseball season is quickly approaching and as usual, excitement abounds throughout the state.  Players and coaches have been working in preparation for the upcoming season and, as is the case each year, there are some very talented players and teams across Louisiana.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in Sulphur, LA, home of the LHSAA State Championships, but there is plenty of work to be done before that becomes reality.  We hope to familiarize our readers with many of the teams across the state as we preview individual teams across Louisiana.  We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews, followed by our Power 25 Rankings release, and our popular Game of the Week segment. 

Please keep checking back throughout the season as we will be your one-stop shop for everything related to high school baseball across the bayou state.  Each week, we will be releasing our players of the week, updating our Power 25 Rankings, and many more pieces of content.  

*Please note that all information is based on team preview questionnaires that were sent out and returned by the participating high school coaches.

 

High School Name: St. Louis Catholic

Head Coach: Connor Lloyd

Classification: Class 3A (Select D-II)

District: 3-3A

2023 Record: 27-7

2023 Playoff Finish: State Semifinalist

No. of Returning Positional Starters: 5

No. of Returning Pitchers: 2

Team Strengths: Offense & Leadership

Top Returning Players: 2024 RHP/OF Kemonni Pullard (LSU-Eunice signee), 2024 1B Kennedy Leggett (Coastal Alabama-South CC signee), 2024 INF/RHP Ryder Devall, 2024 OF Silas Deville, 2025 INF/RHP Brecken Bordelon, 2025 UTIL Grant Habetz

Top Newcomers: 2024 C/OF Zach Buxton, 2024 C Ethan Posch, 2024 LHP/OF Talon Tourelle, 2024 INF Blaide Navarre, 2024 INF/RHP Carter Kramer, 2025 OF/RHP Quincy Chiasson, 2026 INF Konner Boudreaux, 2026 1B/RHP Jack Garcille

 

Team Outlook

St. Louis finished the 2023 season with a 27-7 record and earned the #1 seed in the LHSAA Select D-II playoffs.  The Saints made it back to the state tournament relatively easily, where they would be upset by #5 seed Vandebilt Catholic, by a score of 7-3.  First-year Head Coach Connor Lloyd will have his work cut out for him this season, as the Saints graduated a talented 2023 class, that included Jake LaRocca (Louisiana Tech), Reid Snider (Louisiana Tech), and James Reina (Bossier Parish CC).  That group of seniors carried a lot of the weight last year with LaRocca and Reina accounting for a combined 19 starts and 106 IP, but Coach Lloyd is excited to see how this year's team performs.  The good news for Saints fans is that they return their staff ace in senior RHP Kemonni Pullard.  The LSU-Eunice recruit went a perfect 7-0 with a 1.17 ERA, to go along with 56 K's across 47 1/3 IP last year.  Pullard will run his FB up to 90 mph and sports a quality a three-pitch mix.  The next guy in line with the most returning mound experience is senior RHP Ryder Devall, who went 2-0 with a 5.65 ERA last season.  Where will the Saints replace the rest of those innings left over?  It'll definitely be a mix of guys, but two players in particular that Coach Lloyd mentioned to us are senior Talon Tourelle and junior Brecken Bordelon.  We had the chance to see Bordelon at our State Games this past fall and we liked what we saw on the mound, as pounded the zone with a 81-84 mph FB to go along with a sharp CB that registered spin rates up to 2794 RPM's.  St. Louis will have to replace quite a bit on offense as well, but they do return two key seniors in Pullard and Kennedy Leggett.  Pullard hit right at .400 last year with a .509 OBP and 33 RBI.  Leggett has some of the best power in the state and can drive the ball to all fields with authority.  The Coastal Alabama-South CC recruit hit .356 last spring with 5 HR and 31 RBI, while also scoring 34 R and swiping 17 bases.  Another guy that we expect to take a big step forward this year is Bordelon.  The uncommitted junior hit at a .316 clip last season with 19 RBI, and we wouldn't be shocked to see those numbers take an uptick quite a bit this spring.  Devall and fellow senior Silas Deville, along with junior Grant Habetz all saw varsity action last spring and will be relied upon even more in the team's offense this season.  An underclassman to keep an eye on is sophomore Konner Boudreaux.  He's got a phyiscal 6'1" 170 lbs. frame with solid infield actions and present bat speed that produces exit velocities up to 91.6 mph.  Coach Lloyd told us that the motto for this year's team is "Empty The Tank", which means to leave no doubt and leave no detail uncovered.  He has stressed to this year's team to let their "preparation be their separation".  The Saints fully expect to be back in Sulphur, LA, which is a place that Coach Lloyd is awfully familiar with, as he was previously an assistant at Sulphur High, where they made routine trips to the LHSAA state tournament.  We also believe that the Saints will be back at the state tournament this season, and we believe they'll be ultra-motivated to remove the taste of last year's semifinal upset.  

 

 

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