SULPHUR, La. — We started the LHSAA State Baseball Tournament with 7 area teams. 2 have already decided state championships in their respected divisions and now, only 1 remains.
The Jesuit Blue Jays will take on the Byrd Yellow Jackets tomorrow afternoon for the Division I crown.
In the semi-final round against John Curtis, Zack Casebonne’s walk off RBI single with bases loaded punched the Blue Jays ticket to their first state title game appearance since 2011. That’s the last time Jesuit won a state title.
Head Coach Kenny Goodlett’s message to his senior before that moment.
“We were not going to take a pitch right there. That’s they guy we fully trust up to bat. We had the situation we wanted. Have fun with it and try to get us to the next level and that’s what he did,” says Jesuit Head Baseball Coach Kenny Goodlett.
Byrd defeated Catholic of Baton Rouge Thursday night thanks to a late surge that turned an 0-2 deficit into a 4-2 victory.
Byrd Head Baseball Coach Greg Williams says the last time Byrd won state was 1956.
The last time they played in a state title game was against Barbe in 2016. Barbe won that game, 5-2.
2016 also marks the last time that Byrd and Jesuit matched up against each other.
Needless to say, it’s been a while.
“You always want to know everything about your opponent. We’ve been making some phone calls, obviously they’re a one seed for a reason,” says Goodlett.
“We’ll get back tonight and try to find some information out on them. I know they pitch really well, play good defense, and they come up with timely hits. We got to watch a little bit of their first game and they’re an impressive group,” says Byrd Head Baseball Coach Greg Williams.
First pitch is set for 2 p.m. tomorrow afternoon at McMurry Park.