Separate baseball playoffs isn’t such a bad thing

By Ron Brocato, Sports
 

 

was just thinking that maybe separate playoffs for select and non-select baseball teams is not such an ogre after all (although I still believe you cannot have more than one state champion in any of the LHSAA’s basic classes).

But in the case of the schools of the Catholic League-laden District 9-5A, it is not such a bad thing to play for a trophy without having to meet the Beast of the West – 11-time champion Barbe of Lake Charles. That will likely be the problem for West Monroe, the No. 2 seed in the non-select diamond wars.

When the LHSAA voted for separate playoffs for baseball and softball beginning in 2019, it did the local Catholic schools a great favor. While Barbe continued its dominance, winning the Class 5A title in 2019 and 2021, St. Paul’s (2019) and Jesuit (2021) earned bragging rights in the Division I playoffs by winning its share of a championship. And neither had to drive 200 miles to McMurray Park in Sulphur to face Barbe.

There were no playoffs in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Also, consider this tidbit: The records of the top nine seeds in Class 5A are 1. Barbe (32-2 record), 2. West Monroe (25-4), 3. Dutchtown (30-3), 4. Sulphur (27-7), 5. Sam Houston (24-7), 6. Haughton (24-6), 7. St. Amant (28-6), 8. Live Oak (26-8) and 9. Central (24-7).

The only teams comparable among the local Catholic schools are No. 2 seed Brother Martin at 22-7 and No. 5 Jesuit (20-12). But it gets worse.

This year the team to beat is the No. 1 seed Catholic High of Baton Rouge, whose 27-6 record has earned the Bears the top spot and one of five byes in the first playoff round. During the regular season, Catholic has defeated three select playoff foes: St. Paul’s, 4-3; St. Augustine, 16-0; and McKinley, 21-0 and 19-0, in two district games. But the Bears aren’t invulnerable, having lost to No. 9 seed Holy Cross, 9-4, in the Hahnville Tournament on March 17.

Positions would drop

In a true state playoff, 12 schools in the select Division I would be mixed with non-select schools in the Class 5A bracket. That situation might not bode well for the local Catholic school teams. The top 11 schools by power points would rank higher than the best team in D-I. Catholic High’s 33.60 power rating is less than Central’s 33.75. And that would rank the Bears as the No. 12 seed in a common bracket.

Brother Martin, ranked No. 2 in D-I, would be the No. 13 seed. No. 3 Curtis would fall to the No. 15 seed. Jesuit, the No. 5 seed, would fill the No. 24 spot. Rummel would slip from No. 6 to No. 27, and No. 7 St. Paul’s would become the No. 32 seed.

Archbishop Shaw, Holy Cross, St. Augustine, Scotlandville and McKinley would not make a 32-team playoff field. Scotlandville has already opted out of competing in the postseason, handing Jesuit another first-round bye.

Brother Martin was unbeaten in Catholic League play until the Crusaders dropped two of their last three games at Shaw and to St. Augustine in the district finale at Barrow Stadium on April 21. That last setback cost the Crusaders the District 9-5A championship. But they did draw a bye  in the early playoff round along with No. 3 John Curtis, No. 4 Byrd and Jesuit.

Though Curtis is the district winner, Martin has the No. 2 seed with a power point rating of 31.62, compared to Curtis’ rating of 31.41, according to the final list posted by Geauxpreps.com. That ranks the district champion Patriots (19-9 record) as the No. 3 seed.

Among the Catholic League mainstays, Jesuit has won the most state championships, 21 since 1933 when G. Gernon Brown stepped into the head coach’s shoes to transform all the school’s sports into title-caliber teams. No other LHSAA member school has won as many trophies.

Archbishop Rummel, the No. 6 seed this year, has won four state titles, the last coming in 1997, and has been the runner-up seven times.

Brother Martin and Holy Cross have two baseball championships apiece. The Crusaders last won the 5A trophy in 1996, and Holy Cross claimed its last prize to date in 1969.

Neither No. 8 seed Shaw nor No. 10 St. Augustine has won a state title, but Shaw came close in 1983 when it lost in the finals to New Iberia, 1-0.

One school that isn’t affected by the split is St. Charles Catholic, the No. 2 seed behind St. Thomas Aquinas in the Division III playoffs. A common playoff of all Class 2A teams would still find these two schools ranked No. 2 and No. 1, respectively, in a 32-team bracket.

All select divisions will hold their semifinal and championship rounds at Alumni Field in Hammond on May 12-14.

rbrocato@clarionherald.org