Earned gold medal with USA 18-under National Team
On the day his staff ace officially signed with LSU, Destrehan High School baseball coach Chris Mire said he wishes he could take credit for molding Landon Marceaux into the dominant pitcher he is, but said that would be inaccurate.
Marceaux arrived at DHS with an understanding of how to pitch far beyond his years, and the coach said he realized quickly that a special player was on his way to Destrehan prior to Marceaux’s freshman year, noting he saw Marceaux shine on a scouting video shared on social media.
“I asked someone where he was going and they told me he was headed to Destrehan. I said, ‘Thank goodness,’” Mire said.
Though Marceaux signed with LSU, the now-graduate of DHS may never don the purple and gold. He’s a strong prospect to be selected in the upcoming MLB Draft, and if things break right there, he may well jump straight to the pro ranks.
“With the draft in the back of my head, I know it’s starting to get close and get real,” Marceaux said. “I’m about to step into the real world.”
Marceaux was so advanced and accomplished early in his DHS tenure that he earned an offer from LSU before his sophomore season. He committed to the Tigers in 2015 and at the time was rated one of the 40 top sophomore baseball players in America by PerfectGame.org and the best in Louisiana.
Marceaux’s ERA was just a shade over 1.00 for his career at the school. The right-hander was named District 7-5A Pitcher of the Year after a dominating senior campaign. As a junior, he posted a microscopic WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) of 0.76, an ERA of 1.56 and a record of 7-3.
He’s posted plenty of big wins in his career, some of which instantly jump to his mind when asked what he’ll most fondly remember from his Destrehan days. A dramatic first round playoff win over Denham Springs in his sophomore season and the many showdowns with archrival Hahnville among his favorite memories.
Another fond memory will be the gold medal he earned as a member of the Team USA 18-under National Team last year. Marceaux was selected as one of the nation’s 20 best and thrived in tournament competition, striking out 11 batters and allowing just seven baserunners over seven tournament innings. He earned a win over Canada and retired five of the six batters he faced against South Africa as a closer.
“It’s unreal,” Marceaux said. “For me to be considered one of top 40 in the country is a real honor. To have USA across your chest is an even greater honor. It’s a blessing.”
Marceaux said he tried to treat his national team outings as regular games, but that was difficult at first.
“I wanted to have my same bulldog mentality and get guys out,” Marceaux said. “It’s a showcase setting and you have all the scouts in the background. The adrenaline was flowing, so I just needed to try and relax and not get too amped up.”
Mire called Marceaux a truly special player.
“It’s rare to see a guy who can do what he does at such a high level at a young age,” Mire said. “He came into high school with a ridiculous understanding of what it took to be a pitcher at this level.
“He just goes out, understands when he needs to pace himself and when he needs bump it up a little bit and kick it into high gear.”
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