A pair of former Destrehan Wildcats have earned recognition as two of college baseball elite players this season.
Southeastern Louisiana University sophomore pitcher Kade Granier was named the Southland Conference Relief Pitcher of the Year, while shortstop Brennan Breaud was selected as the Southland Conference Freshman of the Year.
The two helped lead Southeastern to the first at-large NCAA postseason bid in the history of the school and an overall record of 39-19.
No. 3 seeded Southeastern is set to play No. 2 seeded Rice Friday at the Baton Rouge regional. The regional also includes top-seeded LSU (42-18), the No. 8 national seed, and No. 4-seeded Utah Valley (37-21).
After a strong freshman campaign, Granier earns the honor of the conference’s Relief Pitcher of the Year after allowing three runs and 23 hits in 32.2 innings out of the bullpen this season. The right-hander posted an ERA of 0.83 during the regular season and held opponents to a batting average of .198. Granier struck out nearly a batter an inning (29 Ks). He finished the season with a record of 4-1 with seven saves.
“I was thankful to be named Southland Conference Relief Pitcher of the Year,” Granier said. “I put in a lot of hard work in the off-season to better myself and I was just thankful that it paid off.”
“He’s so versatile for us,” Southeastern coach Matt Riser said. “He’s not a closer, he’s a stopper. We feel like we can bring him in in the fifth and he can finish a game off for us. He’s put a lot of time in getting stronger. His mentality separates him from the pack. Nobody’s more comfortable at the end of the ball game as he is.”
Granier, who was a dominant starting pitcher at Destrehan, said the conversion to reliever was difficult at first.
“You just have to have a completely different mindset,” Granier said. “You’re not trying to go five to seven innings. Your job is to go out there and get guys out however you can and give your team a chance to win the game … “The level of play is a lot greater (at the college level), and that itself is an adjustment. You can’t afford to make a mistake. Everything happens a lot faster.”
On route to earning Freshman of the Year, Breaud hit .288 in the regular season with six doubles, one triple and one home run. He scored a team-leading 53 runs while driving in 25 RBIs and stealing 19 bases. He started 51 games this season, the third most on the team, and posted a .415 on-base percentage. Breaud served as the Lions’ leadoff batter for much of the season.
“When I got out of practice on Monday, I looked at my phone and saw that I had 65 messages,” Breaud said. “I wasn’t sure what everyone was congratulating me about, but I went on the Southeastern Athletics Twitter account and saw that I had been named Freshman of the Year. It was an awesome honor and I thanked all my teammates for helping me along the way. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
Breaud said he was nervous upon drawing his first start, initially, but simply reminded himself that he belonged there.
“You just think, this is what I’ve wanted and I really don’t want to mess it up,” Breaud said. “But then I just thought about the fact that I’ve been playing this game since I was little. It’s the same game, you’re doing the same things you’ve done a thousand times before, so attack it at 100 percent full speed.”
“Like Kade, Brennan is a competitor out there,” Riser said. “It’s no surprise that they come from the same high school. The Destrehan High program is tremendous and the quality of young men that head coach Chris Mire produces is outstanding. They come out of Coach Mire’s program with the right type of mentality that allows them to compete right away.”
At Destrehan, Breaud earned All-State and All-District honors as a senior, finishing his Wildcats career with a season that saw him take District 7-5A Player of the Year honors. He hit .410 with six doubles, 19 RBI and stole 20 bases in his final season at DHS.
Granier went 9-0 on the mound with a 0.97 ERA in his senior year at Destrehan. He pitched a no-hitter and struck out 11 in the opening round of the playoffs, leading DHS to a win over Byrd. He was also tough with his bat, as he hit .315 with five home runs and 27 RBIs. He earned All-District and All-State honors that season.
Destrehan baseball coach Chris Mire said he wasn’t surprised at the quick success of his two former players.
“Oh yeah … I sent them (at SLU) a text that said, ‘maybe you ought to keep recruiting these Destrehan kids,’” Mire said with a laugh. “Those two dedicate their time and energy to the game and we’re so proud of them.”
Mire said Breaud had a similar quick impact as a freshman at Destrehan.
“He’s such a student of the game and he understands it so well,” Mire said. “It allows him to have success against guys who might be bigger and stronger. His instincts are so good. He’s a flat out baseball player.
“I knew he brought a different and important element to them. Brennan’s about speed, getting on base and making things happen. He’s been their sparkplug.”
Granier, Mire said, made a big leap in his level of play as a senior at Destrehan and that he just continues to build on that.
“He really started to grasp his strengths and weaknesses and adapt himself as a pitcher,” Mire said. “The light bulb just came on for him (as a Destrehan senior).
“Kade isn’t phased by pressure. He’s that guy who embraces the big moment … he’s cool, calm and collected and the higher the stakes are, the better he is.”
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