Former longtime Destrehan head baseball coach Marty Luquet walked away from the prep baseball diamond in 2014, but it wasn’t long before he had the itch to coach again.
He scratched that itch a bit while coaching summer ball in the form of the Gauthier Amedee American Legion baseball team, which he led to a state championship and the Legion World Series in the summer of 2018. And, after five seasons away, he’s now making a full-fledged return to the prep game, joining Riverside Academy as its Baseball Coordinator and an assistant coach on the staff of head coach Craig Laborde.
Luquet will be responsible for aiding the progression and growth of the school’s baseball program, working with players ranging from varsity to elementary levels.
He brings great knowledge: over a 24 year head coaching career, he amassed a record of 447-251. He also brings great passion for the game and teaching how to play it.
“I loved coaching in the summer with Gauthier-Amedee and I worked with really good players … but there’s just something about coaching and getting a team prepared for the prep season,” Luquet said. “I’m getting the opportunity to do that. I just love to coach. They’re very, very young, most of them are 10th graders. It’s a chance to coach them early.”
Luquet said after departing Destrehan in 2014 he didn’t stray too far from the prep game, going to see his Gauthier players at Dutchdown and East Ascension.
“I’d go out and watch them play, but it was hard, because they’re out there playing baseball and you’re not out there with them,” Luquet said. “Now, I will be. I’ll still get the chance to coach them during the summertime. I’m kind of getting the best of both worlds.”
While at Destrehan, Luquet went 310-137 and led the Wildcats to 14 consecutive playoff appearances. Destrehan reached the state baseball tournament six times, including two Class 5A state championship games. He has three state Coach of the Year honors to his name, in 2002, 2003 and 2005.
Luquet began his coaching career at J.F. Kennedy High School and was the head coach at O. Perry Walker from 1982 to 1991. He also served as head coach at St. James High School before taking over at Destrehan in 2001. More than 30 players under him at Destrehan went on to play baseball collegiately.
As it turns out, he simply wasn’t ready for retirement.
“I wasn’t,” he said. “I won’t be teaching anymore, but I’ll be coaching, which is what I love the most.”
He is enjoying the prospect of being able to mold young players so early in their development phase while also having the chance to impart wisdom to help win games at the varsity level.
“It’s like you’re giving hitting lessons from the 4th grade on,” he said with a chuckle.
With the varsity, he sees a talented group as well that simply needs seasoning.
“Riverside has a great history in baseball,” Luquet said. “They’ve had a lot of success over the years, and there’s a lot of young talent in this group. Once I had a chance to work with them, I got pretty excited about it … this has brought back that excitement I had for all those years coaching at Destrehan.”
Be the first to comment