Hahnville captured the district championship on Tuesday after beating John Ehret, 6-5. The Tigers are now 9-0 in district play with one game remaining in the regular season.
They will travel to Destrehan to take on the Wildcats at 4 p.m. on Thursday with a perfect district record on the line.
The Hahnville baseball team is not what you would call a senior-laden squad, with only five 12th graders on the roster. But each one of those players has come through at key times throughout the season to help lead the Tigers to a district championship.
Take Mike Ford for example. In a come-from-behind win over rival Destrehan, Ford had six RBIs on two hits to lead the Tigers past the Wildcats, 9-6. Ford, who recently signed a baseball scholarship to LSU-Shreveport, was also a starting running back for the football team. He excels in the classroom as well, with Hahnville head coach Kade Rogers saying Ford has a 4.0 GPA.
“He is such a great kid,” Rogers said. “He is cool, calm and collected. He is one of those guys that walks softly but carries a big stick. Mike doesn’t say much, but when he speaks the kids listen because they respect him so much.”
So far this season, Ford leads the team with 30 RBIs. He is batting .346 while hitting eight doubles and two home runs. He has also scored 29 runs on the season.
Another senior who has impressed this season is Travis Faucheux, who actually shared running back duties with Ford on the football field. Faucheux has 21 RBIs on the season and is batting .325. He has four doubles, two triples and a home run so far this year.
Rogers said that Faucheux is willing to do whatever it takes for his team to win. Earlier in the season, the senior was starting at centerfield for the Tigers but was asked to move to left by Rogers. Faucheux has remained in that position and has never asked about moving back to center.
“He is very hard working, hard nosed and gets after it,” Rogers said. “He is a very unselfish player who just wants us to win.”
Another senior who shares that attitude is Cody Farrell, who has played several different positions for the Tigers this season. Farrell is now playing shortstop, but has been called upon to close out games for Hahnville on the mound.
“Cody is a gamer,” Rogers said. “He rises to the occasion and does so many things for us.”
Farrell is batting .360 on the season with 15 doubles and 25 RBIs. He has scored 29 runs for the Tigers. Farrell also has two saves to his credit on the mound, striking out four while allowing 11 hits in eight innings.
The two remaining seniors have made their mark on the mound. Jake Cologne has a 5-2 record for Hahnville in eleven games pitched. He has a 3.55 ERA and has struck out 32 in 43.1 innings.
“Jake is one of our top pitchers and he is called on often to perform and perform well,” Rogers said. “He really has a passion for the game.”
Taylor Joyce has also made his mark this season from the stripe and currently has a 3-1 record for the Tigers. Joyce has struck out 21 batters in 28.1 innings and has a 3.71 ERA.
Joyce also has a .331 bating average for the Tigers with 11 hits.
“Taylor didn’t get a lot of opportunities early in his career but he has stuck with it and has thrown some really great games for us,” Rogers said. “He really is a jack of all trades.”
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