Hahnville High School has hired former Vandebilt Catholic head softball coach Jeremy Duplantis to lead the Lady Tigers softball program.
Duplantis led Vandebilt Catholic to the Division II select softball championship in 2024, following a 2023 season where he and the Terriers finished as state runner-up in 2023. Duplantis served as head coach of the Vandebilt program after being hired in May of 2021.
Duplantis resigned from Vandebilt Catholic this year, following the championship win. He previously served as head coach at H.L. Bourgeois.
He will succeed former Hahnville softball coach Todd Schulz, who departed to accept the head coaching position at Prairieville, which is closer to his home.
Hahnville went 18-15 in 2024 and reached round two of the postseason, beating Airline 10-6 in round one before falling to top-seeded Dutchtown, 10-0 in round two. HHS earned the No. 17 seed in the bracket.
Now, Duplantis will attempt to take the Lady Tigers back to the state championship.
He said he knew one day he would return to the public school system, after accruing 13 years as an educator already in Louisiana. When the Hahnville job opened, he said he knew it would be the right fit.
“It’s a school and a program that has so much pride,” said Duplantis. “I’ve coached against them for the past eight years so I know what kind of program Hahnville is. When I saw the job was open, I felt like I had to go for it.”
Initially a baseball coach at H.L. Bourgeois, he was approached with the idea of jumping over to the softball side. At first, he was hesitant, but he gave it a shot – and he says it was one of the best decisions he could have made.
“After a season, I really fell in love with it,” Duplantis said. “I learned more and more and became better and better as a coach over the past eight years.”
After a loss in the state championship round a year prior, Duplantis and his Terriers broke through for the state crown this year, besting Buckeye 7-3 in the Division II select championship game.
Just one year earlier, Buckeye was the victor when these teams squared off in the finals, a 4-1 winner. Each team lost one starter from the previous season.
“I think we really pushed for it and put in a lot more work,” Duplantis said. “I could tell we were much better than we were and it came from the work we put in during the summer, during the fall, in the weight room. That we were able to win this year, that wasn’t just about one game, but the work that group put in from the offseason on.”
Duplantis had the chance to meet his new players at Hahnville for the first time on Monday. He believes this group is a great fit with his coaching philosophy.
“It’s about team first … when you play for each other, you’re so much stronger than if you are just playing for yourself,” Duplantis said. “I know this group is team-oriented, and we’ll be able to build off of that.”
