Trading Bases

Former Destrehan High School star leaves the minor leagues to coach for St. Charles Parish

After nearly three years of playing minor league baseball, Destrehan’s Randy Roth is trading in the mit for a chance to mold parish athletes into better players as assistant director over the St. Charles Parish Recreation Department.

Roth, who started playing for the St. Louis Cardnials’ minor league organization when he was a senior at Southeastern Louisiana University, says that he cut his baseball career short simply because there was more that he wanted to do with his life.

“Traveling the country on a bus with a few of your closest friends and playing baseball was a great experience,” said Roth. “But there was more that I wanted. I wanted to make more money. I wanted to finish college. I wanted to have a real job.”

Roth has now been overseeing the recreation department as assistant director for four months and says that he has big plans for parish sports.

“My goal is to make every average athlete better and every good athlete great,” said Roth. “It’s not only about winning. It’s about improving althletic development.”

And with a stint of college and minor league baseball under his belt, Roth has nearly the picture-perfect resume for the job.

“I have a knowledge of sports on both a college and professional level,” said Roth. “And I’m going to use what I know to help kids in this parish become the best athletes they can be.”

Roth is best known in the minor leagues for his defensive plays on second and third bases, but made a name for himself at the plate while playing for the Quad-Cities Swing in Davenport, Iowa.

“I owe a lot of what I know about baseball to St. Charles Parish,” said Roth. “Growing up, the recreation department was great. We competed everyday and in every aspect of the game. It was good baseball.”

Roth says that he wants parish kids to be the best they can be.

“I want to teach our young athletes the skills they’ll need in order to develop and improve their game over the years, regardless of the sport,” said Roth. “I want them to be able to achieve any sports goal they might have.”