Short trip to Crowley motivates Parkview
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When his team headed toward Houston for a February tournament, Parkview Baptist baseball coach M.L. Woodruff made sure there was one extra stop.
The Eagles exited Interstate 10 in Crowley and drove to Miller Field, the site of the Class 3A tournament. The players walked around and Woodruff talked about the series of state titles won, a string of five straight that was snapped last year. It was a not-so-subtle reminder that Crowley was where Woodruff wanted his team today.
The Eagles provided their less-than-subtle response, averaging 15 runs per game in the playoffs to advance to the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Class 3A State Tournament at Miller Field.
Parkview (32-5) plays Kaplan (27-8) in the first semifinal at 4 p.m. Iowa (19-14) takes on St. Charles Catholic (22-9-2) at 7 p.m. in the other semifinal. The winners play in the final at 1 p.m. Saturday.
“We got to recall some good memories from the past,” Woodruff said. “It gave them (PBS) players a chance to see the field and see what one of our goals was.
“Now it’s a matter of continuing to play fundamental baseball. We know Kaplan is a good team. They are a small ball team that puts a lot of pressure on the defense. We like to put pressure on the defense, too, so it should be a good matchup.”
Parkview was ranked No. 1 in 3A through most of the season, but lost to eventual top seed Lutcher late in the year and wound up No. 2. Jason Morvant’s No. 11-seeded Kaplan is in the tournament for the first time since losing to Parkview in the 2003 title game in Crowley.
“We started doing the right things at the end of the regular season and it has carried on through the playoffs,” Kaplan coach Jason Morvant said. “They (the Eagles) have a great tradition and they hit the ball well and with power. And they’re a great defensive team. There aren’t a lot of weaknesses, if any, for them.
“We’ve got to play good defense and limit their big bats. If we can find ways to score, that will put more pressure on them.”
Woodruff calls leadoff hitter Randy Frederick the Pirates catalyst. A shortstop and one of three related Fredericks on the Kaplan team, Randy Frederick is hitting .381 with 15 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.
Catcher Jacob Frederick, the cousin of the KHS shortstop, is hitting .385 with eight home runs and 41 runs batted in. Designated hitter Kyle Hollier is batting .376 for a Kaplan squad that sports a .337 batting average. Tony Frederick (8-0), the brother of the KHS catcher, figures to start on the mound.
Parkview counters with a lineup that is hitting .401. Designated hitter-first baseman Alex Edward has a .496 average with nine homers and 54 RBIs. Pitcher-first baseman Alex Byo is at .462 with 37 RBIs, while catcher Michael Cagley (.476, 32 RBIs) are among the other PBS leaders. Either Joshua Janway (9-1, three saves) or Byo (8-1, four saves) will be the starting pitcher.
“Kaplan gets guys on, moves them around and then get timely hits,” Woodruff said. “We need to limit their chances for doing that. We need to make plays. It’s baseball … plain and simple.”
