American Legion tourney begins today

• By ROBIN FAMBROUGH
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Jul 11, 2009 - Page: 2C

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Some of the names remain the same, but most will find themselves in a different place for the American Legion Southwest Regional baseball tournament that begins today.

Pete Goldsby Field, located downtown adjacent to one of the area’s largest football facilities, Memorial Stadium, is the site of the eight-team tourney that includes three area teams.

Gonzales-based Gauthier & Amedee, the River League champion, is the top local team.  St. John-based Plaquemine Post 167 and the Gerry Lane Hummers, who tied for second in the three-team River League, are the other local squads.

Despite a gaudy 16-4-1 record, G & A is not the favorite going into the five-day, double-elimination tournament, according to first-year coach Justin Morgan, an assistant coach at Dutchtown High.

Morgan says that honor should go to Valero-St. Charles, a Destrehan High-based team that Class 5A Dutchtown battled through the District 6-5A season and in the semifinals.

“We really like our team,” Morgan said. “We’ve got 15 guys who really know the game and they like playing together, even though most of them are together for the summer.

“I think we have the potential to do well. Destrehan is coming off a great year, and they have just about everybody who played on the high school team. That counts for something.”

Games begin at 9:30 a.m. with Anytime Fitness of Pearl River taking on Plaquemine (8-5). At 12:30 p.m., Valero plays Ponstein’s Food/Holy Cross High-New Orleans.

Gauthier & Amedee meets Pelican Waste, a team that features players who helped Belle Chasse High advance to the Class 4A semifinals.

At 7:30 p.m., Hahnville-based Otto Candies faces Gerry Lane (7-5), an 18-member team that features players from 10 different local-area high schools.

“I think Justin is being a little modest,” Gerry Lane coach Bob Rossi said. “I think Gauthier may well be the favorite, but I know the teams from Destrehan and Belle Chasse are very good.

“From what I understand, the team we play from Hahnville is tough, too. I’m not sure you have a weak team in it.”

Former St. Amant pitcher Micah Gautreau will get the start for Gauthier. Gautreau, who redshirted at LSU-Eunice last spring, is one four right-handers Morgan will rely on.