Tom Dodge
St. Edmund’s star catcher Peyton Marcantel will continue his baseball career with the LSU Alexandria Generals.
It was quite a journey for Marcantel transferred to St. Edmund after his eighth grade year and was ineligible as a freshman to play with the Blue Jays.
But as a sophomore, he was the co-defensive MVP after the 2017 football season
Then St. Edmund won the district baseball championship and Marcantel was the district MVP and first team catcher.
But his sports’ future was in doubt after an injury his junior year.
“We were playing in a baseball tournament and the ball hit me on a throw from the outfield,” he remembered. “But I didn’t really feel anything then.
“Later at practice I was hitting in the cage and all of the sudden I had chest pains and I couldn’t breathe.
“The next day we went to the doctor because I still couldn’t breathe and they discovered I had a collapsed lung.”
It took four surgeries to correct the issue as he had part of his lung removed and he didn’t leave the hospital until after baseball season was over.
“Something I thought would never happen could change everything,” He said. “It made me want to work harder and appreciate every moment.
“The whole experience was a great lesson in overcoming adversity. It really forced me to push myself during recovery, both on and off the field.”
He returned to the football field for the 2019 season and earned first team all-district on both offense and defense, He was also named to the Class 1-A honorable mention All-State.
“At first I was worried about getting hit,” he said. “But the more I played, I got more comfortable.”
He finished the season with 1,373 yards rushing on 194 attempts with 11 touchdowns on the seaon.
He also threw for three touchdowns.
On defense, Marcantel had 32 tackles, two quarterback sacks, five tackles for loss, two pass break-ups and an interception.
He was also selected to participate in the Louisiana Gridiron All-Star game.
Then came spring baseball and the opportunity to excel his senior season.
But after just 11 games, the coronavirus pandemic stopped the Blue Jays’ season.
“We knew it was going it to be shut down,” he said. “But we thought maybe we could play again but that didn’t happen.”
In his limited 49-game high school career, Marcantel hit. 390, with 17 doubles, five triples, two home runs and 35 RBIs.
Marcantel had offers from Wisconsin, McNeeese, Louisiana College and Mississippi College to play football but he picked baseball.
“I chose baseball over football because there would be less wear and tear on my body – especially after the lung incident.”
Marcantel said he learned a lot from being a student-athlete.
“You have to work for everything you have and never take anything for granted,” he said. “I learned discipline, to give it my all and to never give up.”
“I will definitely miss the people at St. Ed’s, I loved it there,” he said.
Marcantel said he is looking forward to the college experience.
“I didn’t get that many offers to play in college because I only got to play one full year in high school,” he said. “I went to LSUA for a visit and liked it.
“I can’t wait until I get to walk on to a college baseball field and play that first game.”
The son of Lydia and David Marcantel, Peyton said he will always be grateful for his parents’ support.
“They were always there for me and that means a lot,” he said.
St. Edmund head baseball coach Barry Manuel said Peyton’s best baseball is still ahead of him.
“There is so much locked up inside him because he hasn’t played much baseball the last two years,” the coach said. “Every year there has been something that held him back from reaching his full potential.
“I think he is going to do very well over there,” Manuel said. “He is a hard worker and he loves the game of baseball.
“He is a fast runner so he could play outfield,” Manuel said of Marcantel.
“But when they see what he is capable of behind the dish and how he works with pitchers, they are going to fall in love with him.
“He is strong, he throws the ball well and hits the ball well,” Manuel said “He has some work to do, but he is the whole package with the size, strength and speed.”
LSU Alexandria assistant coach Kody Gautreaux said he is excited to see Marcantel join the Generals.
“We liked that he is a big, physical player,” the coach said. “We heard how good a kid he is and how hard he works.
“He was a really good football player but now he is choosing to focus on baseball and we think his development is going skyrocket once we get him on campus.”
LSUA is a NAIA team and a member of the Red River Athletic Conference.
Last year, St. Ed’s pitcher Dawson Ardoin signed with Nunez Community College.