Sports

Seventh and eighth graders took the diamond for St. Edmund’s Lady Jays Wednesday, with just a few upper class-men sprinkled in, to take on Basile in summer softball league action. Hosted at the Eunice Rec, the June contests are meant to help local coaches see what kind of lineups they have to work with for the upcoming season. Lady Jay Head Coach David Ardoin wanted to see if his less seasoned players could give a boost to his roster, so he sent in some new faces to gain valuable experience.

St Edmund High School’s baseball team tangled with the Iota High Bulldogs earlier this week in summer play, giving both teams the chance to preview their upcoming season. Blue Jay Head Baseball Coach Casey Charlie said that so far, it’s been a rainy summer, making it difficult for his team to spend quality time on the field. Charlies said his team was excited that a break in the wet weather allowed them to host visiting Iota on Tuesday.

The Eunice High Summer League Bobcats combined timely hitting and dominant pitching Tuesday to earn an 8-1 victory over Pine Prairie. Eunice wasted little time taking control, scoring three runs in the first inning and adding two more in the second to build an early 5-0 advantage. After a pair of scoreless innings, the Bobcats put the game out of reach with three more runs in the sixth.

LSU Eunice outfielder Makinzey Elisar was named to the prestigious 2026 Rawlings Gold Glove Team, which was presented and announced by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association this week. Elisar is the first player in LSU Eunice history to receive the award, which began recognizing NJCAA student-athletes in 2023.

“Lil Marcus” Gradney was delivered to Hutchinson, Kansas, by his family on May 25, where he will be playing baseball all summer for the Monarchs. The Gradneys were able to meet Marcus’ host family, “who are great people”, said his mother, Jill. “We pray Marcus has a great experience while we will be cheering for him 700 miles away,” she said.

Jeff Willis

Peyton Vizena

LSU Eunice Softball’s Payton Prince and Mylie Elsensohn were named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-South Region Team, the organization recently announced.

The latest version of the Eunice High School Battling Bobcats saw the basketball court for the first Monday during the start of summer conditioning. Some of them also saw the bottom of the trash can due to a little nausea, as the fast-paced practice set the tone for a season that will only be successful if it’s first earned.

Less than a month after being named head softball coach at Eunice High School, Katharine Bertrand has already begun laying the foundation for what she hopes will become a championship-caliber program. Eunice High announced Bertrand’s hiring mid-May, and the former standout catcher has wasted little time getting to work. Serving as both a girls physical education teacher and the Lady Bobcats’ head softball coach next season, Bertrand’s team completed its first week of summer practices last week, and the coac