Louisiana's Lady Cajuns are well-armed to continue the school's tradition of softball success, if last week's AFA National Championship in Beaumont is any indication.
The Beaumont Blast Gold 18-U squad, laced with current and future Lady Cajun players, captured that event with a perfect 11-0 record.
The Blast outscored opponents 60-11 and out-hit the opposition by an impressive 98-25 margin.
Jessica Lemoine, who will step into the catcher's spot vacated by 2005 senior Joy Webre when the Lady Cajuns resume play next spring, was named the tournament MVP. Lemoine specialized in cutting down stolen base attempts, as well as picking off runners in crucial situations.
Pitcher Amanda Hill, who will debut with UL this year, posted a spotless 4-0 record with a 1.05 ERA during the competition. She earned six of the team's 11 victories.
Joining Lemoine as 2005 Cajuns who excelled for the Blast were Deserea Griffin, Karli Hubbard and Heather Warren.
Newcomers to the program, along with Hill, include Melissa Verde, Meagan Godwin and Brittany Hilton.
Verde batted .500 during the tournament, going 18-for-36 with eight doubles, a triple, a home run and eight walks.
Griffin, who showed promise as an infielder for UL in 2005, was next at .432 and a tournament-best 16 RBIs.
Lafayette native Hubbard came in with 11 RBIs and a .343 average.
Godwin had eight RBI, a pair of doubles and two triples. She had a critical two-run hit against the California Running Rebels.
The rest of the story
Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com