Last May, the Brusly High School baseball team watched from the dugout as North DeSoto dogpiled following the final out of Game 3 of their Division II nonselect state championship series.
The Panthers entered that series as the top seed but lost to the second-seeded North DeSoto. Brusly didn’t get the result it wanted, but the team used that motivation to get better.
“It was a tough pill for us to swallow,” Brusly coach Jason Lemoine said. “We had to pick ourselves up. We had to really shift our focus quickly.”
Just days after that state championship game, the Panthers went back to work.
“We did that all summer, worked really hard,” Lemoine said. “We just kept the pedal down in the offseason for strength and conditioning and then really worked on our skill development and putting the guys in the right position.”
His team used the fall to figure out how to rebuild after losing several starters to graduation.
That hard work has paid off with Brusly boasting a 29-5 record and earning the top seed for a second straight year in the Division II nonselect bracket.
The Panthers enter the playoffs on one of the hottest streaks of play in the state. Brusly hasn’t lost a game since March 6 and has won 20 straight games. After a first-round bye, Brusly will begin its title hunt against No. 17 Cecilia on Friday in the regional round.
While the top seed next to Brusly's name secures homefield advantage throughout the postseason, Lemoine isn’t worried about it. He knows his team will have to continue their consistent play, getting every opponent's best shot each round.
Lemoine said the key to the team’s success has been a full team effort.
“When we lost those seniors, we were anxious to see who would step up,” he said. “We collectively, pretty much one through nine (in the lineup), have done a great job offensively. Pitching and defense have been even better.”
Veteran leadership has helped the team not skip a beat. Senior Aubrey St. Angelo leads the team in innings pitched and has a 4-1 record. The Nicholls State signee is also batting near .400 as the team’s lead-off hitter.
“He’s been really a force on the mound,” Lemoine said of St. Angelo.
Seasoned players have also stepped up, filling new positions and flourishing in them. Senior Coy Purpera moved to first base after starting in right field for three seasons. Junior Brandon Blanchared moved to center field after starting at shortstop last season.
“We had to figure out the right pieces to fit into this year’s team’s puzzle,” Lemoine said.
The team started the season 9-5. While the record was solid, Lemoine said he was unsure if the changes were enough to produce a state contender. Then the team then hit a turning point and reeled off 20 straight wins.
“The guys just really started gelling and understanding their role, getting very comfortable in positions that they were in,” Lemoine said. “They really come through when we need to.”
Finding consistency has fueled a Panthers team that just keeps winning. The team is batting .385.
Other players, like catcher Braden Ray, have stepped up at the plate. Newcomers Isaiah Daley and Trey Daley have added offensive production, with Trey Daley leading the team in batting average, batting better than .400.
The pitching has been ultra-consistent, walking just one batter in the past 12 games. The defense has committed 20 fewer errors than it committed in the regular season last year.
Lemoine also pointed to a more intentional approach on the mound and at the plate.
“In the past, we were a little bit of free swingers and letting athletes play,” he said. “But this year we were very intentional with how do we get on base. Once they got very comfortable in the system, they just took off, and they let their abilities play.”
With the playoffs here, the trait he said will play the biggest factor in winning a state title is their ability to stay composed when playing from behind.
“We’ve been down in some games, like 3-0, 4-0, and there was zero panic,” he said. “To me, that’s championship-caliber pedigree.”
