Vermilion Catholic wins state baseball title!

Story by Rosco Harrington
 
SULPHUR – The No. 2 Vermilion Catholic Eagles defeated the No. 12 Ouachita Christian Eagles 4-1 on Wednesday to claim the 2025 Division IV Select state championship.  
This is the first state title in baseball in school history. 
VC Head Baseball Coach Ben Harrington knew from the beginning that this team would accomplish great things.
“We knew long ago that this team was special,” Harrington said.  “The way you determine if a team is special is if they like each other.  Do they love each other?  Do they play for each other?  
“These guys have had that since day one.  They play better together than any team VC has ever had.  They love each other, they pull for each other, and they are each other’s biggest fans.  It’s been so much fun to watch.”
Cole Albert started on the bump and responded with a complete game on only three days rest.  The freshman phenom allowed one earned run on nine hits and one walk while striking out three to earn the Most Outstanding Player award.
“I’m just thankful,” Albert said.  “I’m especially thankful for all my teammates.  I’m not the only one out here playing baseball.  It takes all nine of us.  
“That’s a great team we just played, but I missed some pitches at times I shouldn’t have missed. But it’s alright because my team helped me,” he said.
The Eagles (25-7) took the lead for good in the bottom of the first inning when senior Jackson Trahan sent the first pitch he saw over the leftfield fence for a homerun and a 2-0 lead.  The homer was Trahan’s first of the season and only the second of his high school career.
“It was a fastball, middle to outside, and I just swung,” Trahan explained.  “I wasn’t trying to hit a homerun.  I knew it was over his head, but I didn’t think it was going out.  And then I saw it clear the wall and the place erupted.”
VC made it 3-0 in the second when Jonathan Dartez singled to centerfield to drive home Ross Dartez.  That score held until the fourth inning when Ouachita Christian rallied.
With two out and a runner on second, William Raymond singled to centerfield to score OC’s lone run.  Jonathan Dartez put VC back up by three in the bottom of the inning when he beat out an infield single that scored Dom Gautreaux from second base.
Ouachita Christian got three hits in the fifth but could not score on the bend-but-don't-break Eagles' defense.  They got one hit in the sixth before Albert got a strikeout and a groundout to escape the jam.  In the seventh, OC went down in order.
Jonathan Dartez led the Eagles with three hits.  He also had two RBIs and a run scored.  Trahan finished with two hits and two RBI, while Gautreaux and Will Simon each had a hit.
The VC senior class will be remembered as one of the most decorated in school history. They won four team state championships in football, golf, boys’ tennis, and baseball.
“It feels good to leave a legacy,” Trahan said.  “In eighth grade, we got cups for graduation that said you would leave a legacy behind you.  Our moms actually pointed out this week that we truly left a legacy with what we accomplished this year.”