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North Vermilion High School is fast becoming the place to be if you want your girl to play college softball.
Since 2015, counting this year, the North Vermilion softball program has had eight girls sign scholarships to play softball on the next level.
If you go back to 2006, there have been 12 Lady Patriots sign scholarships.
This past Wednesday, the National Signing Day, North Vermilion had three players sign letters of intent.
Shortstop Kiley Naomi signed with Oklahoma State to play infield; Kaylee Lopez is taking her power to McNeese, and Amie Vincent is taking her defense and power to LSU-E.
North Vermilion head softball coach Joy LeBlanc said, “I am very excited for the girls. This is an accomplishment the girls and parents have been workiig hard to achieve. “

Naomi going to play in Big 10

Naomi, who plays shortstop, is the first Lady Patriot to sign with a Big Ten School. She is, however, not the first North Vermilion graduate to sign a scholarship with Oklahoma State. NV graduate Carlos Gautreaux signed to play baseball in the early 1990s.
Naomi (.543 batting average last year, 29 RBIs) is one of six Oklahoma State signees. She is, however, the only signee who is not from Oklahoma or Texas.
Oklahoma State Coach Kenny Gajewski spotted Naomi at a softball camp in Florida. Gajewski coached in Florida before moving to Oklahoma State. She visited the campus twice this summer.
“I have been waiting for this day forever,” said Naomi. “Oklahoma State has a great softball program.”
Oklahoma State posted a 38-24 record last year and reached the Super Regional Round where it lost to Florida in three games.
“You have to have kids that can play multiple spots nowadays,” said Oklahoma State Softball Coach Kenny Gajewski. “I try to recruit middle infielders first, and most of the successful teams in the country do the same. It’s no secret that the most successful kids were usually at shortstop at some point, and they get moved around from there. To play shortstop, you have to have a different type of IQ, and these kids all have that.”

Lopez going meet old teammate

Lopez, who is a senior, will be joining former teammate Demi Boudreaux, who signed with McNeese last year.
Lopez led North Vermilion to a Class 3A softball title with a sizzling .612 batting average that included 16 home runs and 29 RBIs. She was 5-for-5 in the title-game.
Because of her MVP performance at state, the McNeese coaches began showing interest in her.
She concluded last year by being voted the Class 3A Softball Player in the State. She was voted the parish and district MVP her junior year.
“McNeese fits me the best,” said Lopez, on why she selected the Lake Charles college. “I felt comfortable when I visited the program.”
Lopez is one of 10 McNeese signees for 2019. She can play infield and outfield and will major in education.
“We are extremely excited and fortunate to be able to sign a versatile group of young athletes with great power and speed,” McNeese softball coach James Landreneau said.

Vincent going to a power house

You want to have a chance to win a national championship while playing softball? Then go play softball at LSU-E in Eunice.
The program has won back-to-back NJCAA National Championships the last two years and four in the last five years.
Amie Vincent, NV’s senior third baseman, likes the sound of success. She helped her team win a Class 3A softball title last year.
“I am very excited to sign,” said Vincent, who is expected to play infield for McNeese. “When I went to visit, the school felt like home.”
McNeese had Vincent on her radar for the last three years. She said when her former NV teammate Hannah Vidalier was being recruited by LSU-E when Vincent was a freshman, the LSU-E coaches began eyeing Vincent.
“We’re excited about this group,” LSU-E head coach Andy Lee said. “They have all had great success at the high school level and we believe that will translate to us.”

What a difference a year makes.
The Vermilion Catholic Screaming Eagles soothed the memory of last year’s playoff exit with a dominating 40-7 first-round victory over visiting St. Martin’s Episcopal Friday night.
In a performance sure to make a statement, first-year coach Brady Thomas saw his squad build a 40-0 halftime lead before coasting home.
The 33-point win was a mirror-like reversal of 2016’s 33-0 opening loss to Cedar Creek, a setback that stuck with the Eagles.
“That loss motivated all of us,” said defensive back Nick Langlinais, who had one of VC’s interceptions in Friday’s victory. “Coming into this season, a lot of people doubted us. Our goal has been to prove the doubters wrong.”
Apparently, few are still doubting the Eagles, who are the No. 1 seeds in Division IV and were heavily favored against out-manned St. Martin’s.
“Our goal was to focus on us, not worry about the other team, no matter who we were playing,” Langlinais said. “We didn’t want to play down to their (an underdog’s) level. We wanted to keep our level of play high, so we would be ready for teams to come.”
“We wanted to play the game the VC Way, to win the game in all areas – offense, defense and special teams, and I think we did that aside from some turnovers early on in the first half that we’ll have to correct,” Thomas said.
Senior quarterback JT Lege directed an unstoppable attack, hitting Kris Constantine for a 4-yard slant for a 12-0 lead, plunging 2 yards himself to make it 19-0 and finding Ethan Lege for a 29-yard TD that ballooned the count to 26-0.
Younger brother Drew Lege took over and fired scoring darts of 30 yards to Andre LeBlanc and 13 yards to Ethan Lege. LeBlanc scored the game’s initial TD from 2 yards out.
The Saints managed to avoid a shutout with 4 minutes remaining when Caleb Laird hit a leaping Monte Lewis with a 27-yard touchdown.
For JT Lege, who missed early games with a knee injury, the triumph was redemptive.
“This is JT’s team. This is his offense,” Thomas said. “Once he got healthy again, he took over. His brother Drew did a good job keeping us going while JT was hurt, and we’ve got packages for Andrew Marceaux, because they have different skill sets.”
“JT is a great leader,” Langlinais said. “Drew and Andrew stepped up and guided us through while he was out.”
Marceaux quarterbacked most of the second half as the Eagles rested most of their starters.
“We had the chance to get some of the younger players some time on the field,” Thomas said. “We may need them to be ready down the road.”
The road is where the Eagles head next, facing a No. 9 Ouachita Christian squad that bumped No. 8 Sacred Heart of Ville Platte 42-23 on Friday.
“When we’re on the road, we try to make every place our home,” Langlinais said. “Our fans will be there, and it will feel like home. Our preparation doesn’t change at all.”
“On the road, we want to play championship caliber defense, and protect the ball, move it and score on offense,” Thomas said. “We’ll have to be able to score points against the kind of teams we’ll be playing.”
That didn’t seem to be a problem on Friday, but St. Martin’s got a playoff ticket despite a 3-7 record that included three lopsided shutout losses and a roster of 20 players.
There are far bigger fish to fry in this year’s playoffs. But, unlike last year, the Eagles got cooking early this time around.

CROWLEY — Funeral Services were held for Patricia Ann Trahan, 67, at 2:00 PM on Saturday, November 11, 2017 in the Duhon Funeral Home-Crowley Chapel with Pastor Eric Benoy officiating. Visitation was held on Saturday, November 11, 2017 from 9:00 AM until just prior to the time of service, with a Recitation of the Holy Rosary at 1:00 PM in the funeral home chapel. Interment followed the chapel service and was in the Old Crowley Cemetery. Ms. Trahan a resident of Morse, LA, passed away on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at the Tulane University Medical Center in New Orleans, LA.
Ms. Trahan is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth Phifer and her husband, James of River Ridge, LA; son, Richard Broussard and his wife, Charlotte of Lafayette, LA; grandchildren, Starlyn Stoute and her husband, Ross, Jonathon Phifer, Joseph Phifer, Mason Broussard, Alexandra Broussard, Bailey Broussard, Julian Broussard and Liam Broussard; siblings, Joseph C. Trahan, John R. Trahan, Bonnie M. Trahan, Joyce M. Thibodeaux, Robert J. Trahan, Elizabeth Childers, Patrick Trahan and Daisy L. Trahan.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Anthony Trahan, Jr. and Dorothy Treadway Trahan; husband, James Bertrand and one daughter, Monica Palombo.
Pallbearers were Richard Broussard, Jonathon Phifer, Joseph Phifer, Ross Stoute, Anthony Paul Trahan and Paul Hanks.
You may view the obituary, sign the guest registry and express condolences online to Ms. Trahan’s family at www.duhonfuneralhome.com.
Duhon Funeral Home, LLC-Crowley, (337)783-1395, 1529 Crowley-Rayne Hwy., Crowley, LA 70526 is in charge of all of the arrangements.

Terry James Schexnaider (72), a native of Delcambre, passed away on Friday, November 10th at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Lafayette.
He is survived by wife, Suzette; daughter, Leah and her fiance’, Ken Hilse; son, Reggie; brother, Mitchell and his two grandsons, Rene’ Toups and Lane Toups. He was preceded in death by his mother, Gernice Landry Marshall and his father Presley Schexnaider.
An avid outdoorsman, Terry loved hunting and fishing. He was a proud U.S. Army Veteran who bravely served in the Vietnam War for two tours in an infantry unit.
Memorial services are pending as Terry generously donated his body to the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.