By Ron Brocato
At the time it happened, senior Bronson Leaumont’s grand slam homerun to beat Jesuit, 7-3, on March 24 was the catalyst that launched the Brother Martin Crusaders to a share of the District 9-5A baseball championship.
No one knew it because there were six district games remaining on their schedule.
That win, and the events that occurred on the diamond in the few weeks remaining in the season, elevated Coach Jeff Lupo’s talented team to the No. 2 seed in the forthcoming Division playoffs for schools classified as Select.
The Crusaders clinched a tie for the title by demolishing weaker district opponents in the final four games of the district campaign to improve their league record to 11-3. Meanwhile, Jesuit had to defeat Rummel in the final game of the season on April 11, which it did, 5-3, in a come-from-behind effort to tie the Crusaders’ 11-3 mark.
Brother Martin and Jesuit split their two-game series at a win apiece.
In what is considered the most competitive district in the LHSAA’s top division among the top four teams, Rummel, Holy Cross, and Jesuit, the Crusaders posted a 5-3 record. In their final three series against St. Augustine and Edna Karr, they breezed through those final weeks undefeated in six games.
Playing at their campus ball park on April 11, the Crusaders quickly disposed of Karr in their final home game, 15-0, to finish their district schedule. Earlier in the week, they defeated Karr by that identical score. The final victory completed sweeps over five of their district opponents.
It didn’t take long for Brother Martin to impose its dominance over the Cougars, who ended their season with a 2-29 record. The Crusaders tallied six runs in the first inning, tacked on five more in the second, and ended the abbreviated game with the final four runs in the bottom of the third. Colton Elliot ‘28 and Chance Pecoraro ‘28 shared the no-hit, 10-strikeout victory on the mound.
Brother Martin (28-5 record) currently ranks No. 2 in Division I power points with a 35.21 rating, just fractions behind Catholic of Baton Rouge’s 35.36 and a 29-4 record. The top 8 teams will have a bye date during the first round of the playoffs. During that time, the Crusaders will use a practice game against Zachary to stay sharp. It will not count for or against their record.
By Ron Brocato
For the first time since the Louisiana High School Athletic Association began seeding teams for the state baseball playoffs in 2008, the Brother Martin Crusaders have gained the No. 1 seed.
Head Coach Jeff Lupo’s squad passed Catholic of Baton Rouge following the regular season’s final game on April 13 after defeating St. Stanislaus of Bay St. Louis, 3-2, on April 23.
The Crusaders attained a final rating of 35.44, while Catholic, which lost to Westlake, 7-3, on that date, dropped to a rating of 35.24. The Crusaders and No. 2 seed Bears enter the playoffs with identical 29-5 records. The two did not meet during the season.
Brother Martin’s previously highest seed was No. 2, first achieved in 2014 and again in 2019 and 2022.
With a bye week, which goes to the eight highest seeds, the Crusaders will await the outcome of the No. 16 Riverdale vs. No. 17 Pineville series later this week, and will face that winner in the regional round on Apr. 22-25 in a best-of-three series.
Riverdale, the District 8-5A (Jefferson Parish) champion, has a record of 13-12. Pineville’s worksheet shows a 12-18 record.
But the Crusaders will not sit idle for long. Coach Lupo has scheduled a practice series against Zachary, the No. 2 seed in the Division I non-select tournament, to fill the void.