By Ron Brocato

A new Crusade is about to begin.

And despite having lost 13 veteran players from its 2025 Division I state runner-up to graduation, Brother Martin’s prospects for another stellar baseball season are positive for head coach Jeff Lupo ‘92.

What has the coach smiling is the Crusaders’ pitching depth, a powerful tool to have at the high school level, especially when the early season will take the team on the road through the first eight games.

In spite of the large turnover of baseball talent, Lupo looks forward to continued success against a highly competitive schedule before and during district competition. Although the LHSAA website lists a Feb. 16 game against Teurlings Catholic as the first game of the Crusaders’ season, it actually begins on Thursday, Feb. 12, in a three-day round robin tournament in Zachary.

“I’m really excited about the players we have returning because we have some depth on the pitching staff, and we have some young arms that are coming back from injury. I’m anxious to get them back on the mound because that’s going to be the strength of our team,” Lupo said.

Brother Martin rose to the division’s No. 3 seed in the 2025 state playoffs, ranked behind perennial power Catholic of Baton Rouge and No. 2 Holy Cross. After defeating Pineville and Ponchatoula in the regional and quarterfinal rounds of the playoffs, the Crusaders eliminated District 9-5A rival Holy Cross in a three-game series, 2-1, to gain a berth in the championship series where they brought home the state runner-up trophy after losing two games to Catholic.

Lupo, who enters the season with a coaching record of 176-77 following that banner season, looks for another competitive campaign in a district reputed to be one of the strongest in the LHSAA’s top class.

“The district is going to be extremely difficult,” he said, noting that players from most of the district’s seven schools have competed against each other from early ages. “And every team you play is going to be well coached and with a plethora of talent. So, the outcome will turn into which team makes the fewest mistakes and doesn’t beat itself because the district will be balanced from top to bottom.”

But Lupo sees his team again among the best in the district as he sizes up his returning talent. “We have only three position players as starters in Bronson Leaumont ‘26, who’s going to be a corner infielder at first and third base. Brody Shannon ‘27 returns as a starter for a third year at shortstop, and Brady McCluskey ‘27 takes over in centerfield. He’s started in center or right field since he was a freshman. And all three of them are good players.”

Senior Blaise Tingstrom is the one returning starting pitcher, but Lupo has depth at that position, nonetheless. “Drake Amedee ‘26 has thrown some crucial innings, and Nolan Amato, who is a junior right-hand pitcher, had a very good sophomore season last year, primarily as our closer.”

Adding to the depth are two promising sophomores in Chance Pecoraro and Colton Elliott, of whom Lupo said, “We’re nursing them back from sore arms, but they really have a bright future.”

The Crusaders’ early action in the Zachary tournament matches them against some competitive opponents from the Baton Rouge area. French Settlement, the first opponent, is a Class 2A program that has been a playoff contender in recent years. St. Michael and Zachary are among the many schools in that area capable of going deep into the playoffs.

Having competition early in the season is the key to success in district play while trying to build the program into a high seed for the playoffs, the Crusaders’ coach pointed out.

“I go back to when I was a student and played football for (Coach) Bob Conlin here. The mantra was, if you want to play in December, you have to know how to win on the road and learn to overcome some adverse conditions.”

And that is what the team will take through its early season schedule in tournaments at Sulphur (Feb. 19-21) and Prairieville (Feb. 25-29) before the local fans see them debut at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium against Pearl River Central on March 3.

District 9-5A play begins on March 10 against Holy Cross at Kirsch-Rooney, followed by a rematch at Holy Cross on March 12.

“I think there are five-to-six coaches in the district who think they have a chance to win it. So, it’s going to be a competitive battle every game,” he said.