By Ron Brocato
As the No. 1 seed in the Select Division I baseball playoffs, Brother Martin has claimed the title of “Louisiana’s Host.”
But Coach Jeff Lupo’s Crusaders haven’t been most hospitable in welcoming their playoff guests. In series against Pineville and Alexandria over the last two weeks, the Crusaders have outscored the two Cenla teams, 40 runs to 1, to run their season record to 33-5, the most victories in the school’s 57-year history.
Now the team needs just four more wins to claim its first state championship since 1996 and third overall. And the Crusaders will take the next step on Thursday, May 7 against the No. 4 seed, St. Thomas More (21-9), a Division I semifinalist a year ago. The first game of the best-of-three series will be played at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium at 6 p.m.
Brother Martin, the Division I runner-up in 2025, reached this point of the season via impressive wins over Pineville (12-0 and 11-1) in the regional round, and Alexandria (10-0 and 7-0). Solid pitching resulted in just one unearned run by the opposition through the two playoff rounds.
Against Alexandria, senior Blaise Tingstrom started the series off by pitching a no-hitter. Then, in a rare Sunday game delayed due to inclement weather, senior Drake Amedee threw six scoreless innings in a six-hit, nine-strikeout performance.
The Crusaders’ defense was just as dominant, staving off the few scoring opportunities the Trojans posed. The proof was written on the scoreboard.
Lupo was beaming at his team’s success. “We really played well, and we played completely. And it all starts on the mound with Blaise throwing a no-hitter in Game 1, then Drake throwing a shutout for six innings in Game 2.”
Lupo brought in three relief pitchers to finish the second game when a victory was a foregone conclusion. After Amadee allowed six hits with two walks and nine strikeouts, he handed the ball to relievers Caden Vallee ‘26, Chance Pecoraro ‘28, and Nolan Amato ‘27, who all pitched to one batter to finish off the Trojans.
Lupo explained that move. “A thing that people may not have understood is why I bring in relievers in the seventh inning. But I wanted those relievers to get the experience of pitching in a playoff game while in a low-pressure situation so they know what it’s like on the mound.”
“If we are going to win the next two series, those guys are going to have some experience. And when I went out to the mound to change pitchers, I could tell that their adrenaline was pumping. So they got at least some simulation of what it’s all about,” the coach noted.
Lupo also pointed out that there were several key situations in which the Crusaders performed to their fullest capability.
“To be playing at Kirsch-Rooney and to be playing mistake-free defensively to make zero errors, that was impressive. But there were other things: the double plays in Sunday’s game, Brady McCluskey ‘27 running down a ball in the gap to catch it, Luke Gab ‘27 throwing a guy out at the plate, and Tyler Durand ‘27 throwing a guy out at second, all big plays. And the left side of the infield made everything look routine. That was encouraging,” Lupo added.
He continued to praise this squad, saying, “And then offensively we had a bunch of hits on Saturday (nine) and some for extra bases. And on Sunday, I thought we were very good situationally (sic), whether it was executing a bunt or getting two-out hits. So we played a very complete series. That was as sharp as we’ve been all year, so hopefully, we are peaking at the right time.”
Lupo previewed what to expect from his team’s next opponent. “St. Thomas More is extremely athletic and fast with very good pitching,” he noted. “They have two pitchers and a closer who are very good, and they will play small ball and look to run in any situation.
“Several of them played football, so they know how to compete. They’ve been in high-pressure games and should be a tough challenge for us.”
And if the Crusaders overcome that challenge, they will return to Sulphur in search of a long-awaited third state title in their next endeavor.
