Lady Gators ranked in top five of national poll
The St. Amant softball team already proved that it’s far and away the best team in the state. But the Lady Gators’ greatness is not only restricted to Louisiana.
St. Amant is also being hailed as one of the top teams in the country.
In the latest MaxPreps national rankings, St. Amant has been ranked as the fourth-best softball team in the nation.
MaxPreps is a website that specializes in coverage of high-school sports across the United States.
The site releases a revised top-25 poll each week. When all softball seasons come to a close, the website will crown its national champion.
St. Amant is the only team from Louisiana in the top 25. The next best state team is John Curtis, who ranks 28th.
John Curtis took home the Division-I crown. The Lady Patriots actually faced St. Amant back on April 7. St. Amant cruised to a 6-1 victory.
The Lady Gators were dominant this season. Although, early in the year, they looked mortal.
St. Amant went just 2-2 in its first four games. But after dropping a contest against Central back on February 26, the Lady Gators did not lose again.
St. Amant ended the season on a sensational 29-game winning streak. Once again, the Lady Gators dominated District 5-5A, on their way to another league championship.
The Lady Gators won their final eight games by at least five runs. This included St. Amant’s overpowering playoff sprint.
The Lady Gators entered the Class 5A playoffs as the second seed. They ended up outscoring the competition, 53-3.
In round one, St. Amant crushed Captain Shreve, 15-0. In the second round, the Lady Gators cruised past parish and district foe Dutchtown, 11-1.
In the quarterfinals, St. Amant blasted Hahnville, 11-2, punching its ticket to the state tournament in Sulphur for the first time since 2019.
Once there, the Lady Gators blanked third-seeded Walker, 6-0, in the semifinals. And in the championship game, St. Amant made easy work of fourth-seeded West Monroe, 10-0.
It was the program’s second state title under head coach Amy Pitre and its second championship in the past four years (including the 2020 cancelled postseason). It was St. Amant’s seventh state title overall.
Boston College commit Addison Jackson piled up more than 300 strikeouts from the circle and pitched a five-inning no-hitter in the state title game.
She also hit 26 home runs, which shattered the old school record for most homers in a single season. In addition, Jackson broke the school’s career home-run record.
Other key contributors for the Lady Gators included players such as: Alix Franklin, Carmen Dixon, Aralee Beene, Mary Beth Zeller, Kami Gautreau, Caterina Byars, Samantha Landaiche, Makinzey Elisar, Olivia Falcon, Aubrey Dunne, McKenzie Smith and Halle Haydel.
Indianapolis’ Roncalli is ranked No. 1 nationally by MaxPreps. The team is still in the middle of its season with a 16-0 record.
Lake Creek of Montgomery, Texas, is ranked second. The team is 33-0 and headed to the regional quarterfinals.
Oaks Christian of Westlake Village, Calif., is ranked just ahead of St. Amant at No. 3. The team is 29-0 and heading to the second round of Southern Division-I play.