MICHAEL KIRAL

PHOTO: JARED STRICKLAND will be one of the key pitchers for Destrehan this season. (Staff Photo by Michael Kiral) DESTREHAN – In this age of Todd Helton flirting with .400 and of players hitting 50-plus home runs in record numbers, it still all comes down to pitching. That is true not only in the major leagues but in all levels of baseball. And Destrehan head coach Mark Willoughby knows it is true for his team as it enters the 2001 Season. The Wildcats return five starters from the team that went 20-14 overall and 11-1 in District 7-5A last season. But only one – senior Randy Roth – has seen varsity action on the mound. Gone are Nathan Maggiore and Craig Naquin who combined to go 12-8 last year with earned run averages under 4.00 in 2000. In their places are seniors Scott Simon and Keith Grubbs and junior Jared Strickland. “It comes down to pitching,” Willoughby, who is starting his fourth year with the Wildcats, said. “Our pitchers don’t have much varsity experience. We have two seniors, Scott Simon and Keith Grubbs, who will have to step up and throw strikes. “We’re not a power-hitting team but we put the ball in play. Our pitchers have to keep us in ball games. They have to throw strikes consistently.” Getting the ball over the plate will be the key with the Wildcats returning a solid defensive corps. “The whole key is to let them hit the ball,” Roth said. “Make them work their way to first base. No free passes this year.” Roth, who struck out just six times in 2000, is a prime example of the consistency of the Wildcat hitters. Second baseman Marty Boudreaux will lead off and play second. Larry McVay will bat second and Roth third. The cleanup hitter will be catcher Larry Matherne, followed by first baseman Donnie Hollis and left fielder Reid Owens. Rustin Rebowe will bat in the seventh hole with center fielder Shane LeBoyd eighth and shortstop Fred Smith ninth. Another important factor for the Wildcats in 2001 will be the leadership provided by the team’s captains, Roth, Boudreaux and Hollis. “You look at a great team like LSU last year with Blair Barbier,” Roth who has signed to play baseball with the Tigers, said. “He’s a leader. Without him, they don’t win a national championship. You are only as good as your leaders and your seniors.” Hollis said the three have learned from the team’s seniors in the past. “We’ve lost a lot of key players in key positions,” Hollis said. “We have younger players who have to step up. It’s up to us to keep everybody in line.” Those young players will have to step up quickly against a schedule that features opponents that were ranked in the preseason top 10. The Wildcats have already played in the Catholic Tournament against Woodlawn, Mandeville and Catholic and host the Destrehan Tournament this weekend with games against Shaw and Denham Springs. Destrehan will also play in the Denham Springs Tournament and the Zephyrs Invitational against the likes of Rummel, Jesuit and Shaw. District 7-5A play will not be any easier. Defending district champion Hahnville, East St. John and Thibodaux have all played in the state tournament in recent years. Expectations are high for Destrehan as the season opens. Last year, Destrehan finished in a first place tie in district with Hahnville before falling to the Tigers in a playoff. The Wildcats went on to defeat Carencro in bi-district before falling to eventual state runner-up Rummel in the regionals. This year, the Wildcats open the season ranked in the Class 5A preseason poll. “We want to be in the state tournament,” Roth said. “We want to play in the big games and win the big games.” The four seniors have been with Willoughby since he became head coach of the Wildcats and help form the best chemistry he has seen in the four years. “The team concept of the group is the best since I’ve been here,” Willoughby said. “They believe in each other and they support each other. They know there are no individuals. They all pull together.” And Boudreaux noted that chemistry will only help the team in 2001. “We were the freshmen when he started coaching,” Boudreaux said. “We know each other as people and players. We feel we can go a long way.”