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LAPLACE — Fresh off of a district championship win against Country Day, the St. Charles Catholic Lady Comets softball team is eyeing a fourth or potentially third seed position in the playoffs.

However, Coach Ty Monica knows the girls will need to step up defensively to stand a chance at replicating last year’s run to the state championship game. Of the 122 runs the Lady Comets have given up this season, only 61 have been earned.

“We’ve kind of been on a rollercoaster ride so to speak. We’ve had a lot of peaks and valleys over the course of the season. I’m hoping that we can somewhat get into a stable position heading into the playoffs,” Monica said. “In the last week or so, I feel like we’ve kind of turned it on a little bit as far as the will to get better. I’m hoping that will transfer over to a game setting. We’ve been making way too many mistakes defensively, and you have to be good defensively if you’re going to make a run at this thing.”

With a 19-8 record, St. Charles Catholic has been battle-tested this year against top caliber teams like John Curtis, Parkview, Denham Springs and Chapelle. The strength of schedule prepared the girls to excel in district games against St. Mary’s Academy, Newman and Country Day.

“Those teams prepare you for a postseason run. By the time we got into district, we weren’t in shock from anyone who was good,” Monica said.

The district championship game started out slow until the Lady Comets separated themselves at the bottom of the second inning when Kamryn Cancienne drove in a run and slammed a double down the left field line. That was the spark that led the Lady Comets to take control of the game and earn the landslide 17-2 win.

This year’s team may be young without any seniors, but Monica said they aren’t lacking in experience. A majority of the team is comprised of freshmen who have already played in 30+ games.

“I started four eighth graders last year and start five freshmen and an eighth grader this year. A lot of those girls took Notre Dame to the last inning in the state championship last year. They have the experience, and they know what it takes to win. You don’t play this game with a birth certificate,” Monica said.

Juniors Mia Ganote, a starting centerfielder, and catcher Rylee San Andres have had a good year, according to Monica. Also leading the Lady Comets are starting shortstop Adrienne Arnett, first baseman Aliyah Manson, and outfielder Baileigh Tregre. Freshmen Riley Perilloux and Kamryn Cancienne have thrown 100% of the innings this season.

St. Charles Catholic went on the road to face Covington in the final regular game of the season after press time Tuesday. Playoff brackets will be announced on Thursday.