By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Otto Candies coach David Baudry gave his team off until Monday.
Then, it’s time to make a run at state.
That’s exactly what the Hahnville-based team will attempt to do this week at McMurry Park in Sulphur, as the American Legion state championship tournament is set to begin Saturday.
The double-elimination tourney will run through Aug. 2, and the winner of the tourney will advance to the Mid-South Regional in North Little Rock, Ark.
Otto Candies fell in the first game of the Southeast Regional to Shaw-based Refuel but bounced back with victories over the John Curtis-based River Ridge Patriots and the Hammond-based HK Toros, clinching a top-four spot and a ticket to the state tournament.
Eight teams will battle for the state crown in Sulphur. Aside from Otto Candies, teams based from Comeaux, Acadiana, Curtis, Brother Martin and Jesuit will compete. Among the favorites will be Gauthier-Amedee, the overall winner of the Southeast Regional after besting Jesuit-based Retif on a walk-off home run.
Baudry gave his team a chance to unwind, but now it’s back to business. Otto Candies finished as state runner-up a year ago to Retif, and this season they’d like to take that next step.
Baudry, though, said that he still has to see more.
“We need to pick it up a little,” he said. “I think last summer, we were a little hungrier. They were mostly coming back for prep, versus now getting ready to head off for college. So we need a little more hunger and will to be the state champions.”
Last season, Retif was undefeated and entered the tournament as the clear favorite.
This season, Gauthier-Amedee, a combination of players from St. Amant, East Ascension and Dutchtown appears to be the team to beat after going undefeated at the Southeast Regional.
“That’s a complete team. It has no real weaknesses,” said Baudry.
“They can throw a bunch of different arms at you.”
Otto Candies was finally eliminated from the Southeast Regional by Gauthier-Amedee in a semifinal game, falling 3-0.
“We had good at-bats, in spite of the score” said Baudry. “But we need to get better in that area. (Against River Ridge) we had 12 hits and only put up six runs.”
Last year, because Retif was the host for the Mid-South Regional in New Orleans, it was an automatic qualifier, even in the event it did not win state. Otto Candies finished second and received the “champion’s bid.”
This year, though, only the champion will move on, and that will affect strategy.
“It’s slightly different. Last year, the big thing was to get the rotation to where we’d have Brooks back on the fourth day, because that was the day you’d qualify for the Mid-South Regional. It’ll be matchup dependent.”
Baudry hoped to have a tuneup game this week before ultimately departing on Friday.
“This team has been there before, with most of these guys back from our last run,” said Baudry.
“They’ve got a good idea of what it takes to win this thing.”