By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

LUTCHER – For Tioga and St. Thomas More, Lutcher’s opponents in the state semifinals and finals of the Class 4A state baseball tournament, there was no real hope to draw a soft pitching matchup.

One would draw the Division I lefty. The other, the Division I righty.

And as a result, Lutcher would draw its first state championship since 1975.

Lefthander Jared Poche and righthander Corey Merrill combined to hurl 14 innings over the weekend,  allowing a total of one run and three hits between them. They struck out 20 batters in all. Both are seniors headed to pitch at the collegiate level – Poche has signed with LSU, Merrill with Tulane.

Lutcher coach Davey Clement watched Merrill spin a two-hitter against Tioga in the state semifinal game, then Poche cap his career with a one-hit shutout against St. Thomas More in the state championship game. For a coach who has overseen each of their starts over a stellar career, he said the duo had never been better.

“Both of these kids saved their best for last,” said Clement. “I’d never seen them pitch that well, and I’ve seen plenty of great performances from these guys.

“They go out and compete against each other. Once Corey went out and threw the two-hitter, it was almost like you knew Jared wasn’t gonna let himself be one-upped. He was determined to throw his very best.”

Said Poche, “After watching Corey go out and do what he did in the semifinals, I knew it was meant to be, and that I had to come out and step up.”

A combination of two Division I signees atop a team’s rotation will always carry the weight of great expectations. Poche, Merrill and the Bulldogs met those in every way possible.

Lutcher finished 29-4 this season, with Poche (11-0) and Merrill (4-1) combining to go 15-1 as starters. Poche pitched 75 innings and finished the season with an ERA of 0.65 and a WHIP of 0.96 while striking out 129 batters Merrill had his innings limited to 30 as he waded through some elbow trouble during the season, but he too was incredibly effective, posting a 0.70 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP while striking out 46.

St. Thomas More entered the state championship game as one of the state’s best hitting teams, having scored 10 runs or more in 14 of their previous 21 games.

But the Cougars had no answer at all for Poche, who allowed just two baserunners on the day.

“Before the game, my pitching coach and I talked about how (St. Thomas More) puts up a lot of runs every game,” said Poche. 

“So the key for me was gonna be to throw a lot of strikes. 16 of the 22 batters I faced, I started ahead in the count, and that’s what helps to get good hitters out. They had to hit my pitch.”

One of the most valuable commodities in baseball is the good left-handed pitcher; even lefties with mid-level “stuff” can provide fits to opposing hitters .

But the ones who can dial up the velocity are truly rare and when they come around, it doesn’t go unnoticed. Poche happens to wield such a big arm, his fastball clocked at 88 mph.

After he went 6-1 with a 1.47 ERA as a sophomore, LSU needed to see no more. The Tigers offered Poche a scholarship in August 2011, months before he’d throw his first pitch as a junior. He became an early commitment.

“That was a dream come true for me,” said Poche.  “I was very shocked, honestly (that LSU offered so early).”

Along with a plus fastball, Poche also wields tremendous control.

“He has command of all three pitches. He’s got an above average curve for high school ball and an above average changeup,” said Clement.

 “He’s the best pitcher I’ve ever coached, and I’ve coached a lot of good ones. He’s the best player maybe, period, because he can really hit as well.”

Indeed, Poche  brought his own run support often, hitting .429 with seven home runs and 40 RBIs.

For Poche to get to that championship game, Merrill had to first step up.

The 6-foot-4-inch, 220-pound righty was stepping into a tough spot in the semifinal. It was Merrill’s live action in over a month, after his elbow issues sidelined him in March.

Compounding matters was the weather. Rain pushed back the 4A semifinal to the night and threatened to push the game to Saturday, leaving Merrill and his teammates unaware of when the action would ultimately commence.

“It was stressful,” said Merrill. “I knew the elbow wasn’t too serious. We were being cautious. But it messed up my mechanics at first. I was nervous about how I’d come out after so much time off.”

His concerns were ultimately unwarranted. The game was played Friday night, and Merrill was spectacular, no-hitting Tioga until the final inning.

“Before I threw the first pitch, I knew I’d be okay,” said Merrill. “I felt great in the bullpen.”

Clement believes Merrill has “a world of potential” ahead of him, and said the senior has really only just begun to scratch the surface.

“He had trouble finding the zone before. He was growing into that big ol’ body, and maybe it gave him trouble in terms of mastering his control. But between his junior and senior seasons, he had a breakthrough. I think he’s going to be a very good pitcher.”

Merrill said he feels a lot comes down to maturity.

“My strength is probably about the same, relatively. But the mental side of it, after the summer, I became a lot better at handling situations. If something goes wrong on the mound, if I allow a hit or two, I understand how to deal with it now.”

The championship was an emotional one for Merrill. His grandfather, Curtis Caldarera, passed away before the season.

Caldarera was also the grandfather of Merrill’s teammate, Chase Caldarera, and of LHS’ pitching coach, Risley St. Germain.

Merrill said that his signing day with Tulane was special because his grandfather was there to see him.

The Bulldogs dedicated this season to Caldarera, who was the catcher on Lutcher’s 1951 state championship team.

“It was really special,” said Merrill. “The entire season, our team played with a lot of heart, played with great emotion. It was an amazing team to be a part of.”