By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

RESERVE — When Riverside’s state semifinal game against Evangel was all said and done Friday night, observers at Louisiana Tech may have been surprised, shocked even, at the masterful performance by Rebels’ senior ace Tate Scioneaux.

But the Rebels were anything but.

Riverside baseball coach Matt White had said all season long that his team would go as far as Scioneaux took them, with the postseason schedule allowing for a team to utilize its ace all the way through the state baseball tournament.

It was the plan all along for White.

“To know he had that kind of confidence in me, it just felt great,” said Scioneaux. “He told me, ‘You’re gonna get the ball in round one, round two, the quarters and the semifinals.’ And I told him, ‘Give it to me.’

The two-hit, complete game victory Scioneaux put together was even more impressive than the box score indicated — one of Evangel’s hits was a bunt single, and an extremely close play at that. Evangel had scored 36 runs already in the playoffs and 82 in its previous five games. It had scored less than two runs just once all season.

But Scioneaux tamed them.

“Nobody had stopped them all year. But I just looked at it and thought, ‘Why not me?’” he said.

A year ago, Scioneaux was the starter in Riverside’s quarterfinal loss to the Eagles. Evangel jumped out to a 9-1 lead early and never looked back.

“I’m more of a pitcher this year,” Scioneaux said. “Last year I was more of a thrower. It made a huge difference this time.”

Said White, “He wanted to throw the fastball by everyone. He had the tools, but not that dynamic complete package yet.”

But he made incredible strides this season, and it showed up every time he stepped on the mound. Scioneaux finished the season with a 10-3 record and a 0.55 ERA. He struck out 120 batters in 91 innings. He never allowed more than four runs in a game. When utilized as a reliever, he converted all four of his save chances this season.

Those numbers are more impressive considering the competition he went against all season long.

“We threw him against the big dogs on our schedule, said assistant coach Barrett Morgan. “Thibodaux, Brother Martin, Menard, Evangel … I’ve maybe seen better pitchers, but he’s gone out and beaten the teams that those guys couldn’t beat. That’s because he’s a competitor. He will not back down or give up. He’s a flat out winner.”

The improvements came in large part because Scioneaux felt that he had to master his craft on the mound, as that was his best chance to succeed at the next level.

“I had to make a decision … my best bet was pitching,” said Scioneaux. “I knew I had to take it seriously.”

It paid off, as Scioneaux is ticketed to attend LSU-Eunice on a baseball scholarship next season.

White said that Scioneaux tended to wear down as games went on in his junior season. Not so in 2012.

“He’d be at 85-86 early on the gun, then down to 82 in the late innings,” said White. “Now, it’s 85-86 early, but by the 7th he’s up to 90. Nobody hit Tate.”

Part of that, Scioneaux said, was not just attributed to baseball training, but also football. Scioneaux started at quarterback for the Rebels’ football team as well.

“Throwing every day in football and building up arm strength for that helped. Adding that to offseason baseball training, all of it really paid off this year,” said Scioneaux.

As a teammate, Scioneaux was just as effective, White said.

“He’d come up to me and tell me, ‘Coach, (pitcher) Ryan Broussard is ready. He’s ready, I’ll go play first,” said White. “He’ll do anything he can for the team. He’s very unselfish.

“I think a big part of why he made such a leap this year was simply because he knew we’d be leaning on him. Last year, Dylan Martin was our number one. This year, he was going to be the guy, and he understood that. He listened to Barrett, improved his game, and really put all of his tools together.”

As a hitter, he was as dangerous as ever as well. He hit .450 with six home runs, 40 RBIs and a .520 on-base percentage. He combined with fellow senior Grady Gieger (.440 average, five home runs) to generate the heart of the Rebels’ offense.

He leaves Riverside having helped deliver his team back to championship competition. Even though the season ended in a loss in the Class 2A championship game, Scioneaux said that he knows he and his teammates can walk away with their heads held high.

“Everyone doubted us after we lost so many guys. But we knew we had had guys with leadership and discipline who would play as a team, and that those things can take you far,” he said.

Those qualities certainly have taken the Rebels, and Scioneaux, far.

“He’s the hardest working guy I’ll probably ever coach,” said Morgan. “He has a dream, and he’s going for it.”

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