By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

Both the St. Charles Catholic baseball and softball programs reached the Class 3A quarterfinals, and some of the players who helped the Comets get there were honored by the Louisiana Sports Writers’ Association this week.

Senior Chad McNeil earned a spot on the Class 3A All-State baseball team while senior Kati Duhe and junior Chelsea Loupe were named to the 3A All-State softball team.

Senior Donnie Savoie and junior Brandon Zimmer were each named baseball honorable mention.

McNeil had a monster junior season both as a hitter and pitcher. As the Comets’ three-hole hitter, he batted .375 and got on base at a .491 clip. He collected 41 RBIs to go with four home runs, 14 doubles and two triples.

As a pitcher, McNeil rarely came up on the losing end. He went 8-1 in 51.3 innings pitched with a 2.18 ERA and 48 strikeouts.

“He just had a great year,” said St. Charles baseball coach Paul Waguespack. “He wants to get better and he’s been willing to do whatever he has to do.

“Chad grew up this year. He still had a ways to go, but he definitely matured.”

It is his first All-State selection.

Duhe, St. Charles’ centerfielder,  earns All-State honors after batting .422 with a .484 on-base percentage. She scored 28 runs and knocked in 18 RBIs to go along with her tremendous range in the outfield.

Loupe earns her first All-State bid after producing tremendous numbers both as a pitcher and hitter.

She put together a 1.69 ERA and a 20-6 record as St. Charles’ ace, striking out 133 batters. She provided major punch in the middle of SCC’s lineup with a .437 batting average, a .545 on-base percentage, 23 RBIs, 26 runs and seven doubles.

“They’ve earned it,” said Monica. “What an All-State selection tells you is that not only do we see what they’ve done to benefit our team, but people around the state are recognizing it.”

Monica said that in addition to their on-field accomplishments, their leadership was top-notch.

“They led by example,” he said. “To an extent, it was essentially having another coach on the field when it came to each of them.

“They knew what we wanted to accomplish each day, and they made sure we got it done in a timely manner. As a coach, I can’t say enough about what a lift that is.”