Michael Kiral / L’Observateur / August 5, 1998

RESERVE – Four local athletes will have the opportunity to compete with some of the best softball players in the country this week.

Riverside’s Melissa Martin, Courtney St. Amant and Tanya Teague andLutcher’s Erin Hymel will travel with the Cajun Stars to the YSSSA Fast Pitch 19 and Under Softball World Championships to be held Thursday through Sunday at Chesterfield University near Richmond, Virginia.

Martin, St. Amant, Teague and Hymel have all played for the Cajun Stars, atraveling tournament team, this summer. Martin, St. Amant and Teaguehelped lead Riverside to the Class 2A state championship game this season.

Martin batted .513 in 1998 with eight home runs and 41 runs batted in andplayed in the LHSCA All-Star Softball game in June. St. Amant providedinfield glue for the Lady Rebels while being named to the all-District 9- 2A team. Teague, the MVP in District 9-2A after helping the Lady Rebelsto the District title, went 24-7 this past season with a .46 earned runaverage and 170 strikeouts in 139 innings.

Hymel was L’Observateur’s River Parishes MVP after helping lead Lutcher to the Class 3A state championship. Hymel finished the season with a 22-2 record, an ERA of .40 and 158 strikeouts.The Cajun Stars are among 38 teams playing in the tournament virtue of gaining berths through other tournaments this summer. The teams willcome from around the country with a squad from Canada also competing.

The Cajun Stars are the first Louisiana team to play in the fast pitch world championships. The team, which has been in existence for 10 years,had played in slow pitch world championships before moving to fast-pitch four years ago.

The team consists of 13 girls who come from Lafayette, the River Parishes, Carencro, Kaplan, St. Martinville and Southeastern LouisianaUniversity. This tournament will mark the 10th one the team has traveledto this summer.

The Cajun Stars first game in pool play is tomorrow afternoon. Each teamwill play in pool play before being seeded for the double elimination portion of the tournament which begins Friday. The championship will beheld Sunday.

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