By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – St. John Parish saw two of its baseball teams reach the state quarterfinals, one player break a school record for home runs and RBIs in a season and another break its all time record in career wins.

These milestones are all represented on L’Observateur’s 2011 All-St. John Parish team, headed by our selection as its Most Valuable Player: St. Charles senior slugger Brady Hitt, who had a season for the ages with the Comets.

Hitt broke the school’s single season record in home runs (14) and RBIs (56) while batting .530 and scoring 47 runs. His efforts as the team’s cleanup hitter – and also on the mound, where he went 4-2 – helped St. Charles to another successful season, including the District 9-2A championship and a trip to the quarterfinals despite heavy turnover in the starting lineup from a year ago.

He’s joined on the team by three teammates and his coach. Paul Waguespack is our selection for St. John Coach of the Year. Waguespack led the Comets to a 24-12 record after losing a strong senior nucleus from the season prior. The Comets entered the LHSAA playoffs as its third seed this season. Waguespack also earned his 250th career win at St. Charles in a 17-4 win over Episcopal-Baton Rouge, led by a three-RBI day by senior Jared Keating and a strong pitching effort by Brennan Zeringue.

Keating, like Hitt, also leaves St. Charles with his name cemented in the record book. His 30 career wins are most by any pitcher in school history. The lefthander went 9-3 this season with a 1.71 ERA and joins Hitt on the All-Parish team.

St. Charles representatives are rounded out by senior shortstop Shane McNeil and junior centerfielder Jeffrey Hall, each of whom batted over .400 while combining for over 70 RBIs.

Riverside also sees four members join the team, all of whom familiar names to followers of the program over the past few seasons: seniors Dylan Martin, Bryant Tassin and Austin Vicknair and junior Tate Scioneaux.

Scioneaux had a true breakout season at the plate and on the mound, rounding into the team’s most dangerous hitter and its ace on the hill. He hit 13 home runs and drove in 42 RBIs, while striking out well over a batter an inning on the mound (81 in 66.2 innings).

Martin was another well-rounded star, hitting .407 while scoring 38 runs and stealing 32 bases in the leadoff spot for RA. He was a steady starter on the mound, boasting a 3.83 ERA and giving the Rebels a good one-two punch in its rotation — he was on the mound to earn the win as RA downed two-time defending champion Northlake Christian in the playoffs this season.

Bryant Tassin and Austin Vicknair each provided power in the middle of the Rebels’ batting order, combining for 11 home runs and 56 RBIs. They round out the Rebel reps.

East St. John’s Ashton Lewis earns a spot on the team after a season that saw him lead the Wildcats in most offensive categories as a junior. He hit .376 with seven home runs and 31 RBIs.

West St. John senior Barry Hanson Jr. has been a rock in the middle of his team’s order for years and again hit well over .500 — this year he posted a mark of .545, leading the parish and cementing him as an All-Parish performer.