By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – It was tough to scratch runs across on St. Charles Catholic this season. That was especially true with Chad McNeil on the mound.

McNeil allowed just seven earned runs all season while turning in another stellar season with his bat and, at first base, with his glove. The Class 3A All-State selection and Holmes Community College signee showed a complete game in 2013, and he’s been tabbed by L’Observateur as this year’s choice for St. John the Baptist Parish MVP.

McNeil finished the season with a 7-4 record – including a pair of hard luck losses that saw him allow no earned runs – and struck out 59 batters in 59 innings. He posted a 0.83 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP as he turned in career best numbers on the mound.

As a hitter, the senior was again a force. He batted .370 and drove in 22 RBIs.

He’s joined on the team by his coach, this season’s St. John Parish Coach of the Year, Paul Waguespack. Waguespack led the Comets to the parish’s best win-loss mark, an 18-14 campaign, in a season that saw him top the 300 career win milestone. It was the swan song for Waguespack as a head coach; he announced last summer that this season was to be his last as head coach, and he now steps into an assistant coaching role behind his longtime assistant and new head coach Wayne Stein.

Three more Comet players made the cut. Junior shortstop Kameron Keller, junior pitcher Connor Smith and sophomore third baseman Austin Weber each earned spots on the squad. Keller (.351 average) and Weber (.333) were strong table setters and infield gloves for the Comets, while Smith turned in a strong season (2.56 ERA) against a formidable string of foes.

Riverside placed two players on the team after coming within a victory of earning the District 10-2A championship. Senior second baseman Andre Faucheux (.400 average) and left-handed ace Tanner Lawson (2.03 ERA) led the way for the Rebels this season.

East St. John is represented by senior pitcher/third baseman Daniel Franklin (.495 average) and senior pitcher/second baseman Darnell Lee (.470) that slugged its way to 12 games of scoring 10 runs or more en route to finishing 14-14.

And West St. John closed the regular season on an eight-game winning streak thanks in part to the efforts of junior Austin Howard (.465 average) and senior Dontre Turner (.363). The two anchored the strongest Rams’ pitching staff in years, one that allowed no more than four runs in any of those final eight victories.