By Ryan Arena
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — A pair of state semifinalist Riverside teams each produced an All-State performer in 2014. 

Riverside baseball standout Mason Vicknair and softball star Toni Hebert each earned selections to this year’s 2014 Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 2A All-State squad after leading their respective teams to regular season and postseason success.

The Rebels’ Erica Delaneuville and Madison Watson each earned honorable mention status for softball. For baseball, Tyler Gauthier and T.J. St. Pierre each earned honorable mention. 

For Vicknair, it was a blur of a freshman season that saw the pitcher/shortstop catch fire at the midpoint of Riverside’s schedule. The end result was a .429 batting average to go with seven home runs, 36 RBIs, 28 runs scored and 16 doubles. Vicknair also made a big impact on the mound, stepping in as the Rebels’ ace. He finished with a 3.55 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 61 innings, going 7-1 in his starts.

“He works so hard,” said Riverside coach Matt White. “He’ll text me and ask ‘Coach, what can I do to get better today?’ And I’d tell him and he’d come back with, ‘Coach, I already did that.’ To work as hard as he does at such a young age, man, I’ll tell you what, it’s not a common thing.”

Vicknair, the Rebels’ two-hole hitter, was always a threat to hit a ball out of the park. Late in the season, many teams elected to attempt to pitch around him. 

On the mound, he filled the “ace” role vacated by the loss of Tanner Lawson after last season.

“He’s going to be a Division I guy,” White said. “I think he’s got a chance to be draftable. He outworks everyone and he’s really something special. He’s a freshman who hits mid to upper 80’s. He’s a young man whose future is extremely, extremely bright.”

Hebert, meanwhile, has been ready and able to do virtually whatever the Lady Rebels have needed her to do over the past two seasons, moving from shortstop to catcher and, ultimately, to pitcher in the middle of the season. The sophomore has been a staple on the Rebels’ team since the 7th grade and posted the best numbers of her career this season: she hit .449 with 28 runs scored, 21 RBIs and 38 stolen bases from the leadoff spot. As a pitcher, she posted a 2.87 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 83.5 regular season innings. 

“She filled an entirely different role than she expected to for us,” said Riverside softball coach Kristy Hebert. “For her to step up and perform like she did was really exceptional.”

While Toni Hebert came up as a slap hitter and No. 2 hitter, she moved into the leadoff role once longtime leadoff hitter Taylor Terrio graduated and changed her batting approach to reflect it.

“We knew that 80 percent of the time, Terrio was getting on base,” said Kristy Hebert. “Now, instead of moving that runner over, we needed (Toni) to get on. She started swinging the bat and not just slapping, began reading the defense and getting on in different ways. She became that person who could go get us a leadoff double and spark us in an inning.”

Experience, even as a sophomore, is a factor.

“She’s played for so long, it gives her a mental edge,” said Kristy Hebert. “I think that’s allowed her to handle those role changes as she has.”