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Hornbeck, La. —
Back in early April, Hornbeck senior Christopher Soileau was named to the all-Vernon Parish basketball team after a sensational return to the court.
Although he averaged nearly a double-double for the Hornets, Soileau's best days were ahead of him on the baseball diamond.
And the proof is in the pudding, so to speak.
A 6-3, 200-pound catcher with a solid arm and surprising speed on the bases, Soileau has been selected as the Player of the Year on the annual all-Vernon Parish baseball team, as chosen by the sports department of the Leesville Daily Leader.
Soileau is the first player in Hornbeck history to be named the top baseball athlete in the parish.
"Nobody loves the game of baseball more than Christopher Soileau," Hornbeck head coach Wilkie Richmond said. "He's always around the game, whether he is calling games for the youth association or just working on his fundamentals. Christopher is a true leader. I believe he has a future in this game."
And looking at his numbers, there's no doubt why Richmond believes Soileau would be an asset to any collegiate team.
On the season, Soileau batted .534. He had seven home runs to lead the Hornets and knocked in 24 RBIs. He also stole 12 bases and drew a lot of walks as opposing pitchers often worked around him in the lineup.
Early on during the season, Soileau was batting in the middle part of the order, as Richmond was trying to take advantage of Soileau's ability to drive in runs.
But Hornbeck endured a number of close losses where the game ended with Soileau on deck and runners in scoring position.
So Richmond made his move.
The veteran coach moved Soileau to the leadoff spot in an effort to get the catcher some more pitches to look at.
"You want your best hitter to get more at bats," Richmond said. "And to be honest, I got tired of people pitching around him or Christopher being on deck when we needed him to be at the plate. That's why I made the move."
The move proved to be beneficial for the Hornets. And when Austin Driskill became eligible to play during district, that added bat in the lineup allowed Soileau to flourish in the leadoff spot.
With Pitkin in firm control of the District 5-B standings, Soileau and the Hornets had to battle their way into playoff contention after a slow start. However, the Hornets did manage a 5-5 record in league play, forcing a four-way tie for second.
That meant a four-team playoff, with the winners of the first two games automatically advancing to the playoffs.
It appeared as if Hornbeck was going to immediately advance, but Hicks rallied to pick up a 9-8 win.
After watching Simpson fall in the next game to Anacoco, the Hornets needed a win over the Broncos to earn the last possible wild card spot.
A 12-0 victory ensued and the Hornets reached the postseason, as the No. 23 seed in the state. That meant a matchup against 10th-ranked Grace Christian at Bringhurst Field in Alexandria.
The Hornets won a 6-1 decision, bringing the community of Hornbeck a home playoff game against District 5-B champion Pitkin, the No. 7 seed.
Hornbeck jumped out to a 2-0 lead, only to see Pitkin rally to tie it up at 2-2 entering the fifth inning.
In the bottom of the frame, Soileau was first to bat. After falling behind in the count, Soileau crushed a solo home run to centerfield for a 3-2 Hornbeck lead.
Although Pitkin answered in the sixth, the Hornets were still able to pull off the 4-3 upset victory and a date in Alexandria against Oak Hill.
Soileau homered again in the state quarterfinals, but the Hornets' run was over as Oak Hill, the eventual state champions, got the victory.
Thanks to his efforts, Soileau was honored by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association recently with first-team all-state recognition.
"Christopher was our leader in everything," Richmond said. "He has a tremendous work ethic and he led us in everything we did. He was our best base stealer and he scored a lot of runs and drew many, many walks."
Soileau recently worked out for LSU-Alexandria and drew much praise from the Generals' coaching staff.
"They seemed really interested in Christopher," Richmond said. "He works so hard at the game, I just know he will be playing somewhere next year. I don't know where, but he will."
Back in early April, Hornbeck senior Christopher Soileau was named to the all-Vernon Parish basketball team after a sensational return to the court.
Although he averaged nearly a double-double for the Hornets, Soileau's best days were ahead of him on the baseball diamond.
And the proof is in the pudding, so to speak.
A 6-3, 200-pound catcher with a solid arm and surprising speed on the bases, Soileau has been selected as the Player of the Year on the annual all-Vernon Parish baseball team, as chosen by the sports department of the Leesville Daily Leader.
Soileau is the first player in Hornbeck history to be named the top baseball athlete in the parish.
"Nobody loves the game of baseball more than Christopher Soileau," Hornbeck head coach Wilkie Richmond said. "He's always around the game, whether he is calling games for the youth association or just working on his fundamentals. Christopher is a true leader. I believe he has a future in this game."
And looking at his numbers, there's no doubt why Richmond believes Soileau would be an asset to any collegiate team.
On the season, Soileau batted .534. He had seven home runs to lead the Hornets and knocked in 24 RBIs. He also stole 12 bases and drew a lot of walks as opposing pitchers often worked around him in the lineup.
Early on during the season, Soileau was batting in the middle part of the order, as Richmond was trying to take advantage of Soileau's ability to drive in runs.
But Hornbeck endured a number of close losses where the game ended with Soileau on deck and runners in scoring position.
So Richmond made his move.
The veteran coach moved Soileau to the leadoff spot in an effort to get the catcher some more pitches to look at.
"You want your best hitter to get more at bats," Richmond said. "And to be honest, I got tired of people pitching around him or Christopher being on deck when we needed him to be at the plate. That's why I made the move."
The move proved to be beneficial for the Hornets. And when Austin Driskill became eligible to play during district, that added bat in the lineup allowed Soileau to flourish in the leadoff spot.
With Pitkin in firm control of the District 5-B standings, Soileau and the Hornets had to battle their way into playoff contention after a slow start. However, the Hornets did manage a 5-5 record in league play, forcing a four-way tie for second.
That meant a four-team playoff, with the winners of the first two games automatically advancing to the playoffs.
It appeared as if Hornbeck was going to immediately advance, but Hicks rallied to pick up a 9-8 win.
After watching Simpson fall in the next game to Anacoco, the Hornets needed a win over the Broncos to earn the last possible wild card spot.
A 12-0 victory ensued and the Hornets reached the postseason, as the No. 23 seed in the state. That meant a matchup against 10th-ranked Grace Christian at Bringhurst Field in Alexandria.
The Hornets won a 6-1 decision, bringing the community of Hornbeck a home playoff game against District 5-B champion Pitkin, the No. 7 seed.
Hornbeck jumped out to a 2-0 lead, only to see Pitkin rally to tie it up at 2-2 entering the fifth inning.
In the bottom of the frame, Soileau was first to bat. After falling behind in the count, Soileau crushed a solo home run to centerfield for a 3-2 Hornbeck lead.
Although Pitkin answered in the sixth, the Hornets were still able to pull off the 4-3 upset victory and a date in Alexandria against Oak Hill.
Soileau homered again in the state quarterfinals, but the Hornets' run was over as Oak Hill, the eventual state champions, got the victory.
Thanks to his efforts, Soileau was honored by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association recently with first-team all-state recognition.
"Christopher was our leader in everything," Richmond said. "He has a tremendous work ethic and he led us in everything we did. He was our best base stealer and he scored a lot of runs and drew many, many walks."
Soileau recently worked out for LSU-Alexandria and drew much praise from the Generals' coaching staff.
"They seemed really interested in Christopher," Richmond said. "He works so hard at the game, I just know he will be playing somewhere next year. I don't know where, but he will."
