(Pictured: Recent Benton grad Sarah Koeppen was named to the LSWA Class 4A All-State softball team at utility.)
Russell Hedges
rhedges@bossierpress.com
Recent Benton grads Will Hine and Sarah Koeppen have been named first-team Class 4A All-State by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
Hine, the co-Player of the Year on the All-Parish team, was named to the All-State baseball team at pitcher.
The left-hander went 10-1 with an ERA of 1.921. He struck out 74 in 71 1/3 innings. Hine helped the Tigers win their fifth straight District 1-4A championship.
He was the winning pitcher in Benton’s lone victory in their best-of-3 quarterfinal series loss to eventual state champion Neville. It was Neville’s only loss in the playoffs.
Koeppen, the co-Player of the Year on the All-Parish team, was named to the All-State softball team at utility player.
She batted .464 with 14 doubles, eight home runs and 48 RBI while having to shoulder primary pitching duties. She hit four home runs and had 14 RBI in the playoffs, leading the Lady Tigers to the Class 4A semifinals.
Koeppen is continuing her playing career at Louisiana-Lafayette.
Koeppen and three other Benton softball players — recent grads Abby Kent and Hallie Saintignan and rising junior Makenzie Chaffin — made the Louisiana Softball Coaches’ Association 4A All-State team.
Chaffin, a shortstop, batted .550 with 25 RBI and 50 runs. She had 13 doubles, one triple and two home runs.
Saintignan, an outfielder, batted .456 with 18 doubles, six triples and two home runs. She had 21 RBI and 48 runs. Saintignan, who is headed to LSUA, struck out only four times in 135 plate appearances.
Kent, a first baseman, batted .490 with 34 RBI. She had 12 doubles and one triple.
The LSCA All-State teams are selected from nominations from the state’s coaches.
Chaffin and Saintignan were also named honorable mention on the LSWA team.
Benton rising junior Cole Horton and rising senior Garrett Hable were named honorable mention on the LSWA baseball team.
No parish players made first team on the LSWA Class 5A All-State team.
Three Airline players made honorable mention on the softball team — recent grad Hannah Hutson, rising junior Maddie Ennis and rising sophomore Caroline Easom.
Hutson, a pitcher, had a 2.688 ERA with 129 strikeouts in 125 innings. She also batted .302 with 16 RBI, eight doubles and one home run.
Ennis, a first baseman who who shared Player of the Year honors on the All-Parish team with Koeppen, batted .624 with 22 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 42 RBI.
Easom, a shortstop, batted .492 with 16 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 38 RBI.
Ennis had a higher batting average than any first-team selection and Easom had a higher average than all but two.
Six parish players made honorable mention on the baseball team
— recent Airline grads Cameron Parikh and Jonathan Brandon, Haughton rising seniors Nick Heckman and Jathon Patton, and Parkway rising juniors Caleb Reese and Amani Larry.
Nick Heckman; and Parkway shortstop Amani Larry and catcher Caleb Reese.
Parikh, a Louisiana Tech signee who shared Player of the Year honors on the All-Parish team with Hine, went 8-2 with a .80 ERA. He had 54 strikeouts in 61 innings.
Recent grad Brandon batted .375 with 12 doubles, seven triples, four home runs and 22 RBI in the regular season.
Rising senior Patton, a first baseman, hit .500 in district play with an on-base percentage of .595.
Rising senior Heckman went 3-0 in district play with a 3.18 ERA. He pitched a three-hitter in Haughton’s 2-0 victory over No. 2 seed and three-time defending state champion Barbe in the first round of the playoffs.
Reese hit .367 with nine doubles and 28 RBI.
Larry’s defensive skills and speed on the basepaths were big keys to Parkway’s success. He had 33 stolen bases in 39 attempts. He also batted .355 with an on-base percentage of .523.
