Success in youth baseball doesn’t necessarily translate to success at the high school level.
But the players on the 2014 Bossier City Dixie Baseball 13s and 14s World Series All-Star teams have proven that it can.
With the Junior Boys (13s) and Boys (14s) World Series returning to Tinsley Park for the first time in four years beginning Saturday, here is a look at how the players on the 13s and 14s teams have fared since then.
First, a look at the 13s. Bossier City won the World Series in 2014, going through the tournament undefeated. Bossier City defeated Jefferson Parish in 9-2 in the championship round.
Members of the 13s team were Garrett Hable, Cole Horton, Turner Toms, Harrison Tauzin, Amani Larry, Eric Brown, Caleb Reese, Derious Bradford, Christion Rayner, Nick Heckman, Jathon Patton and Dustin Barron.
Hable, Horton and Toms all played key roles in Benton’s run to the Class 4A state championship in the spring. They also helped the Tigers continue an amazing streak of District 1-4A championships, which has now reached six.
Horton, a rising senior and catcher, has been named District 1-4A’s co-Player of the Year two years in a row.
Hable, a second baseman who graduated in May, was a two-time All-Parish first-team selection. He also had an outstanding football career as a four-year starter at quarterback. In 2017, he led the Tigers to an undefeated regular season and was named the Offensive MVP on the All-Parish team.
Toms, a rising senior, pitched two outstanding games in the playoffs last spring. He pitched nine innings in a 5-3 victory over No. 1 seed Breaux Bridge in the deciding game of their best-of-three quarterfinal series. He also pitched a complete game in the Tigers’ 13-2 victory over DeRidder in the championship game.
Tauzin was a member of multiple District 1-5A championship teams at Airline.
Larry, Brown, Reese, Bradford and Rayner have all helped revitalize Parkway’s baseball program.
Larry, a rising senior shortstop, Brown, a rising senior second baseman, Reese, a rising senior catcher, and Bradford, an outfielder who graduated in May, were all first-team All-Parish selections in 2018.
They helped Parkway finish 25-10 and finish second in District 1-5A last season.
Larry was also a first-team All-Parish football selection last season as an athlete. Originally a starting receiver, he took over for the injured Justin Rogers at quarterback.
Brown has verbally committed to 2016 national champion Coastal Carolina.
Bradford, a May graduate, was also a first-team All-Parish defensive back in 2017.
Heckman, a pitcher who signed with Nicholls State, was named the co-Player of the Year on the 2018 All-Parish team. He was a two-time first-team All-Parish selection.
In the first round of the 2017 playoffs, Heckman pitched a complete game in the Bucs’ 2-0 victory over three-time defending state champion Barbe.
Patton, a first baseman, was a first-team All-District and All-Parish selection in 2017. He was second-team All-District and honorable mention All-Parish last season.
Barron, a pitcher, helped Haughton finish third in District 1-5A last season.
The Bossier City 14s team came very close to winning the championship.
They went into the championship round against Hattiesburg, Miss., undefeated.
In the first game, Bossier had a late lead but Hattiesburg came back to win 10-3 in 11 innings. In the decisive second game, Bossier lost a 5-4 heartbreaker after leading 4-1 through four innings.
Members of the 14s team were Carter Parks, Cade Thompson, Lannon Broadway, Jay Couch, Eric “EJ” Williams, Chase Hodges, Hunter Nycum, Steven Lutterman, Peyton Long, Cody Norris, Jonathan Brandon, David Maxey and Hunter Hollis.
Williams, an outfielder who signed with Southern, was the co-Player of the Year on the 2018 All-Parish team.
He was also named to both the LSWA and Coaches’ All-State teams.
Long and Norris were key members of Benton’s 2108 state championship team and helped the Tigers win multiple District 1-4A titles.
Parks went on to star in soccer at Benton High. He was a three-time first-team All-Parish selection.
Thompson had a successful career at Haughton.
Couch, a pitcher and infielder, transferred to Airline for his senior season after a successful stint at Evangel. An LSUE signee, he was a first-team All-Parish selection this spring.
Broadway, Brandon, Maxey, Nycum, Hollis, Lutterman and Hodges all went on to play for Airline, helping the Vikings win multiple 1-5A titles.
Brandon, an infielder, was a two-time All-Parish first-team selection. He played in 43 games as a freshman infielder for 32-18 Murray State last season, batting .304 with 12 doubles, two triples and four home runs.
Hodges was a first-team All-Parish pitcher in 2017. He played in 13 games as an outfielder for Panola College last season
Hollis was a first-team All-Parish outfielder last season.
Russell Hedges is Sports Editor of the Bossier Press-Tribune. He may be reached at rhedges@bossierpress.com
