Jaxon Landreneau hasn’t hit all that many home runs in his baseball career.
There was maybe one when he played for Sam Houston High School. There was another at LSU-Eunice the day he made history by becoming the first Bengal player to hit for the cycle.
Then there was the one he hit as a Lake Charles Gumbeaux Gator against the Acadiana Cane Cutters on June 11. That one was a little bit special because, when Jaxon rounded third base to head for home, it was his dad, James, in the third base coaches box giving him a hand slap.
“I’d only ever seen him hit one on video,” James said. “That was the first home run I was actually at the game for.”
Said Jaxon: “It was the first time he had seen me hit one. I came around third and he was there in the coaches box. It was cool getting to see him.”
Jaxon is a second baseman and outfielder on the Gumbeaux Gators team. Dad James is the new head coach of the Gators.
But it was a moment that was unusual for the Landreneau family. For most of Jaxon’s life, his dad has been the head coach of the McNeese softball team. At the same time, Jaxon was working his way through the baseball leagues. That made it difficult for dad to make Jaxon’s games.
“He made it when he could,” Jaxon said. “I’d usually send him a video of something after the game.”
Now that he has completed his three seasons at LSU-Eunice, Jaxon is looking to see what’s next. In the meantime, he signed up to be a Gumbeaux Gator for the summer. It was only after he signed his contract that Jaxon learned his dad would be coaching the team.
“It’s not weird,” he said. “It’s actually pretty cool. We get to spend a lot more time together. He knows me better, baseball wise especially, than I know myself, so he helps me out a lot. It’s nice.”
Dad James is enjoying it as well.
“I helped out on teams when he was younger,” James said. “But this is probably the first time in a long time I’ve been directly involved in a team he’s played for. It’s good. It’s fun. Obviously, over the years both of us, my career and him playing ball, have pulled us apart. Now it kind of brings us together and we’re able to just spend that time together. It’s just been fun to be around him every day.
“It’s fun to be able to give information that we do to help all kids. You still do that. But now your kid, your son, actually gets the benefit of those things.”
Jaxon is doing his part to help the Gators who have won three in a row and are 8-9 heading into the fourth week of the season. He is batting .333, putting him in the Texas Collegiate League’s top 12 hitters, with nine RBIs, 14 runs and four stolen bases. He went 3-for-5 on Sunday in a 12-11 win over the Sherman Shadowcats with two RBIs. He had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs in Saturday’s 8-1 win.
“I’ve just been trying to play loose and have fun,” Jaxon said.
“It’s fun to watch him evolving,” said James. “He wants to be better and find a way to compete. What he’s done really well lately is, he’s not trying to force the game or make it happen. His approach has been a little bit better and it’s been kind of fun to see his maturity process as a player. He’s a great kid. He’s always been a team player. He wants to do the right thing for the team. I’m very fortunate that he’s always been team-driven so that makes my job a lot easier.”
By Lori Lyons