You can’t call it beginner’s luck.
Lake Charles Gumbeaux Gators coach James Landreneau is certainly no beginner. He’s been coaching the McNeese State women’s softball team for 14 years now and, before that, was a veteran youth baseball coach and league manager.
And this isn’t the first Texas Collegiate League season for the Gumbeaux Gators, it’s the third. Last year the team was 9-37.
But this is Landreneau’s first year coaching college age baseball players in the TCL, so, technically, the “beginner” did lead the third year Gumbeaux Gators to a 27-19 overall record and the top spot in the second half standings at 15-8 to earn a spot in the postseason playoffs.
The Gators will take on the Acadiana Cane Cutters (24-21) Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at Joe Williams Field in Lake Charles.
This is one of those “worst to first” stories.
“When they asked me to take over I asked, ‘What are the expectations for the season?’” Landreneau said. “They said, ‘Win.’ You never know what the results are going to determine. You’re going to prepare and do our best to win a championship for the organization. I felt like we had some good players that could compete well.”
But Lake Charles had to work hard for that spot. First, the Gators had to win Sunday night’s regular season finale against the Abilene Flying Bison and they got that in dramatic fashion.
The Gators trailed 4-3 after the seventh inning and went down swinging in order in the bottom of the eighth. After retiring the Bison in order in the top of the ninth, the Gators got what they needed in the final frame.
Lane Sparks got a lead off walk but was caught stealing second.
“You kind of scratch your head on that one,” Landreneau said.
But then Yuichiro Kumagami walked and Gavin Gary was hit by a pitch. After the Bison changed pitchers, Gabe Guidry hit a fielder’s choice grounder that was misplayed, allowing Kumagami to score and tie the game at 4-4. The Bison then intentionally walked Jack Garcille to reload the bases, but Jay Michael Stelly singled to left field to score Gary for the winning run.
The Gators also had to overcome some adversity. Besides the regular rotation of players who come and go in the TCL all summer, the injury bug hit Lake Charles hard in recent weeks.
“It’s pretty constant, especially the last two weeks have been really challenging with the injury bug,” Landreneau said. “We had some kids that were beat up and various things they had to go home for. I’m just really proud of the kids that we do have on the field, someone else kept stepping up and giving effort. There was always someone else getting the job done. It’s been fun to watch that process and how much I appreciate the process.”
It all paid off in the end.
“James Landreneau is a winner,” team owner Ronnie Rantz said. “Obviously, based on his track record at McNeese, going to six NCAA softball regionals, and it’s been obvious this last week when he has had a banged up and short-handed lineup and pitching staff, but has still found a way to punch his team’s ticket to the playoffs.”
By Lori Lyons