Louisiana UnLimited: Setting The Foundation With Baseball

LAFAYETTE – A pair of banners at the entrance of the Lafayette Little League Fields prominently show part of the rich history of the program which includes several players who would go on to collegiate and professional careers in baseball.

Some of those players – including UL Hall of Famer Jace Conrad, Brenn Conrad, Connor Toups and Haden Erbe among others – launched their careers on the LLL Fields, reaching the youth pinnacle of heading to Williamsport, Pa., for the Little League World Series before eventually going on towards baseball careers at the collegiate and professional levels.

So when a pair of former UL baseball letterwinners who now play a big role in running the LLL organization approached the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Baseball coaching staff to help put on a youth clinic in January, it was a no-brainer.

As part of the Lafayette community, the Louisiana coaching staff and players spent a chilly Sunday afternoon going through drills with over 100 kids, ranging for 5-13 years old. Holding a clinic is nothing new for the Ragin' Cajuns, but to hold one with a league which has a steep tradition was a special one.

The logistics of replacing the turf at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park forced the move to the LLL fields, but the Ragin' Cajuns hope to build on the clinic by hosting in the future on its home field.

"It started with Coach Thib (Associate Head Coach Seth Thibodeaux) who does a wonderful job of organizing great events like this for us," Louisiana head coach Matt Deggs said, "along with Jeffries Tatford, Lance Stutes and Charlie Babineaux ... all former Cajuns that have had a huge impact not only on this community, but on Cajuns Baseball itself.

"They opened the door and it is something we most certainly would like to grow and continue."

The clinic was also a special one for senior right-hander David Christie. The former St. Thomas More product – and lone hometown member on the 2024 roster – spent one year on the same fields as some of the current Little Leaguers and came full circle from student to teacher.

"It definitely brings back a lot of memories," Christie said. "It's fun to see that it's (LLL) still up and running the way it is and how much it means to the community. I'm glad that we can get out here and help however we can and give these kids a good time.

"Just coming back and being here and watching all these kids do the same thing I used to do, and be in the same shoes, is pretty cool to be on the other side now."

Founded in 1972, the mission of Lafayette Little League is to bring youth baseball to Lafayette in a fun, competitive environment. Numerous baseball leagues, ranging from T-Ball to the Junior/Senior Division are part of the program. The softball league is growing and in 2008, LLL established a Challenger Division for boys and girls facing physical and mental challenges.

The success on the diamond includes four trips to the Little League World Series in Williamsport – 2005, 2011, 2013 and 2021 – while the Challenger program reached the LLWS in Williamsport and the Southwest Regional in Waco, Texas.

"This is where it starts," Deggs said. "I look back on my career and my time in baseball and the first thing you think about is when you were 10, 11, 12-years-old.

"The volunteers that go into Little League, the moms and dads - that's the foundation where it all starts for a life or a career in baseball. And even if you don't carry it on, it sets the foundation for a lot of what you do in life. It teaches a lot of life lessons, especially teamwork and hard work, and the value of saying, 'thank you.'"

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Louisiana UnLimited: Setting The Foundation With Baseball

Players Mentioned

David Christie

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