By Lori Lyons
Rougarou Writer
Every summer the Baton Rouge Rougarou brings together young men from all parts of the country, from different states, different backgrounds and different baseball teams.
But this summer, the Rougarou brought together a trio of players who came from different hometowns who found their way first to Hammond and now to Baton Rouge.
Catcher Michael Curry from Brusly, outfielder Parker Coley from Sterlington, and utility infielder Peyton Woods from Albany were all Southeastern Louisiana University Lions in the spring. Now they’re wearing green again as members of the Baton Rouge Rougarou. All three of them are helping the team as it makes a final push for a playoff spot. The Texas Collegiate League finishes its season this week.
Coley might be considered the veteran of the group. A 2021 graduate of Sterlington High School where he was a Max Preps All-American and twice the MVP of the state championship game, Coley spent his next two seasons at LSU-Eunice. There he batted .345 as a freshman, with one home run. As a sophomore he hit .344 with 17 doubles and 10 home runs to help the Bengals to a 53-5 season. In 2024 he joined new head coach Bobby Barbier at Southeastern and hit .295 with 12 home runs and 11 doubles.
Coley also has spent summertime playing in the Sunflower Collegiate League in Kansas and in Green Bay with the Northwoods League. This summer he said he texted just about everybody in the country to find a place to play. He said the Rougarou has been a good fit.
“There’s a lot more people,” he said. “Compared to the Sunflower League it’s a lot more people. I’d be surprised if we had three people in the stand at some of our games. Green Bay was nice and all, but it’s just nice being close to home.”
Through 20 games Coley is batting .257 with two home runs, 16 RBIs, 20 runs and two doubles. He also has 10 stolen bases.
“Parker Coley is the most outspoken of the three and has been a good fit for us in the outfield,” Rougarou coach James Dillard said. “Parker has not met a pitch he doesn’t like. He has a great eye at the plate and leads our team in stolen bases.”
The 2024 season didn’t go as well for Curry, who suffered a hand injury in the second week of the season and appeared in only 20 games for the Lions, hitting .339 with one home run. He joined the Rougarou at the end of June and is to get back into form.
“I really wanted to play summer ball and one of my coaches said they could get me on the Rougarou and I said that’s perfect,” Curry said, adding that his hand is perfectly healed now. “I’ve heard of them all throughout high school and college and thought it was a great opportunity to play for them and very close to home. It was a perfect way to get back into it. It helped out a lot with endurance, being able to keep going. Playing six days a week really takes a toll on the body but, as we’ve been going, I’m feeling great coming off the injury.”
Woods also is working to get back into his baseball form after an injury. He fractured the L3 vertebrae in his back during an at-bat against Nicholls State University and had to sit out more than three months.
“I wasn’t allowed to work out or nothing,” he said. “They just told me to sit. I walked and that’s about it. And went fishing.”
After getting his medical release, Woods joined the Rougarou in early July and has appeared in 12 games. He is hitting .231 with one home run, a double and seven RBIs.
“I’m feeling good,” Wood said. “I’m blessed to be able to play right now because I sat out for months. I was seeing it good but it did take me a minute. I’m having good at-bats but I’m missing balls I usually don’t miss. That’s just going to happen after three and a half months of not swinging.”
All three young men have enjoyed being teammates again as members of the Rougarou, especially as the team makes its final push to a playoff spot.
“It’s great because, you go there expecting to not know anybody and then you’ve got three other teammates and you feel more comfortable playing,” Woods said.
“We’re feeling great. Feel like we’re on a little hot streak and firing on all cylinders right now,” Curry said.
Coach Dillard is happy to have them.
“Each of the three guys brings different things to our lineup and overall we have been very please with each of them,” Dillard said. “They make our roster better and no doubt they will do the same for their school.”