In Chinese culture, 2025 is the Year of the Snake.
But in Texas Collegiate League baseball, this has been the Summer of the Rougarou.
The Baton Rouge Rougarou completed its regular season schedule Sunday night with an overall record of 37-10, the best record in the league and a franchise best finish.
Under the direction of first-year skipper Stephen Klein – who has never been a head coach of a team before – the Rougarou won the first half championship with a league-best record of 20-3, and won the second half with a record of 17-7.
It was a huge improvement for a team that finished above .500 last season for the first time.
“These guys have been grinding their tails off the whole summer and I’m excited for the future,” Klein said. “Three games is all we need to win the first ever TCL championship and bring it to Baton Rouge.”
The Rougarou will begin that quest at 7 p.m. Tuesday night at Pete Goldsby Field as they take on the Acadiana Cane Cutters (23-23) in a best-of-three series for the overall Louisiana championship. The winner will advance to play the Texas champion Saturday night. If the Rougarou advance, they will host the Texas team at Goldsby. Baton Rouge is 20-3 at home this season.
Tuesday’s game will be the 13th meeting between the Rougarou and the Cane Cutters this season. Baton Rouge leads the series 8-4. The Cane Cutters won the league title in 2022, the first Louisiana team to do so.
“I told the guys, don’t change anything you do,” Klein said. “Don’t take any pitch off. Just stay with it and play your brand of baseball. Right now, our job is the Cane Cutters and we go from there.”
The Rougarou roster includes 2023 League MVP Josh Shelly, whose .358 batting average leads the league with 159 at-bats. Casey Artigues is hitting .369 with 84 at-bats. Catcher Blaise Priester leads the league in home runs (7) and RBIs (50). Pitcher Fabian Hernandez, who was named the Pitcher of the Week on Monday, is 7-0 with an ERA of 1.00. J.D. Rodriguez is 3-2 with an ERA of 2.54.
Klein said the players are pumped for the matchup and the chance to win the title. All the extras surrounding the game will only add to the hype. Several special guests are expected to be in attendance including LSU head football coach Brian Kelly and LSU baseball player Steven Milam, who will throw out the first pitch. Also expected are Lathan “The Kid Umpire,” celebrity chef The Cajun Ninja (who will be cooking his famous Pastalaya), country music star Thomas Cain, members of the Baton Rouge Zydeco hockey team, comedian and musician D.J. Rhett, and TikTok stars Madison Stroncheck and Dane the Greatt.
By Lori Lyons, Rougarou Writer
Photo by Carla Walker