Four Choudrant athletes honored by Louisiana Sports Writers Association
Landon Hennen (left) and Holly Bennett (right) are among four Choudrant High athletes to earn LSWA All-State honors for their standout seasons on the diamond. Photos by Josh McDaniel
After a pair of state tournament postseason runs for the Choudrant baseball and softball teams, four of the school’s top players earned Class B All-State honors voted on by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
Holly Bennett and Zoey Smith were selected for First Team All-State softball after two standout seasons for the Lady Aggies.
Bennett batted .405 with 24 RBIs as the leadoff hitter for Choudrant, all while throwing as the primary pitcher for the staff with a 3.75 ERA in 96 innings.
As a sophomore, Smith hit .562 with a team-leading 12 home runs and 47 RBIs – finishing with the fourth best average among firstteam all-state selections.
In the playoffs, Smith went 8-for-11 with 9 RBIs and 2 homers – scaring opponents enough that she was intentionally walked by Converse three times in the Division V non-select state semifinals.
Smith has made All-State three straight seasons.
Choudrant softball coach Wayne Antley was excited to see two of his team’s leaders make the all-state team and cap off their seasons with the high honor.
“It’s a big honor for them to even be nominated for that,” Wayne said. “ They were the core of our defense all year. I think they deserved it. And you know, I think us having the trip we had being fortunate enough to make it to state and getting them a chance see what it was about will play a large part of our success next year.”
Simsboro’s Carlei Wheeler made honorable mention after hitting .627 with 51 RBIs and 4 home runs, while pitching 109 2/3 innings with a 3.38 ERA.
Bryce McGuire and Landon Hennen made First Team All- State after playing as twoway leaders for the Aggies this past baseball season.
McGuire pitched 66 2/3 innings with a 0.54 ERA and hit second in the lineup with a .402 average.
Hennen, a fellow senior, batted .418 at the dish with 40 RBIs and 3 homers, only to match his strong offensive numbers with a 9-3 pitching record with a 1.15 ERA in 55 innings.
“I’m so proud of those guys and this is just another example of how much work they put in and how much time they’ve given the game of baseball,” Choudrant baseball coach Joel Antley said. “It’s nice to see some recognition for the smaller schools.”
Kaden Bradshaw made honorable mention after hitting .333 with 3 homers this season.
