Berwick's Bravata named 3A Coach of the Year, six area players earn recognition

Berwick High School’s Class 3A state championship season was followed by statewide honors as selected by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association recently.
Berwick High School had a combined five first-team and honorable mention selections on the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 3A All-State team, including Class 3A’s Coach of the Year, Brandon Bravata.
Bravata was joined by first-team selections, junior pitcher Mitchell Sanford and senior utility selection Kyle Pitre.
Berwick had three honorable mention selections: senior catcher Lucas Hatch, senior outfielder Reid Wiley and junior utility player Zeph Hoffpauir.
Patterson had one representative, sophomore outfielder Randy Paul, who earned honorable mention status.
Hunter Wriborg of state runner-up Iota was named Class 3A’s Most Valuable Player.
Bravata, in his first season at Berwick, led the squad to a 29-8 mark and their first state baseball title since 1978.
“It’s an honor,” Bravata said of the Coach of the Year award. “I’ve never done this for any personal accolades or anything like that. I know that’s what people say all the time, but it’s true.
“I’ve got joy out of everybody else’s joy during this whole process,” Bravata added. “I enjoy the everyday process of the grind and just to know that we’re doing things the right way and that everything we’ve preached has come to be. That successful event at the end, that’s what’s made me happy is to know that we’ve made an impact on people’s lives, and that’s what’s the most honorable thing more than any personal accolade.”
Sanford, an LSU commitment, finished 7-1 on the mound with a 0.94 ERA. In 53.2 innings, he surrendered 17 runs (seven earned) on 29 hits with 17 walks and 68 strikeouts.
Offensively, he batted .370 with 12 doubles, five triples, one home run, 29 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. He also scored 37 runs.
Sanford also played in the outfield where he had an .871 fielding percentage.
“Mitchell obviously got it as a pitcher, but he was an all-around player for us. … He had less than a 1 ERA and pitched some very big games for us.”
“Mitchell obviously got it as a pitcher, but he was an all-around player for us. … He had less than a 1 ERA and pitched some very big games for us,” Bravata said.
Pitre finished the year with a 9-3 mark on the mound with a 2.35 ERA. In 60.2 innings, he surrendered 40 runs (20 earned) on 39 hits with 29 walks and 75 strikeouts.
Offensively, he batted .467 batting with 16 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 38 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and 33 runs scored.
Pitre, who will continue his baseball career at Baton Rouge Community College, was a shortstop, too, with an .843 fielding percentage.
“I really think Kyle really had a chance to be state MVP,” Bravata said. “Obviously, the guy from Iota had a wonderful season and (was) very deserving, but Pitre, hitting what he hit and being on the mound was a stud for us all year, so he worked very hard. Very proud of him. Being the district MVP, I really think he had a phenomenal season.”
Hatch batted .418 with nine doubles, two triples, four home runs and 42 RBIs.
From his catcher position, Hatch had a .989 fielding percentage.
“Lucas Hatch is quite the leader,” Bravata said. “Very hard-working, determined, passionate kid that just was our energy and really deserves the honor that he got.”
Wiley batted .463 with five doubles, one triple and 25 RBIs. He also stole 10 bases and scored 32 runs.
He had a .951 fielding percentage.
“Reid Wiley had a breakout season,” Bravata said. “Came out of nowhere. Probably the best nine-hole hitter in the state. Probably didn’t have the power numbers to get selected all-state (first team), but to be mentioned where he was is obviously quite special and quite an honor.”
Hoffpauir batted .349 with eight doubles and six home runs. He had 39 RBIs, seven stolen bases and scored 39 runs.
He had a .957 fielding percentage.
“Zeph Hoffpauir had some of the best power numbers in the state, hitting six home runs,” Bravata said. “(He) was a big part of the middle of our lineup and really came on in the playoffs and towards the end of the year.”
Paul batted .471 with 22 doubles, 12 triples, three home runs, 37 RBIs, 37 runs and 24 stolen bases.
He had a .788 slugging percentage, a .545 on-base percentage and a .929 fielding percentage.
“Randy Paul was an outstanding player for us,” Patterson High coach Blayze Romero said. “He broke out this season. He’s a young kid. He got a lot of potential ahead of him. To me, in my eyes, (he’s) a D-1 prospect. … He was a great leader for our team. He came in (and) put the work in every day. Stayed extra (and) asked me for extra work.”
Other representatives from District 8-3A, which Berwick and Patterson compete in, were: Mason Granger and Chandler Leblanc, both of Erath, and Darian Duhon of North Vermilion.
Additional reporting by www.bayoupreps.com.