The Jackson Parish 10U Girls All-Star softball team is the 2024 Louisiana Little League state champion. The title was secured on Tuesday afternoon when the local dozen “diamond dandies” beat Sterlington 9-0 in the championship game played at St. Julien Park in Broussard, LA. It was the second victory in two days over their district 8 foe with JP10U winning 12-0 on Monday to punch their ticket to the title game. 

WHAT A STATEMENT! Years ago, Abraham Lincoln delivered a famous speech that began “four score and…”. JP10U All-Stars now has made their own statement, one that wasn’t made by words but actions. One that will also be remembered for years to come that has a somewhat similar start in: “Four NO-score and…”

The opening of the JP10U version refers to something that has never been done in Jackson Parish history and rarely, if ever, seen in state championship play. Jackson Parish won every game played in the state tournament without allowing a single run.  

Let that sink in a minute! Naturally it is always a very impressive achievement to win a state championship. But to dominate the the best the state has to offer in the fashion they did with four straight shutout victories WOW! 

“This season we worked the girls extra hard because we knew they had another state championship in them. All of their hard work paid off in the end,” said JP10U head coach Justin Wyatt referring to this team winning the state 10U title last year as well. “These girls are an exceptional group and we’re proud of each one of them and their dedication this summer.”

SOLID GOLD! From the first at bat of district 8 competition to the final out in the Little League state championship game, the 2024 Jackson Parish 10U team demonstrated utter superiority over all seven of their foes during their All-Star campaign. The numbers are mind boggling. In seven games, JP10U outscored their opponents 98-1, and the sole run that was scored against them was unearned. In the four games that they played against state runner-up Sterlington, two in district and two at state, JP10U held a 49-1 advantage.

Offensively JP10U had 62 hits in 130 official at bats for a remarkable .477 team batting average.  Adding the 53 walks and 24 times that a batter got on base after being hit by a pitch the team’s on base percentage checked in at an amazing .671 clip. 

As impressive as that is, the pitching and defensive stats are even more incredible. Jackson Parish pitching, primarily with Ryan Kate Wyatt in the circle, faced 103 batters in district and state championship tournament play. Only nine total hits were allowed. That includes the three meaningless singles given up in the four state tourney games. In the 27 innings pitched, 64 times an opposing batter went down on strikes. That breaks down to an average of 2.37 strikeouts per innings. Wyatt accounted for 64 of the K’s in 26 innings, while Hannah Aldy struck out the side in the one inning she threw. 

In the rare occassion that an opposing batter did put a bat on a pitch, the JP10U defense was there to make the play. In 95 total chances over the seven games, Jackson Parish made only 3 errors for a .968 fielding percentage. Hitting, pitching, fielding! Take your pick as to what was most impressive but the message is clear. Every player on the team made major contributions and played important roles.  

(STERLING)TON SILVER! One almost has to feel sorry for state runner-up Sterlington. Easily the second best team in the state, Sterlington had little trouble against all their opponents, sans Jackson Parish, winning their district and state tournament games by a 67-8 margin. Against JP10U they had a negative 48 run deficit, proving just how much better Jackson Parish was than everyone else. 

Jackson Parish 12 Sterlington 0 (Monday) A berth in the state title game was secured in the same fashion that has been JP10U’s calling card throughout the All-Star season. Early offensive outbursts and a suffocating defense. It was also the same script that Jackson Parish and Sterlington had played the previous two times the teams squared off. 

For a brief second it looked like Sterlington might give the locals a game. Ryan Kate Wyatt struck out the first batter but then suddenly Sterlington had two runners on via a single and a walk. As it turned out it would be the only hit the visitors would get and all but one other base runner who also walked in the third inning. Other than that Wyatt mowed ’em down. One after another. At one point, between the first through the third innings, Wyatt struck out seven straight batters on her way to K’ing 11 in four innings pitched. 

Conversely, Sterlington pitchers had major trouble finding the strike zone as nine JP10U batters either walked or got hit by a pitch before the second out of the bottom of the first inning was recorded leading to six runs being scored. Coaxing walks were Hannah Aldy, Ryan Kate Wyatt, Emma Gray, Brelaina Hall, Charlee Mauthe and Lizzie Sullivan. Getting on base by being hit by a pitch was Kate and Brooklyn Keiffer and Scarlett Parks. Ryleigh McCormick chipped in with a single. 

It was much the same in the second and third innings as Wyatt made short work of the Sterlington batters and JP10U continued to show a keen eye at the plate. Aldy walked for the second and third time in the game, McCormick and Brooklyn Keiffer got hit by a pitch twice in two innings while Kate Keiffer, Gray, Hall, Sullivan, and Presley Carpenter also all got walked.

The game summary was that both teams got one hit each with the difference being that JP10 pitching produced 11 strikeouts against  2 walks while Sterlington gave up 20 free passes versus only four strikeouts.  

TEAM	1	2	3	4	R	H	E
Sterlington	0	0	0	0	0	1	4
Jackson Parish	6	3	3	x	12	1	0

Jackson Parish 9 Sterlington 0 (Tuesday) It was de-ja-vu, all over again in the title game that pitted the two teams against each other for the fourth time in All-Star competition. Once again Ryan Kate Wyatt slammed the door on any potential offense Sterlington wanted to mount by striking out the first three batters. Once again JP10U put the game on ice in their first at bat by plating six runs. The difference was in this one, Jackson Parish came out swinging. Kate Keiffer set the tone immediately by ripping a triple to left field on the first pitch. Hannah Aldy followed with single and after Ryleigh McCormick got hit by a pitch for the third straight time over two games, Ryan Kate Wyatt helped her own cause by slashing the second triple of the inning to clear the bases. Emma Gray brought her in with a ground out before Brelaina Hall got plunked, moved to second on Scarlett Parks single and both scored on Lizzie Sullivan’s double to left, the third extra base hit of the evening.  

Jackson Parish added a run in the second inning when Kate Keiffer got hit by a pitch, Aldy walked and McCormick got hit by a pitch yet again, the fourth time in a four at bats. That led to Wyatt reaching on an error that upped the lead to 7-0. For the first time the entire All-Star season, Jackson Parish had to play more than four innings but showed they liked the fifth inning as well by adding two more runs. Elliot Savage and Kate Keiffer drew walks, Hall and McCormick got plunked and Emma Gray hit a single. Wyatt would end the game just like she started it by striking out the side in the top of the sixth, giving her 12 for the game. 

TEAM	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H	E
Sterlington	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Jackson Parish	6	1	0	0	2	x	9	7	1

Players of State Tourney Game One and Game Two 

---