Submitted by Acadiana Cane Cutters
By Sports Writer Jared Viancourt
YOUNGSVILLE, LA (May 6, 2024) – The cleats, batting gloves, eye black, sunflower seeds, margaritas, and more will be here before we know it, as the baseball season is right around the corner at Fabacher Field for the Acadiana Cane Cutters. The Cane Cutters have a lot of high expectations this year and are looking to flip the script, including their Head Coach, Darien Dukes. “Our expectations as a staff do not change. We want to win the first half and earn home field advantage for the playoffs…then overall record a championship. I am looking forward to getting back on the field and into a baseball routine,” Coach Dukes said. The Cane Cutters will be in the company of some familiar faces, including two returning pitchers, sophomore Trent Hillen from Jones Community College and sophomore Miles Justin from Spring Hill College. Coach Dukes added, “I’m really excited to see Hillen…he was right on the verge all summer of putting everything together and is having a great year at Jones.”
We spoke with Trent, the projected opening-day starter for Acadiana, and he mentioned that what is most exciting for this baseball season is “meeting the new guys and working as a brotherhood to bring a championship back to the Cane Cutters.” He added that what is most important is “being a good teammate, being a good role model to the younger players, and showing them what’s right and what’s wrong…and helping them succeed later in the future. I’ve been around college baseball for three seasons and learned a lot. I want to help others like I was helped.” Last season, his counterpart Miles Justin, in twelve games, posted a 2.30 ERA in 27.1 innings with 23 strikeouts. Speaking with Justin, he mentioned, “I’m looking forward to the competitive field the TCL brings to the table, in the sense of seeing different guys from different levels compete for a championship.”
There are also some newcomers to keep a close eye out for the Cane Cutters this season that we can’t wait to see take the field. Coach Dukes said, “We have a catcher coming from the University of Louisiana named Jose Torres that I’m looking forward to seeing. Dylan Biddick from Bossier Parish Community College (BPCC) is having a great spring.” This spring at BPCC, Freshman outfielder Dylan Biddick is sporting a .408 Average (AVG) with 3 Home Runs (HR), 22 Runs Batted In (RBI), and has collected 40 hits in 29 games. Junior catcher Jose Torres has a .263 AVG with 1 HR and 12 RBI in 17 games for the Ragin Cajuns.
The Acadiana Cane Cutters open their season on the road against the Brazos Valley Bombers on Thursday, May 30, 2024. Soon after, they will open their season at Fabacher Field against the Victoria Generals at 7:00 on June 4th.
Call the box office at (337) 451- 6582 for season and single-game ticket information, as well as summer camps, group outings, and sponsorship opportunities.
