Eyeing their second state championship
At this point I feel like I write this same article every year. The job that Lady Giants head coach Sarah Roark and staff have done to make Jena one of the most consistent best programs in the state has been remarkable.
When it gets to this point in the year, it seems like we are always in the same position with the Lady Giants playing for a chance to make it to Sulphur. This year is no different as the Lady Giants are the #1 seed in the Division III Non-Select state playoffs.
The Lady Giants had a first-round bye and in the second round would host #17 Church Point on Monday, April 20.
Jena would waste no time jumping out to a lead as Sydney Williams would hit an RBI double then Kiette Cooper would hit an RBI triple. The Lady Giants would lead 4-0 after 1 inning.
From there, the ladies would score 3 runs in the 2nd, 1 in the 4th, and 3 in the 5th to go on to win 11-0 in 5 innings.
Kiette Cooper would be dominant in the circle pitching a no hitter and allowing only one batter to reach base. She finished the game with 9 strikeouts.
The Lady Giants would get 3 hits each from Callie Decker and Sydney Williams. Decker would finish with 2 RBIs, Williams with 3 RBIs, and Kiette Cooper had 2 RBIs.
With the win the Lady Giants would move on to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs where they would host #8 Berwick, who defeated #9 Marksville 12-2 in the 2nd round.
During the quarterfinal game held Friday, April 24, the Lady Giants would once again strike first as Callie Decker would lead off the bottom of the 1st inning with a double and would come in to score on an RBI single by Mary Wood.
Bailey Durham would score on a sacrifice fly from Callie Decker in the bottom of the 2nd inning to give the Lady Giants a 2-0 lead.
The game would be tight as Jena would go scoreless in the 3rd and 4th innings but would finally open the game up with a run in the 5th inning then a 2 RBI double by Kiette Cooper in the 6th inning would put the Lady Giants up 5-0.
Cooper would be excellent in the circle once again as she would only give up 2 hits in the game and finish with 16 strikeouts. The Lady Giants would go on to win 5-0 to move on to the semifinal round.
Cooper would strikeout the side in the 1st, 4th, and 7th innings. Mary Wood and Triniti Williams would both finish with 2 hits each in the game.
With the win, we are once again in familiar territory, as for the fourth straight season the Lady Giants are headed back to Sulphur to play for a state championship.
After the game the Lady Giants had a senior ceremony for the four seniors Callie Decker, Autumn Sharp, Triniti Williams and Kiette Cooper. The four seniors would round the bases and go to their position one last time at Jena City Park. Their coaches were at each base to give them a hug. Long time loyal fan Braxton Joiner was at home plate to give them a gift.
These seniors have meant a lot to the program these four years. Since 2013 this is the 9th time the Lady Giants have made it to Sulphur, and it is the 7th time in the past 9 years.
The Lady Giants will also be facing a familiar foe in Sulphur as they will take on the #5 Sterlington Lady Panthers. Since 2018 these two teams have met four different times with each team getting two wins in the four matchups.
Jena beat Sterlington in the 2021 semifinals then went on to win the state championship. Sterlington beat Jena in the 2024 semifinals then went on to win the state championship that season.
The two teams met earlier this month on April 6th with Jena defeating Sterlington on the road 10-0 in 5 innings. It will be a great matchup between Kiette Cooper and the dominant lineup of Sterlington. Cooper has allowed only two hits in the playoffs and has not allowed a run and Sterlington has outscored their opponents in the playoffs 26-1.
The two teams will meet in their semifinal matchup at noon on Friday, May 1, in Sulphur at Frasch Park. The winner heads to the state championship game set to be played Saturday, May 2, at 3 p.m. The winner of the Jena-Sterlington game will face the winner of the #2 Kaplan and #3 French Settlement game.
Everyone is asked to make the trip to cheer on the Lady Giants as they go for their second state championship in school history. If you can’t make it to the game, then you can hear all the live action on 102.7 KJNAFM.
