Vikings Seniors View Futures
BOBBY ARDOIN
Editor/Consulting Writer
Spring sports for three Opelousas Catholic senior athletes are still months away, but each of them announced their college destinations Wednesday during a combined signing ceremony held in the school gymnasium.
Softball pitcher Ashley Little upheld her previous commitment to Nicholls State and signed with the Colonels, while Vikings’ baseball players Braylin Harris and Rowen Bergeron will extend their athletic careers in baseball with junior college programs.
Ashley Little
Little helped pitch OCS to a state softball championship in 2023, finishing with a 17-4 record in addition to her selection on the Division IV all-state team.
On Wednesday Little was wearing a red Nicholls State sweatshirt as she was surrounded by family members celebrating the occasion.
Ashley Little is the second family member to sign a college softball scholarship. Older sister Mallory Little, who also attended the signing ceremonies, signed first and played two years for LSU-Eunice and then finished her softball career at Mississippi College.
For Ashley Little, there has been little doubt that she would deter from her commitment last year to play for Nicholls.
“Nicholls is a great place for me. Right now I have no idea how much I will get to pitch immediately. I know there is a lot that I still have to learn about how to pitch at that level,” Little said.
The Colonels are continuing to build a competitive program and Little said she wants to engage in that process.
LSUE and Northwest Florida also expressed interest in signing her, Little said.
Braylin Harris
Harris remembers those moments as an underclassman when he watched teammates participate in signing ceremonies that featured him on Wednesday.
“It was always a big thing for me, to come here to the gym and see those ceremonies and the other guys who were signing. That really impressed me and I wanted so much to be on the same page,” Harris added.
Harris, a centerfielder for the Vikings, will attend Bossier Parish Community College.
The Bossier baseball program has an experienced roster and Harris thinks there will be an opportunity for him when he transitions into the program next season.
“They expect to lose a lot of players at the end of this year and now the program is recruiting a lot of players,” Harris said.
Harris anticipates playing centerfield again for OCS in 2024.
“I feel centerfield is a good position for me. I see the ball well and I have good speed,” Harris said.
Harris gave credit to OCS head baseball coach and athletic director Justin Boyd.
“We have set a goal to repeat as state champion. Our coaches in all our sports really push us to be our best. We owe a lot to them,” Harris said.
Rowen Bergeron
Bergeron, who signed with the LSUE baseball program, will slide into the shortstop role for the Vikings this season.
Before narrowing his choices of where to play college baseball, Bergeron consulted former OCS infielder Jordan Luna, who signed with the Bengals last season.
“I saw how (Luna) likes it (at LSUE). He talked to me about the brand there and the winning atmosphere,” Bergeron said.
One dominant attraction, said Bergeron, was the winning tradition at LSUE. The Bengals won a national title again last year.
“You definitely want to play for a team that has a chance to win a national title every season and that is the way the program there is designed. That made my decision more attractive,” Bergeron noted.
This spring Bergeron expects the Vikings to reload the baseball program and compete for another state title.
“We had some key players leaving, but there are also a lot who are coming back. We expect to be good,” Bergerson said.
Bergeron said it was important for him to sign with LSUE before the start of high school baseball.
“I really saw no reason for a delay. You don’t want to have any issues during the season when you are playing and trying to win games,” said Bergeron.
