The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

CUTLINE: Recent Bridge City High School graduate, Schuyler Thibodaux, catcher, was named to play in the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Class 2A-3A-4A Game at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 16 at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. He will play for the South Team.

RECORD File Photo

David Ball

For The Record

A lifetime of playing baseball is paying big dividends for Schuyler Thibodaux, Bridge City High School's exceptional catcher.

He was named to play in the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Class 2A-3A-4A Game at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 16 at Dell Diamond in Round Rock. He will play for the South Team.

He was the Defensive Player of the year for the All-District 22-4A team. On the offensive side, he hit .326 with 24 runs batted in and led the team with 11 doubles. The Cardinals, by the way, were the District 22-4A champions.

Thibodaux said he found out he made the all-star team after Bridge City lost in the playoffs. He added that's it's an honor to be named to the all-star team, but he rather continue in the playoffs with his Cardinals teammates.

"It's exciting to go," he said. "The last person to go for Bridge City was Chase (Shuggart who played in the all-star game a few years ago and now pitches for the University of Texas at Austin). I caught for him when I was in my freshman year."

Thibodaux has been playing ball since he was 4 years old. He's played select ball since age 8.

"It's all I do (play baseball). I was the football team manager, though," he said.

Though Thibodaux had a great senior year, he said his best season was as a junior when he batted .450 which is a school record and he had 151 hits and 39 RBIs.To generate such impressive numbers, he spends much time in the batting cages. He also adjusts and tweaks his hitting in the cages. For example, if he hits a high pop up he'll make adjustments with his swing to hit line drives.

Thibodaux has also made a positive impression on his high school coach, Chad Landry.

"Schuyler has had an incredible career for us," Landry wrote via email. "He started as a freshman which seems like an eternity ago and has developed into one of the top players to ever come through Bridge City Baseball. He has received numerous post season accolades, but his mark that he has left with BC Baseball will last for generations.

"Youngsters in the stands emulate him, teammates respect and follow him, Coaches from all around praise him...He is a great kid with a bright future."

The Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association started in 1972 when a group of coaches gathered in Waco to promoted and improve high school baseball in Texas," according to their website.

"Over the past 44 years the association has grown in every division of baseball and is one of the fastest growing baseball associations in the country with over 3,200 members," it read.