Baseball fans know that Ouachita Christian School has one of the best programs in the State of Louisiana. Coach Micah Harper has over 400 wins and the outfield fence at the school's pristine diamond bears witness to several state championships earned over the years.

The Eagles captured the 2A state title last year with a 6-5 win over district rival Sterlington, but you could say that most of OCS' playoff games were against teams that were capable of reaching the finals.

With Louisiana high school baseball still not privy to a seeding-based playoff system (as football is), we get matchups in the second round like OCS vs. perennial power Episcopal (a game which OCS won 6-1) - but that's another story.

This year, the Eagles posted a stellar 20-6 mark, including two wins over 22-8 Mangham, and the Eagles took the season series with 24-6 Sterlington two games to one.

The final LBCA 2A poll ranked OCS at No. 2, with 24-5 St. Charles Catholic claiming the top spot.

In the semifinal of the 2A tournament last year - at the University of Louisiana at Monroe - pitchers Matt Laird and Daniel Bradshaw combined to hold off a solid Riverside Academy club that is ranked No. 3 in the state this year.

Laird, who has already signed to play baseball next year at ULM, is well known to Louisiana high school football fans, having completed a great career with a trip to the semifinals last fall.

Laird is 5-0 on the mound this year after going 8-2 in 2005. His fastball tops out at about 87 mph and he said that he likes the knuckle-curve as his out pitch (knuckle-curve just sounds nasty, doesn't it?)

Laird bats third in the order and is rapping the ball at a .481 clip.

The leadoff hitter is infielder Sean Nichols, who is known as an impact player on the national scene for the Class of 2006. Nichols is banging away with a .460 average. He'll play for Arkansas State next year.

Bradshaw, who is a power pitcher in the mold of Kyle Farnsworth (without Farnworth's baggage), is 4-1 on the season. He's also able to change speeds with the breaking ball even when behind in the count, so hitters are often baffled. LSU is showing interest in the hard-throwing right-hander, who is only a junior.

Bradshaw's out pitch is the change, but that's a misnomer, because it has movement and various speeds. His fastball reaches about 88 mph.

The clean-up hitter for the Eagles is another junior - Caleb Brasher - who should be familiar to football fans for his play at the FB position.

Brasher plays a lot of first base and could probably best be described as a cross between Todd Helton and Lou Gehrig. He's hitting .357 and is second on the team in RBI with 37 (Laird has 38).

2A Playoff Notes: Many High School reached the first-round of the playoffs despite a 5-18 record. The Tigers enjoyed a successful season in 2005 under former player Moses Curtis as head coach. After Curtis, who has been widely sought after as an assistant football coach, took an administrative position at Many Junior High, Dustin Wright was hired as head coach.

Thanks to the efforts of players such as 2B Jesse Curtis (hit well over .300 for two consecutive years), who happens to be Moses' nephew, the Tigers were able to make it to the postseason again this year, although 2005 semifinalist Lakeside ousted the Sabine Parish school 10-0 in first-round action Thursday.

Wright endured a rough season at the helm, as several players quit the team, including an incident in which a player walked off the field during the game.

Around the state, No. 1 St. Charles Catholic and Casey Robottom blasted Jewel Sumner 17-0, and Riverside eliminated Episcopal 7-1.

Another team to watch is Menard. Don't let that 13-13 record fool you. The Alexandria-based Eagles are very good and the tandem of right-handed pitchers Kirk Savoy and Justin Marks is tough to beat. A baseball insider told me that he was extremely impressed with Menard's team and that Savoy was bringing some serious heat during the regular season, reaching up to 91 mph on the gun.

The Eagles, similar to St. Charles Catholic, were a force in 3A prior to reclassification.

Menard faces always-tough Loyola (14-13) in the first-round. OCS will host Lakeview (5-10).