If this summer’s Junior American Legion baseball season is any indication, the future of the Westgate High School baseball team looks bright.

The Westgate Wildcats went 7-2 in winning the area’s Junior Legion district title, and the Wildcats earned a first-round bye in the state tournament that begins Thursday at Fontainebleau High School in Mandeville.

“We’re going to try to get it done and give people a representation of what Westgate baseball will have in the future,” said Wildcats coach Jerome Jacob.

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The team is comprised primarily of players who will be freshmen and sophomores next season for WHS, with a few players who will be juniors.

“We’ve got a good mix of younger players and more experienced guys,” said Jacob. “They’re learning quick. The reason we want to go (to state) is to get them more experience and prepare them for the next level.”

Colby Cook, Aaron Gary, Trey Hebert and Jared Williams will be juniors come the fall, Jacob said. Players who will be sophomores and freshmen Jory Baldwin, Kyle Bourque, Myles Jeanminette, Blake Latiolais, Alex Poirrier, Corey Rogers, Brock Romero, Drew Romero, Dusty Romero, Allen Stansbury and Dylan Viator. Kenneth Bashay and Jacob coach the team.

“We’re using (the season) as a learning experience,” said Jacob. “We’re looking at speed, running bases, routine plays. We’re just trying to pick up the speed of the game.”

Overall the Wildcats went 7-4, with a couple of games against Senior Legion teams, including a 4-3 loss to the New Iberia Holiday Sporting Goods Cajuns on June 26.

Westgate will open the tournament at 1 p.m. Friday with a game against the winner of Thursday’s contest between the defending state champion Cajun Sting, a New Iberia Senior High-based squad, and the Eunice Oilers.

Also participating in the state tournament are Jeff Davis Bank (Jennings High), the Shreve A’s Green (Captain Shreve), the Shreveport Cowboys (Southwood) and Capitol One Bank (Fontainebleau).

The tournament begins at 1 p.m. Thursday with the Cajun Sting facing Eunice. Three games are scheduled each day through Saturday, with two games Sunday and the finals Monday at 4 p.m. If necessary, a second championship game will be played Monday at 7:30 p.m.

The Wildcats are asking for funds to help defray costs for the tournament. If interested, call Coach Jacob at (337) 380-8947 to help sponsor the team.