Notre Dame's Doucet signs with Centenary

CROWLEY – For Grace Doucet, moving to catcher last year for the Notre Dame Lady Pios’ softball team was move made out of necessity more than anything.
That move, however, proved to be beneficial in more ways than one, it turned out.
Not only was Doucet a key to the Lady Pios’ success as a junior, helping lead her team to the Class 3A semifinals, but her ability behind the plate also caught the eye of college coaches around the state.
On Wednesday, her dream of moving on to the next level became a reality when she inked a National Letter of Intent to play softball for the Centenary Catahoulas beginning next the fall.
“I am just so blessed and so excited and just so ready for this next season in my life,” said Doucet. “It’s one thing to play in high school, but it’s a completely different thing to play in college; it’s just awesome.”
“Ever since you start playing, it’s almost everyone’s dream to move on and keep playing as long as you can.”
Doucet flourished behind the plate during her junior campaign when she threw out seven runners on steal attempts and had a fielding percentage of .987 with just three errors in 225 chances.
“I’ve only played catcher for a few years, but I love it,” said Doucet. “It’s a position that you are either going to love or hate and I love it. It’s a make-or-break type of position because you’re in it every game and you’re very important to the game.”
Doucet was also a key contributor at the plate where she hit .417 with 13 doubles, three triples, and one home run. She also scored 23 runs and drove in 27 while posting a .495 on base percentage and a .679 slugging percentage.
If everything goes as planned, Grace will get to spend the final the final three years of her college career on the field with her sister Mima, a junior third baseman for the Lady Pios.
“My sister is committed to Centenary and that is so exciting,” said Doucet. “The coaches are super excited to have sisters on the team.”
Oddly enough, it wasn’t exactly Centenary’s softball program that swayed her decision to commit over a handful of other schools showing interest.
“As far as Centenary goes, it was more of an academic decision than an athletic decision,” said Doucet, who plans to major in biology before moving on to LSU-Shreveport for medical school. “Being able to play softball is an awesome opportunity and I’m so stoked to be able to play. But it was more of a schooling decision for me.”
Grace is the daughter of Chad and Janell Doucet of Judice.