Lake Charles (La.) pair hope to lead their respective teams to state 4A title.
It's not enough that Sara Corbello and Baylee Corbello share the same last name, attend high school in the same city and play the same position for their respective softball teams.
Now the unrelated phenoms find themselves playing in the same district after
Sam Houston (Lake Charles, La.) moved into the top classification after winning last year's Louisiana Class 4A state championship.
If any team can keep junior right-handed pitcher
Baylee Corbello and Sam Houston from winning another state championship, it is senior right-handed pithcer
Sara Corbello and
Barbe (Lake Charles, La.). Barbe has made three consecutive state tournament appearances and was ranked first entering postseason play last year.
What's more, Sara seems as dominant as ever with two no-hitters already to her credit after finishing 26-2 last season while throwing four no-hitters and winning Gatorade Louisiana Softball Player of the Year honors.
Baylee fashioned a 22-4 record while striking out 255 batters in 138 innings. She earned Most Valuable Player honors in the state championship game after tossing a two-hitter. Both made their respective all-star teams.
Sara has signed with college powerhouse University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL), which won its first 29 games this season.
"It is a great honor to play for a nationally ranked team," she said upon signing.
ULL coaches might be saying the same of Sara, who held Sulphur hitless several weeks after Baylee had done the same. Sara also smashed a home run in Barbe's 8-0 victory.
As impressive as the Corbellos may be on the mound, they seemingly are equally adept at the plate. Baylee plays first base when not pitching, while Sara hit nearly .400 last season.
"She's a power kid," said New Orleans Deja vu Gold's Chris Stropplo, who coached Sara on a summer-league travel team. "She's got a big swing, and she can hit it anywhere. She can mash it."
When not competing against each other in District 3-5A play, the Corbellos vie for attention with their headline-grabbing performances.
For instance, Baylee threw back-to-back shutouts in the Lake Charles St. Louis High School Tournament in March. She beat host St. Louis, 3-0, on a one-hitter while striking out 12. She followed that with a 6-0 victory over Westlake in which she yielded two scratch singles while striking out 13. Not to be outdone, Sara threw a no-hitter in beating Scott Acadiana in separate action, 10-0.
Sam Houston coach Beth Domingue said "moving up to 5A should be a great motivator for the team," although Domingue voiced reservations before the season began.
"I wish we could still stay in that (4A) a little bit longer," said Domingue, who played first base for Sam Houston's 2000 state championship team, "but we've got to move on."
Baylee helped ease the transition with her St. Louis Tournament effort that extended Sam Houston's winning streak to seven games. She is looking to follow the lead of Sara in eventually signing a college scholarship. Baylee's two older sisters played Division I college softball.
Sara is headed in that direction with ULL, which should benefit from an accomplished pitcher, who said she uses her riseball, curveball, screwball and changeup "all pretty equally."
Not that Sara is jumping the gun. As much as she's looking forward to playing for ULL, she wants to make the most of her final prep season while ensuring she won't be upstaged by her namesake in a run toward the state championship.
