St. John's Cindy Prouty named district coach of year

Longtime St. John softball coach Cindy Prouty knows success ultimately amounts to the work put forth on and off the field, and it paid off for this year’s Eagle team.

It also brought recognition for Prouty, who was named District 8-1A Coach of the Year.

Prouty led a Lady Eagle team of seasoned players and up-and-coming talent to the district championship and playoff run.

A win over longtime rival Ascension Catholic propelled SJHS to the 8-1A title.

A large crop of young players posed a bigger challenge for this year’s Lady Eagles, but senior leadership, a veteran coach and solid group of assistants paid off for SJHS.

The Lady Eagles finished 19-10 overall and 4-0 in District 8-1A action.

A “Coach of the Year’ honor always provides a sense of gratification, but the 2026 season has been special, Prouty said.

“We had to work a little harder since we had so many young players in the lineup,” she said. “Fortunately, we had three seniors who provided us with a great deal of experience, leadership and offensive firepower. I just wish we could’ve won the last game which would’ve given us another shot at the state championship.”

Longtime St. John softball coach Cindy Prouty was named 2026 "Coach of the Year" for District 8-1A.

She emphasized that it takes more than one coach to build a successful program.

Behind a good head coach is a great staff, she said.

“I’ve got a few tremendous assistant coaches who I love and respect,” Prouty said. “Coach Grayson Schnebelen is our pitching coach and has been with me for the last five years and Coach Shelbi Schnebelen joined our staff this year and really did an excellent job with our infield and hitting — both those ladies also played for me here at St. John.

“My other assistant is Dwayne Boudreaux who’s been on our staff for four years and does an excellent job with our outfield and practice planning,” she said. “These three make my job easy and I am blessed to have them.”

This article originally appeared on Plaquemine Post South: St. John coach Cindy Prouty earns district honor