By Rick Assad
Communicating with teammates was essential for Providence High infielder Asa Langlois.
That was merely one reason why the recent graduate was successful but hard work, talent, and preparation also had something to do with it.
“I think I excelled in communication on the diamond and making sure when we shifted for a certain batter everyone was in the right spot,” he said.
Langlois, who will play baseball at Division III Beloit College in Wisconsin, led the Pioneers with 16 runs scored, second in hits with 13, second in doubles with four, third in slugging percentage at .436 and had 11 runs batted in as a senior.
Langlois, who was nominated for the Providence Athletics Department Award which recognizes student-athletes for athletic excellence, leadership, character and academic performance, played second base and shortstop and batted .333 in his final campaign.
“I was making sure I was confident in myself to make the play or swing at my pitch,” he said. “Also making sure I knew that I was good enough and I’ve put in the time to get myself to the right place to succeed.”
As a four-year player, Langlois, who batted .303 as a junior with 13 runs tallied, six RBIs and clubbed two doubles, was also a leader on the field.
“I believe that having that title entailed that you would have more of an impact on the field,” he said. “Underclassmen may look at them differently and follow what you do in the field more because you have that title. I approached the title by making sure I was properly communicating more with the team on and off the field.”
For two seasons, senior and freshman, with Langlois on the team, the Pioneers fielded a team that went 6-6 in league action, which means the team played in the CIF Southern Section postseason.
In 2026, the Pioneers joined the Liberty League, after being in the Prep League.
During the four years Langlois was at Providence, the Pioneers went 8-12 and 6-6 in league as a senior, 9-12 and 3-5 in league as a junior, 5-16 and 4-8 in league as a sophomore and 11-12 and 6-6 in league as a freshman.
“Some of the biggest games I’ve played are always playoff games or late season games to determine if we would make the playoffs or not. I remember freshman year I played in a playoff game against a tough team,” Langlois said. “I was so nervous about how I was going to perform in the game and how I would look out on the field. I ended up doing well in the game and even though we lost it was still a close game all throughout.”
One game did stand out for Langlois who was a Gold Glove winner as a junior and won academic honors all four years.
“There were many highlights. One I remember was Senior Night my sophomore year,” he said. “I remember being on deck with bases loaded and seeing Luc Rode up to the plate and he hit a single which gave us the lead and ended up sealing our win that game.”
As an infielder, you need to be sure handed and Langlois was just that.
“I would definitely say my fielding. Fielding has always been my best tool on the field ever since I’ve started playing,” he stated. “I believe it’s my best tool on the field because playing in travel ball and Little League, all I would do to practice is throw a ball off a wall and field it for hours.”
Being a student and an athlete presents significant problems.
“The biggest challenge I faced was having enough time to get all my work done. Having practice for two hours after school and just being tired from that and trying to come home to get schoolwork done was definitely a challenge,” Langlois admitted. “Another challenge was making sure I was caught up with the classes I was missing because of a game.”
Mando Contreras is the Providence head coach and had a bird’s eye view of Langlois, who batted .152 with two runs scored and two RBI as a sophomore.
“He’s a talented ball player. His glove work and arm are elite,” he explained. “He’s an awesome big brother. He’s kind to his classmates and has a great reputation amongst teachers. We love the way he keeps high standards for himself. He’s going to be great with some good support. I wish him all the luck in his future endeavors. He’s going to do great things.”
Langlois tried his best to keep team spirit up and also found a good way to relax.
“A big thing for me is music, so I would make sure I have the right tunes playing to get myself ready for the game,” he said. “Another thing I did was stretching. Making sure my body felt loose was definitely a big part of how I prepared for the games.”
The teammates that Langlois, who played on the junior varsity as a freshman and batted .250 with four runs scored, met during his four-year journey as a baseball player are memorable.
“It was great. I’ve made most of my friends through baseball and being able to be a part of that team was special,” he said. “Make sure you get to know your teammates because you’ll be spending time almost every day with those guys for the next four years.”
Rick Assad
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