EUNICE, La. – LSU Eunice enters arguably the most grueling stretch of its season starting at home with dates at against Marion Military and Coastal Alabama-East. The Tigers invade Eunice on Friday and Saturday, while the Warhawks come to town on Monday.
All three scheduled doubleheaders can be seen on-line with Bengals All-Access at
www.lsuebengals.net. Bayou Sports Network will have a live audio feed with Randy Guillory on the call. Friday's twinbill against Marion Military is set for a 12:00PM start while Saturday's doubleheader will begin at 11:00AM. The Coastal Alabama-East games will begin at 1:00PM.
The four games are part of a 19-game in 12-day swing for LSU Eunice (12-10). The Bengals will head to Coastal Alabama-North, Coastal Alabama-South and then the Jimmie Stewart Classic before returning home on March 12 for a four-game set against Southeastern CC (Iowa).
LSU Eunice is fresh off a doubleheader sweep of Hinds CC. The Bengals' schedule twinbill with Holmes CC was postponed after Game 1 was called early due to rain.
Heather Zumo was named NJCAA Div. II Pitcher of the Week after her sterling efforts in the sweep of Hinds. Zumo earned a win and a save, pitching eight scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out 14 batters.
Emily Henderson led the way offensively, going 6-for-7 over the weekend with four RBIs. The sophomore has raised her average to .357 after batting 17-for-40 (.425) since February 8
th.
LSU Eunice met Marion Military last year for the first time in program history during the Pearl River tournament, notching a 6-4 victory. The Tigers are currently 11-11 this season and enter Friday's series on a three-game win streak.
Freshman Morgan Gaither leads MMI offensively with a .438 batting average, six home runs, 24 RBIs, eight doubles and 22 runs scored. Expect for the Bengals to see the freshman duo of Lexi McCray (3-5, 4.79) and Alex Reed (4-3, 2.95) with both logging seven starts on the season.
Coastal Alabama-East, formerly Jefferson Davis CC, meets LSUE for the 12
th time in the school's history. The Bengals own a 9-2 advantage all-time including a 2-0 mark in Eunice. The Warhawks are 1-17 on the season with Katie Williams and her .306 batting average pacing the offense. Top pitcher Ashleigh Price is 1-7 on the season with a 4.56 earned run average.
Fans can find the latest Bengals information on social media via Twitter (@LSUEBengalsSB), Facebook (@LSUEuniceSoftballl) and Instagram (@LSUEBengals).
Games 25-28: No. 1 LSU Eunice (12-10) vs. Marion Military, Coastal Alabama-East
Date/Time: vs. Marion Military Institute (11-11) – Friday, March 2: 12:00PM (DH)
vs. Marion Military Institute (11-11) – Friday, March 2: 12:00PM (DH)
vs. Coastal Alabama CC-East (1-17) – Monday, March 5: 1:00PM (DH)
Site: Eunice, La.
Stadium: Lady Bengal Field
Radio: Bayou Sports Network
TV/Internet: Bengals All-Access
Social Media: @LSUEBengalsSB (Twitter), @LSUEuniceSoftball (Facebook), @LSUEBengals (Instagram)
MEET THE COACHES
LSU EUNICE
Head Coach: Andy Lee (Delta State)
Career Record: 585-156 (14
th Season), Record At LSU Eunice: 493-91 (10
th Season)
MARION MILITARY INSTITUTE
Head Coach: Jeff Benson
Career Record: 72-77 (3
rd Season), Record At Marion Military: 23-55 (2
nd Season)
COASTAL ALABAMA CC-EAST
Head Coach: Misty Nims (West Florida)
18
th Season At CACC-East
SERIES HISTORY
vs. HINDS CC
All-Time - LSUE Leads 1-0
In Eunice, La. – First Meeting
In Marion, AL – No Meetings
Neutral Site – LSUE Leads 1-0
vs. COASTAL ALABAMA CC - EAST
All-Time: LSUE Leads 9-2
In Eunice, La. - LSUE Leads 2-0
In Brewton, AL - LSUE Leads 6-2
Neutral Site – LSUE Leads 1-0
STORYLINES
- LSUE hits a grueling stretch of the season playing 17 games over the next 12 days including the Jimmie Stewart Classic on the campus of Northwest Florida State College.
- LSUE head coach Andy Lee is nearing a milestone 500th win at Bengals head coach. He currently sits at 493.
- Heather Zumo was named the NJCAA Div. II Pitcher of the Week for Feb. 19-25. Zumo earned a win and a save in eight innings of work, striking out 14 batters and not allowing a run.
- Madison Monson was named the first NJCAA Div. II Player of the Week of the season. The freshman from Walker, La. knocked a pair of home runs during the team's first six game and knocked four doubles.
- The Bengals have been dominant at home under Andy Lee, amassing a 209-22 record in ten seasons. LSUE went 19-0 at Lady Bengal Field during the 2017 season.
LSUE In The NJCAA Rankings
Category Rank
Runs 131 2
nd
Hits 195 1
st
Home Runs 15 3
rd
RBIs 115 2
nd
Total Bases 285 1
st
Walks 84 1
st
Stolen Bases 74 1st
ZUM, ZUM-O – Heather Zumo was named the NJCAA Div. II National Pitcher of the Week for Feb. 19-25. The Central High product dominated Hinds CC over the weekend, playing a key role in both wins of Saturday's doubleheader. Zumo struck out seven batters in a row during a 12 strikeout performance in LSUE's 7-0 shutout of Hinds. After allowing two walks in the first inning, Zumo allowed just two hits the remaining seven innings as she notched her first career double-digit strikeout effort. Zumo also made an appearance in the second game of the doubleheader, providing an inning of shutout relief with two strikeouts in the seventh inning to help preserve the Bengals' come-from-behind 8-5 victory.
MON-STER MASH: Madison Monson enjoyed a breakout first weekend with the Bengals, establishing herself as a key ingredient to the LSUE lineup. The first baseman knocked a pair of home runs during the team's first six games and knocked four doubles. Monson drove in five runs and scored six. The Walker HS product hit safely in all six games this weekend as LSUE split all three doubleheaders. She was named the NJCAA Player of the Week for her performance in Week One of the season.
NO SLOUCHES TO START: The Bengals difficult start to the 2018 season continues with Jones County. The Wildcats are the first Division II NJCAA team the Bengals have faced this season. LSUE faced perennial powers Galveston College, Blinn College and San Jacinto College-South during the first weekend of the season. The Bengals followed that up with Crowder College, a 55-win team a season ago. The Bengals also played a doubleheader against No. 2 Jones County.
DOUCET DOING IT: Mima Doucet has established herself as one of the consistent threats at the plate for LSUE this season. Doucet currently leads the team in hits (28), runs (21) and doubles (7). Her four home runs and 20 RBIs are second and .378 batting average is third on the squad.
HOME, SWEET, HOME: Lady Bengal Field has been very kind to LSUE under Andy Lee. The Bengals an eye-popping 209-22 (.904) inside the friendly confines including three undefeated home seasons. LSUE went a perfect 19-0 last year with a high water mark of 29-0 back in 2014.
D2 DOMINANCE: LSU Eunice recently won its fourth NJCAA Division II National Championship and fifth in the last seven years. The Bengals only trail Phoenix College (8) in titles won in Division II. In fact, the two schools have captured 13 of the 18 championships in NJCAA Division II history.
ELECTRIC EMILY: Emily Henderson enjoyed one of the most successful freshman seasons in LSUE history. The outfielder blasted 19 home runs to lead the team and rank 3
rd all-time in Bengals single-season history. Her six triples set the record for one year. For her breakout campaign, Henderson was named to the NJCAA All-American First Team. She joins Rebecca Skains (2016), Destin Vicknair (2014) and Tina Shulz (2011) as LSUE freshmen to earn First Team All-American honors. All three went on to First Team All-American honors the next year.
MILESTONES IN SIGHT: LSU Eunice head coach Andy Lee will have a few win milestones he could surpass in 2018. Lee is just 7 wins shy of capturing his 500
th win as the head coach of the Bengals. He is also 15 victories away from his 600
th as a junior college head coach. The 10-year head coach of LSUE is 493-91 all-time on campus while holding an all-time record of 585-156.
