EUNICE, La. – LSU Eunice baseball will head to Pearl River CC next week for the Region 23 Tournament starting Monday and take on East Central CC in the opening round.  The Bengals (42-5) are the tournament's three-seed in the six-team field.
 
LSUE and East Central are joined by MACCC regular season champion and host Pearl River, as well as Meridian, Itawamba and Hinds.  The winner will advance to the NJCAA Division II World Series later this month in Enid, Oklahoma.
 
The Bengals are currently ranked second in the nation after another 40-win campaign under Jeff Willis.  LSUE will enter with one of the top offenses in the nation, currently ranked top three in runs (612), hits (614), doubles (126), runs batted in (530), extra base hits (218), total bases (1,000), walks (323), on-base percentage (.498) and slugging percentage (.612).  Jack Merrifield (Prairieville, LA, Dutchtown HS) paces the Bengal bats with a .433 batting average and also leads the team in runs batted in (58), runs scored (54) and hits (65).
 
The LSUE pitching staff is headlined by the sophomore duo of Jacob Hammond (Monroe, LA, Ouachita HS) and Jerry Couch (Bossier City, LA, Airline HS).  Hammond sports a 0.65 earned run average with a 4-0 record and four saves, while Couch is 9-1 on the year with a 3.82 ERA.
 
The Warriors, meanwhile, advanced to the Region 23 Tournament after sweeping Northwest Mississippi in its best-of-three MACCC playoff series.  ECCC rallied late for a 5-4 Game One victory, followed by a 13-5 run-rule to clinch the Region 23 bid.
 
ECCC finished tied for third in the MACCC regular season with a 21-9 conference record, 27-15 overall.  Freshman Amani Larry is the top offensive threat, leading the team with a .418 batting average and is tops in RBIs (39), doubles (19) and stolen bases (26).  Hayden West is the top pitcher with a 6-2 record and 3.66 earned run average.
 
The two sides last met during the 2019 season, LSUE coming away with a 5-3 victory.  The last Region 23 Tournament matchup was in 2014, the Bengals advancing in elimination bracket play in a 12-4 decision.
 
LSU Eunice and East Central kicks off the Region 23 schedule, followed by first round matchups between Meridian and Itawamba, with the nightcap pitting host Pearl River and Hinds.
 
Pearl River CC will broadcast all Region 23 Tournament games on prccmedia.com