NOTE - STORY HAS BEEN EDITED FOR NEW TOURNAMENT DATES
EUNICE, La. – LSU Eunice is set to play Mississippi Gulf Coast in the opening round of the Region 23 Tournament at home beginning this Thursday. The Bengals (34-20) will host the National Tournament qualifying tournament for just the second time in program history, the first coming in 2016.
The Region 23 Tournament will feature a new format this season, expanding the double elimination format from four to six teams. Five of the six teams are ranked in the Top 15 of the most recent NJCAA Division II polls. The Bengals and Bulldogs will close out the first day of play at 6:00PM at Lady Bengal Field.
The top two finishers in the tournament will qualify for the 2021 NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Oxford, Alabama later this month.
LSU Eunice enters the postseason winners in five of its last six games.
Olivia Hennen (Choudrant, LA, Choudrant HS) leads the Bengals offense, tops on the team in average (.434), stolen bases (38) and runs (56). LSUE has employed a true pitching staff in 2021 with no pitcher logging more than 100 innings this season. Five pitchers have at least five wins this year, headlined by
Raegan Pilgreen (Ruston, LA, Quitman HS) (9-5) and
Kinsley Ashworth (Plainview, LA, Plainview HS) (8-5).
Mississippi Gulf Coast comes into the week ranked third nationally in the most recent NJCAA polls, fresh off a 2-2 week at the MACCC State Tournament. The Bulldogs are 30-12 on the season and are led offensively by sophomore Rakeya Travis. The shortstop paces MGCCC with the team triple crown, leading in home runs (14), RBI (57) and average (.466).
This will be the third time this season the two sides met, splitting a doubleheader in Eunice on February 24. The Bengals were stopped just short of a seventh inning rally in an 8-7 opening setback but roared in the nightcap, delivering a 19-4 mercy rule win. Grace King connected on a trio of home runs in the win, totaling a LSUE single-game record 10 RBIs.
The games were the first for Bulldog head coach Kenneth Long, who returned back atop the helm after Mississippi Gulf Coast had a change in coaching staff early in the season. MGCCC has rolled to an impressive 26-8 record since Long's return.
The Region 23 Tournament first round begins at 12:00PM with Itawamba taking on Copiah-Lincoln, followed by Jones and Northwest Mississippi at 3:00PM. LSUE and Gulf Coast will close out the first day of action.
Fans can get the most up-to-date information on the Region 23 Tournament at lsuebengals.net/Region23Softball.
