EUNICE, La. – LSU Eunice freshman Connor Benge (Montgomery, TX, Montgomery HS) was awarded the NJCAA Baseball Division II Pitcher of the Week honor, the national office announced on Wednesday.  It was the first week of the season that the NJCAA has named pitcher and player of the week for Division II.
 
Benge was dominant during LSUE's 9-3 win against Southeastern Iowa on Friday.  The Montgomery, Texas native struck out 14 batters in six innings of work with his only blemish coming off a first inning error that resulted in an unearned run.  Benge would strikeout the side in three of the six frames he pitched, yielding four hits and two walks.
 
His 14 punchouts are the most by a LSU Eunice pitcher since Zach Hester against Brunswick CC in the opening game of the 2018 NJCAA Division II National Championship.
 
Benge is the first Bengal to be awarded a weekly NJCAA honor since Jarrett McDonald in March 2021 and the first LSUE pitcher to be named Pitcher of the Week since Andrew Sheridan during the 2019 season.
 
The freshmen is currently tied for the NJCAA Division II lead in wins with five and is fourth in strikeouts with 46.  He is 5-0 in seven appearances this season, sporting a 0.93 earned run average.
 
LSUE, recently named the number one ranked team in NJCAA Division II, will back in action this weekend on the road as the Bengals travel to L.B. Wallace in Andalusia, Alabama.