EUNICE, La. – The LSU Eunice Softball pair of Chloe Bennett (Rosepine, LA, Rosepine HS) and Katie Salling (Baton Rouge, LA, Parkview Baptist HS) were recognized recently by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) as the duo earned postseason honors by the organization.  Salling and Bennett were both named to the NFCA's NJCAA Division II All-American second-team as well as the South Region squad.
 
The NFCA awarded 36 student-athletes from 17 different NJCAA programs with an All-American designation across two teams.  LSU Eunice was one of ten teams to have multiple recipients.
 
The All-American selections mark the third consecutive season LSUE as seen a student-athlete receive the prestigious honor under the direction of head coach Meghan Collins.  This is Bennett's second season to earn an All-American recognition while Salling's first gives the Bengals 27 players in its history to receive the award.
 
"Chloe and Katie are two great examples of the type of young women we want to be a part of our Bengals' softball program," LSU Eunice Softball head coach Meghan Collins said.  "They are two of our hardest workers on the field and in the classroom, so these types of honors come as no surprise."
 
Bennett earns here second All-American nod of her LSUE career after garnering first-team honors a year ago.  The Rosepine HS product continued to rewrite the LSUE pitching record books in 2023, going 25-7 on the year with a 2.43 earned run average.  She tied her single-season strikeout record from a season ago with 240 punch outs.  The Bengals ace tossed 16 complete games including a perfect game on February 6 against Kilgore College.
 
She broke her own single-game record for strikeouts with 17 against Mississippi Gulf Coast on February 3.  The SLU signee leaves the Cajun Prairie as the all-time leader in strikeouts while finishing second all-time in wins with 48.  Bennett joined six other student-athletes to earn their second NFCA All-American nomination of their career.
 
Salling was a breakout star for LSUE at the plate, leading the team in batting average (.404), total bases (112), triples (4) and home runs (8).  The Parkview Baptist HS product totaled 15 multi-RBI games and 18 multi-hit outings.  She helped kick-off LSUE's late season tear as a 4-for-4 game spurred the Bengals to a wild 16-10 win over San Jacinto on April 13.  With that win, LSUE would head into the postseason winners of 11 of their last 13 contests.
 
The freshman was a utility selection as Salling saw extensive time as LSUE's back-up catcher and primary designated hitter.
 
LSU Eunice finished the 2023 campaign with a 41-20 record, falling just short of another trip to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
 
 
2023 National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American Team
NJCAA Division II
First-Team

Position	Name	School
P	Alexa Hopkins	Murray State College
P	Karley Yergler	Parkland College
P	Holly Craft	Jones College
C	Shallen Mershon	Murray State College
1B	Sydney Roe	Kirkwood Community College
2B	Kathryn Smith	Jones College
3B	Edi Austin	Louisburg College
SS	Brianna Tucker	Louisburg College
OF	Nia Luckett	Jones College
OF	Chesnie Hewitt	Murray State College
OF	Makaiya Gomez	South Mountain Community College
UT/P	Laken Lienhard	North Iowa Area Community College
UT/Non-P	Taylor McQueen	Louisburg College
At-Large-UT/P	Kennedy Byrd	Louisburg College
At-Large-3B	Danitza Hernandez	Phoenix College
At-Large-SS	Brianna Garcia	South Mountain Community College
At-Large-P	Brinson Anne Rogers	Pearl River Community College
At-Large-P	Sydney Kennedy	Des Moines Area Community College

Second-Team

Position	Name	School
P	Zoey Jones	Louisburg College
P	Abby Peace	Potomac State College
P	Chloe Bennett	Louisiana State University-Eunice
C	Katie Hayes	Rock Valley College
1B	Alexis Bailey	Potomac State College
2B	Brynna Seitz	Spoon River College
3B	Maddy Kearns	Des Moines Area Community College
SS	Alexa Shoemaker	Potomac State College
OF	Alyssa Thorson	Iowa Lakes Community College
OF	Averie Ottaly	Louisburg College
OF	Kendal Clark	Des Moines Area Community College
UT/P	Anisa Reynolds	South Mountain Community College
UT/Non-P	Katie Salling	Louisiana State University-Eunice
At-Large-3B	Kenzie Tuck	Murray State College
At-Large-1B	Jenna Huey	Phoenix College
At-Large-SS	Maci Cole	Cowley County Community College
At-Large-OF	Molly Bender	Lake Sumter State College
At-Large-1B	Darrah Nickens	Louisburg College