EUNICE, La. – LSU Eunice pitcher
Connor Benge (Montgomery, TX, Montgomery HS) was honored as a second-team member on the 2023 Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) All-Louisiana Baseball team, the organization announced on Thursday. Benge's nomination makes it four straight seasons the Bengals have received an All-Louisiana accolade dating back to 2019, the first year the LSWA included junior college teams.
The LSWA All-Louisiana Baseball Team is comprised of student-athletes from 16 universities and colleges from across the state throughout all affiliations of collegiate athletics. The team was selected through a vote conducted by the state's baseball athletic communicators and a statewide media panel. Benge is one of ten pitchers in the state of Louisiana to earn All-Louisiana honors.
The Montgomery, Texas native established himself as one of the frontline arms on a very deep Bengal pitching staff. Benge posted a team best 11-1 record with a 2.82 earned run average. He also led the team in innings pitched (70.1) and strikeouts (86).
His 11 wins were ranked second in NJCAA Division II while his 86 strikeouts place him in the Top 20 nationally.
The freshman was electric to start the season, not allowing a run in his first five appearances. He would be named the national NJCAA Pitcher of the Week after a 14-strikeout performance against Southeastern Iowa in a March 10 win.
Benge collected NJCAA All-Region 23 and All-American honors earlier this offseason. He's the first Bengal freshman to earn NJCAA All-American designation since Trey Watkins and Chance Mistric achieved that honor in 2009.
In addition to Benge, former LSUE standout Brandon Mooney was named to the LSWA All-Louisiana Team. Mooney was a first-team selection at second base after a record setting season for Loyola (New Orleans). The sophomore led the Wolf Pack in batting average (.411), runs (63), hits (81), doubles (18), walks (38) and stolen bases (22). He was a first-team All-Conference pick in the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC). His total runs and hits were both single-season school records for the Wolfpack.
The major awards for the All-Louisiana team were given to LSU's Dylan Crews (Hitter of the Year), Paul Skenes (Pitcher of the Year), Tommy White (Newcomer of the Year) and Jay Johnson (Coach of the Year). Nicholls State's Jacob Mayers was voted as the Freshman of the Year.
NCAA National Champion LSU led the All-Louisiana team with nine selections.
2023 Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) All-Louisiana Baseball Team
First Team
|
Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
Stats (Through Conference Tournaments) |
| P |
Paul Skenes |
LSU |
Jr. |
Lake Forest, CA |
10-2, 1.89 ERA, 167 K |
| P |
Jacob Mayers |
Nicholls State |
Fr. |
Gonzales, LA |
9-1, 1.93 ERA, 97 K |
| P |
Grant Rogers |
McNeese State |
Jr. |
Groves, TX |
12-1, 1.82 ERA, 88 K |
| P |
Brandon Mitchell |
New Orleans |
Sr. |
Houston, TX |
11-3, 3.65 ERA, 88 K |
| C |
Julian Brock |
Louisiana |
Jr. |
Fulshear, TX |
.318 BA, 62 RBI, 11 HR, 16 2B |
| 1B |
Keylon Mack |
Grambling State |
R-Sr. |
Gladewater, TX |
.350 BA, 59 RBI, 16 HR, 47 R |
| 2B |
Brandon Mooney |
Loyola (NO) |
So. |
Madisonville, LA |
.411 BA, 35 RBI, 18 2B, 63 R |
| 3B |
Tommy White |
LSU |
So. |
St. Pete Beach, FL |
.387 BA, 91 RBI, 20 HR, 22 2B |
| SS |
Kyle DeBarge |
Louisiana |
So. |
Kinder, LA |
.370 BA, 35 RBI, 15 2B, 17 SB |
| OF |
Dylan Crews |
LSU |
Jr. |
Longwood, FL |
.420 BA, 59 RBI, 15 HR, 82 R |
| OF |
Ryan Major |
LSU Shreveport |
Sr. |
Chula Vista, CA |
.472 BA, 58 RBI, 22 2B, 64 R |
| OF |
Xane Washington |
Nicholls State |
R-Sr. |
Houma, LA |
.379 BA, 46 RBI, 17 2B, 50 R |
| DH |
Cade Beloso |
LSU |
Gr. |
New Orleans, LA |
.324 BA, 36 RBI, 11 HR, 34 R |
| UTL |
Ethan Bates |
Louisiana Tech |
Jr. |
Hot Springs, AR |
.270 BA, 38 RBI, 16 HR, 3.02 ERA, 57 K |
Hitter of the Year: Dylan Crews, LSU
Pitcher of the Year: Paul Skenes, LSU
Newcomer of the Year: Tommy White, LSU
Freshman of the Year: Jacob Mayers, Nicholls State
Coach of the Year: Jay Johnson, LSU
Second Team
|
Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
Stats (Through Conference Tournaments) |
| P |
Cooper Rawls |
Louisiana |
Sr. |
Hallsville, TX |
10-1, 3.66 ERA, 50 K |
| P |
Connor Benge |
LSU Eunice |
Fr. |
Montgomery, TX |
11-1, 2.82 ERA, 86 K |
| P |
Ty Floyd |
LSU |
Jr. |
Rockmart, GA |
7-0, 4.40 ERA, 83 K |
| P |
Bobby Vath |
LSU Shreveport |
So. |
Coram, NY |
12-2, 2.93 ERA, 81 K |
| C |
Jorge Corona |
Louisiana Tech |
Jr. |
Miami, FL |
.282 BA, 35 RBI, 9 HR, 55 R |
| 1B |
Jared Jones |
LSU |
Fr. |
Marietta, GA |
.299 BA, 45 RBI, 14 HR, 37 R |
| 2B |
Tyler Bischke |
New Orleans |
Jr. |
Pittsburgh, PA |
.309 BA, 54 RBI, 12 HR, 16 2B |
| 3B |
Michael Dattalo |
Northwestern State |
Fr. |
Keller, TX |
.372 BA, 39 RBI, 8 HR, 44 R |
| SS |
Josh Leslie |
McNeese State |
Sr. |
Kenosha, WI |
.313 BA, 57 RBI, 8 HR, 44 R |
| OF |
Tristan Moore |
New Orleans |
Jr. |
St. Thomas, USVI |
.318 BA, 55 RBI, 19 HR, 61 R |
| OF |
Tre' Morgan |
LSU |
Jr. |
New Orleans, LA |
.308 BA, 43 RBI, 7 HR, 56 R |
| OF |
Teo Banks |
Tulane |
So. |
Odessa, TX |
.301 BA, 51 RBI, 18 HR, 46 R |
| OF |
Heath Hood |
Louisiana |
Sr. |
White Oak, TX |
.336 BA, 40 RBI, 6 HR, 15 2B |
| DH |
Tre' Obregon III |
McNeese State |
Sr. |
Sallisaw, OK |
.309 BA, 44 RBI, 5 HR, 35 R |
| UTL |
Logan O'Neill |
Delgado CC |
Fr. |
Chalmette, LA |
.400 BA, 6-2 Record, 4.19 ERA |
Honorable Mention
Pitcher: Beau Hebert, Louisiana Christian; Parker Primeaux, Centenary
Catcher: Hayden Travinski, LSU
First Base: Edgar Alvarez, Nicholls State
Second Base: Gavin Dugas, LSU
Shortstop: Jordan Ardoin, LSU Alexandria
Designated Hitter: Miguel Useche, New Orleans; Gerado Villarreal, Nicholls State
Utility: Trevor Burkhart, LSU Shreveport; Cameron Daigle, LSU Alexandria
