EUNICE, La. – LSU Eunice Softball will take on Hinds Community College in the opening round of the Region 23 Tournament on Friday.  The Bengals (40-12) are placed in a four-team pod alongside Hinds, Copiah-Lincoln and Northeast Mississippi.
 
This year, the Region 23 Tournament is broken up into two four-team pods.  The winner of each double elimination tournament earns an automatic berth into the NJCAA Division II National Tournament, set for May 20-25 from Spartanburg, South Carolina. 
 
The Bengals and their pod will play at overall number one seed Copiah-Lincoln, while Jones is set to host Pearl River, East Central and Northwest Mississippi.  The winners of each pod tournament are set to meet on May 11 for a Region 23 Championship game.
 
LSUE enters the postseason ranked 11th in the final NJCAA poll after navigating the most difficult schedule in NJCAA Division II according to the most recent Massey Ratings.  The Bengals ride an eight-game win streak into the Magnolia State including a road sweep of then Division I No. 15 Bossier Parish CC.
 
Gracee Hess (Belle Chasse, LA, Belle Chasse HS) paces the Bengals' offense with a .440 batting average while nine different players have an average over .300.  Hess is also tops on the team in hits (70), runs (57), doubles (20) and total bases (111).  The team's .335 average is the highest since the 2017 NJCAA National Championship season.
 
Reagan Rios (Longview, TX, Longview HS) and McKenna Howell (Pollock, LA, Grant HS) have guided LSUE in the circle all season.  Rios sports a 17-6 record with a 2.24 earned run average, while Howell is 11-5 with a 2.80 ERA. The five Bengal arms have a combined 2.89 ERA, LSUE's best since the 2019 National Title team.
 
Hinds enters the postseason ranked number 13 in the final NJCAA polls with a 32-14 overall record.  In the other opening round game, host and reigning National Champion Copiah-Lincoln sports a 39-3 record and ranked second, while Northeast Mississippi heads to Wesson after a 37-20 regular season.
 
All games will be livestreamed on Copiah-Lincoln's athletic website.  For more information on LSU Eunice softball, visit www.lsuebengals.net or on the Bengals' social media channels.
 


NJCAA Softball Region 23 Tournament | Copiah-Lincoln Pod
May 3-5, 2024 | Wesson, Mississippi
 
Friday, May 3
Game 1: 1. Copiah-Lincoln vs. 8. Northeast Mississippi – 3:00PM
Game 2: 4. LSU Eunice vs. 5. Hinds – 6:00PM
 
Saturday, May 4
Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner – 1:00PM
Game 4: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser – 4:00PM
Game 5: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner – 7:00PM
 
Sunday, May 5
Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner – 2:00PM
Game 7: If Necessary – 30 minutes after Game 6