Tom Dodge
The second-ranked LSU Eunice baseball team begins the 2017 baseball season with a three-game series against North Lake College (Dallas).
Today’s first pitch is set for 6 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday’s games will begin at 1 p.m.
“It always extremely exciting,” LSUE head baseball coach Jeff Willis said of the opening weekend. “We are ready to face an opponent where the games count.
“It is not our goal to win the game,” he added. “It is our goal to play the best we can possibly play.
“If we do that through the process, the results will take care of itself.
“We are going to show up and play against the game, we are not going to play against the opponent.”
LSUE (51-6 last year) opened the season with a 19-3, 3-2, 15-8 sweep over the Blazers.
The Bengal pitchers will be limited to 45 pitches this weekend, the coach said.
Braxton Smith will start Friday night, followed by Zac Hester and Arkansas transfer Michael Brawner.
“We may see three other guys start next weekend as we narrow down who will be in the rotation and what roles will each pitcher have.
“We have the freedom to figure out what is best for our team,” Willis said. “Almost every single guy will throw because of the pitch counts we are on right now.”
Willis said the strength of the Bengal defense should help take the pressure off the pitchers.
“We have Hunter Feduccia at catcher and he is one of the top junior college prospects in the country.
“Short stop Braden Comeaux is heading to Rice, while centerfielder Gavin Bourgeois signed with UL Lafayette.
First baseman Michael Claverie is heading to Louisiana Tech next year
“We have a chance to be one of the better defensive teams we have had here during my tenure,” Willis said.
Transfers Micah McHugh (Ole Miss), Anthony Forte (Tulane), and Cameron Horton (UL Lafayette) will also help will provide maturity to the roster.
“Last year we were 33-0 and went into the playoffs at 50-4 with the best record in all of junior college baseball,” Willis said. “We were ranked No. 1 in every single poll that is out there but we didn’t get out the regionals.
“Then the year before that we had the worst start in my history here and the team wins the national championship.
“So it doesn’t matter how you start, but how you finish.”
Lady Bengals
The top-ranked Lady Bengals open the season at the Galveston College Tournament today.
“It is not that far to travel and there is usually good competition in it,” Lee said of the Galveston tournament. “We will play five games in two days.”
LSUE will face the University of Houston– Victoria and Tyler Junior College Friday and close the weekend against Kilgore College, Snead State, and Baton Rouge Saturday.
“It is a good way to start and get a benchmark to see how we are going to look this year.”
After Galveston, LSUE returns home for a series of games with Lake Land College, Coffeyville, and Collin County on February 3-4.