Bengal celebrate championship

Image
Body

ENID, Oklahoma – It will be remembered in Bengal baseball history as Slate Fuller belted a two-out walk-off home run to deliver No. 1 LSU Eunice a thrilling 5-3 win over Parkland College to win the NJCAA Division II National Championship.
It was the Bengals' sixth national crown, the most in NJCAA Division II history.
LSUE has won 11 national titles in 13 seasons as an athletic program including every year since 2010.
The Lady Bengal softball team won NJCAA Division II championships in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
The Bengal baseball program earned titles in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015 and this past weekend.
With the game tied, LSUE was down to its last out in the bottom of the ninth inning when Brent Hebert opened the inning with a lead-off single.
Fuller stepped to the plate with a man on first and connected on an 0-2 pitch over the left centerfield wall to propel the Bengals to the national title.
The home run was Fuller’s third of the tournament.
Koi Westbrook (Carencro) was named the World Series tournament MVP after batting .438 over LSUE's five games, driving in 10 RBI on six hits and two home runs.
Westbrook was also named the Defensive Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
He finished 2-for-4 in the Bengals' final game, driving in that one run while stealing two bases.
LSUE pitching ace Zach Hester (Vidor, Texas) was named the World Series’ Most Valuable Pitcher after giving up just two earned runs in 16 innings of work, striking out 23 batters.
Zach Hester struck out nine batters in eight innings in the championship contest.
The sophomore allowed just two earned runs in 16.0 total innings in the tournament.
Hester increased his season total to 133 strikeouts, second most in a single-season at LSUE behind Ben Braymer's 138 in 2015.
Jacob Richard and Mason Templet were also named to the All-Tournament team.
Richard (Teurlings Cathlolic) went 7-for-10 with four walks, six runs scored and seven stolen bases.
LSU transfer Templet (St. Thomas More) went 12-for-17 in the tournament with four walks, six RBI and six runs scored.
LSU Eunice put two on the board in the second inning for an early lead, but Parkland clawed its way back and eventually took a 3-2 lead through five innings.
The Bengals tied things up with a rally in the eighth before Fuller delivered the dramatic home run for the victory.
LSUE head coach Jeff Willis was named the Coach of the Year following the tournament for the sixth time in his tenure.
The Bengals powered through the tournament without a loss, completing its national title run with an overall record of 59-6 in 2018.
LSU Eunice’s potent offense outscored its opponents 43-15 in the team’s five tournament contests, highlighted by eight home runs.
Parkland concluded the 2018 season with a 51-16-1 overall record to record a runner-up finish one year after finishing third in the 2017 World Series.
The Cobras placed a pair on the All-Tournament team in Brendan Joyce and Trystin Raikes.
Scottsdale (AZ) finished fourth in the tournament with and earned two All-Tournament selections in Michael Herrera and Ryan Phillips.
Braxton Douthit and Clayton Peterson received All-Tournament honors for third place Northern Oklahoma Enid.