Tom Dodge
The last two times LSU Eunice was the host team of the NJCAA Division II regional tournament, the Bengals went on to win the national championship.
The top-ranked Bengals (48-5) will lead the bracket that also includes MACJC champion No. 6 Pearl River (37-9).
“I am looking forward to seeing the crowds like they were in 2009, 2012 and 2015 when we hosted this event,” LSUE head coach Jeff Willis said. “The players have poured their hearts and souls into this institution and the community.
“There will be tremendous baseball played out here and I hope the crowd comes out to support their efforts.”
The six-team, double-elimination tournament starts Wednesday at Bengal Field.
The other four teams will be determined this weekend in playoff series between Jones County – Hinds; Northeast – Meridian; Northwest – Mississippi Gulf Coast and Itawamba – East Central.
“All six teams who will be here next week will all be receiving votes in the Top 20,” Willis said. “There will be a great level of competition and a great deal of parity.
“I do not think there is a favorite,” he added. “It will come down to who plays well, the bouncing of the ball, close plays and two-out hits.”
The six-team bracket could show each team’s depth on the mound according to the coach.
“You have to win four games instead of three,” Willis said of the old four-team bracket. “If you fall into the loser’s bracket, you could have to play six or seven games.
“It is key to stay in the winner’s bracket so you don’t put yourself in a distadvantage going through the loser’s bracket.
“I have seen our team come together really over the last six weeks,” Willis said. “We have seen the players assume their roles and our chemistry has increased.
“Everyone is playing for each other and good things can happen when all those things come together.
“I am looking forward to see if we can get everyone hot at the right time and clicking on all cylinders - of we can do that, you could see a lot of runs scored really quickly.”
The winner of the regional will go to Enid, Oklahoma, for the NJCAA Division II World Series starting on May 26.
“They know they are playing for something now and they understand their season can be over very quickly,” Willis said. “But we want them to stay in the moment and not really build it up more than it is – just another game.
“If they treat it like that, then they are able to play like they did during the regular season.
“They have put in the time during the fall, the off-season and the regular season,” he said. “They deserve to have success during the playoffs, but they have to perform and make it happen.”