Bengals just keep winning

We may never pass this way again and enjoy the moment.
The top-ranked LSU Eunice Bengals’ 32-game winning streak may never be reached again, according to head coach Jeff Willis.
“I don’t think anybody expected this,” the coach said of the streak. “I think it is unique and we have to enjoy it because I don’t think this will ever come around again.
“It is exciting when you have a team that is 32-0 and has been able to play at a very high level,” Willis said. “The concerning part of it is we have to make sure we are playing at the highest level at the very end of the year.
“We need to remember it is not how you start, it is how you finish.
“We want to be playing our best baseball at the right time of the year.”
The Bengals travel to Delgado Community College this weekend for a Saturday doubleheader and Sunday finale.
“Our schedule is about to get a lot tougher,” Willis said. “The competition is going to pick up now.”
Delgado is 18-7 with an 11-3 home record so far this season.
“Kirsch-Rooney Stadium is a tough place to play,” Willis said. “But we need to experience the adversity and see what we are made of.
“We are playing a wellcoached team and both of us are very good programs.
“On any given day one team can beat the other team.”
Along with a 32-0 record, the Bengals are leading the country in several offensive categories.
LSU Eunice leads with 429 runs, 86 doubles, 370 RBI, 202 walks, 173 stolen bases, 68 hit-by-pitches, 635 total bases and a team .396 batting average.
The Bengals are second nationally with 398 hits, and 39 home runs.
“Our hitters are swinging with confidence and with the speed we have when we reach base,” the coach said, “we are able to put up multiple runs in an inning as we put pressure on the opposing team.”
The Bengals have out-scored their opponents 429 to 120 runs.
Nick Coomes leads the country with 52 RBI, while Orynn Veillon is fourth (40) and Zach LaFleur (39) is in fifth place nationally.
Three Bengals are leading the country in stolen bases, with LaFleur (39), Veillion (31) topping the list with Janson Bourque (26) in fourth place.
Trenon Trosclair is presently sixth in the country with a .507 batting average.
Coomes is sixth in the country with nine home runs.
Sophomore pitcher Erin Baldwin (6-0) is tied for second place in NJCAA Division II with six wins.
“We are picking up steam on the mound right now,” Willis said. “We need to make sure our hitters can score some runs.
“When our pitchers know they have run support, they aren’t pitching under as much pressure,” the coach said.
“There will come a time where our pitchers are going to have to hold someone down because the opposing team’s pitcher is holding our hitters down.”
Even with its best start in school history,” Willis said there is still room for improvement.
“I haven’t see us really pitch, hit and play defense all in one game yet,” the coach said.
“I have seen us hit and pitch and not play defense,” he said. “I have seen us play defense, hit but not pitch.
“If you can pitch and play defense, you will always be in the game,” Willis said.
“Hopefully we can still steal bases and score runs even when we don’t hit.”
The longest NJCAA baseball win streak was halted at 57 games in 2009 when Temple College defeated Howard College (Texas) 8-2 in the NJCAA Region 5 title game.
The Hawks eclipsed the old mark of 55 in a row set by Seminole State (Okla.) in 1987 as Howard finished 63-1 and NJCAA Division I champions.
No matter when the streak ends for the bengals, Willis said their routine has always been the same and will continue when a new streak starts.
“I do the same thing every single time on game days. Willis said. “It is not necessarily a supersitition but a routine.
“I do wear the same game socks since 2006 when we won our first national championship,” Willis said.
And don’t expect him to stop watering the infield pre-game any time soon.