Bengals ready for Region 23 tourney

The second-ranked Bengals begin their quest for the trip to Enid as LSU Eunice will be the host team for the NJCAA Division II Region 23 baseball tournament that begins on Thursday.
LSU Eunice (41-9) will be the number two seed and will play at 7 p.m. in the second game of the opening day.
The championship game is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday with the if necessary game to be played at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
This is the third regional tournament to be held at Bengal Field as LSU Eunice won the Region 23 title in 2009 and 2012.
“It is key to be the host team because your kids are playing in a very famliar surroundings, sleeping in their own beds each night and have the support of the local fans,” Willis said.
The coach said the home field advantage is a huge part of moving on to the world series.
“We will be in front of our own fans knowing that the majority are rooting for you,” Willis said. “Our players love playing at our facility in front of our fans.”
No. 1 Hinds Community College (38-5), No. 15 East Mississippi Community College (28-14), and No. 20 Northwest Mississippi Community College (30-13) earned the three other regional spots.
“All four teams are ranked in the Top 20,” Willis said. “That has never happened in my 13 years coaching here.”
“We are hoping we have a huge turnout that the community will come out to watch some really good baseball,” the coach said.
“The baseball we have here will be just as good as it will be at the world series.”
In 2012, the Bengals cruised through the regional tournament, including a 17-0 title win over Hinds Community College, and captured their fourth national championship with a 7-3 win over Western Oklahoma.
In 2009, LSU Eunice defeated Holmes Community College 19-5 to advance to the World Series.
Last season, the Bengals fell to Hinds (10-9) and Jones County (5-1) in the regionals.
In 2013, LSU Eunice rolled through the regionals before finishing as national runners-up after a 4-3 loss to Murray State College.
“This is an exciting time of the baseball season,” Willis said. “The guys are chomping at the bit, ready to play.”