LSU Eunice Softball placed three Bengals on the NJCAA All-Region 23 Team, it was recently announced. The 18-person squad consists of six different teams as LSUE is one of four teams with multiple members. The NFCA All-American duo of Chloe Bennett and Katie Salling are joined by Maci Baldwin on the team. Bennett is now a two-time All-Region 23 selection as she continued to rewrite the LSUE pitching record books in 2023, going 25-7 on the year with a 2.43 earned run average. She tied her single-season strikeout record from a season ago with 240 punch outs. The Bengals ace tossed 16 complete games including a perfect game on February 6 against Kilgore College.
She broke her own single-game record for strikeouts with 17 against Mississippi Gulf Coast on February 3. The SLU signee leaves the Cajun Prairie as the all-time leader in strikeouts while finishing second all-time in wins with 48. Bennett joined six other student-athletes to earn their second NFCA All-American nomination of their career.
Salling was a breakout star for LSUE at the plate, leading the team in batting average (.404), total bases (112), triples (4) and home runs (8). The Parkview Baptist HS product totaled 15 multi-RBI games and 18 multi-hit outings. She helped kick-off LSUE’s late-season tear as a 4-for-4 game spurred the Bengals to a wild 16-10 win over San Jacinto on April 13. With that win, LSUE would head into the postseason winners of 11 of their last 13 contests.
The freshman was a utility selection as Salling saw extensive time as LSUE’s back-up catcher and primary designated hitter. Baldwin served as the sparkplug of the LSUE offense, batting .364 from her leadoff position. The sophomore stole a single-season program record 60 bases, ending her LSUE career with a Bengal best 94 stolen bases while on the Cajun Prairie. She led the team with 63 runs scored while producing 64 hits. The Sam Houston HS product was tied for second on the team with 19 multi-hit games and held a 26 game streak of reaching base safely.
Press Release by LSUE Bengals Athletics