PREP NOTEBOOK: Christian Edwards invited to U.S. Olympic Trials Ardoin gets big hits in regionals for Texas
Warren Arceneaux
Rodrick Anderson
Lake Charles native and University of Alabama athlete Christian Edwards received an official invitation to the United States Olympic trials last week, according to his father, Murphy Edwards.
Christian will be competing in the triple jump at the NCAA Championship meet this week in Eugene, Oregon. He qualified for the event by placing second at the NCAA East Preliminary Meet held May 28 in Jacksonville, Florida with a mark of 53 feet, 91/4 inches.
The trials will be held June 18-27 in Eugene.
Edwards earned the Olympic Trials invitation with a best leap of 54 feet, 6 inches, set earlier this year at NCAA Indoor Championships, where he finished fourth.
Edwards previously represented the United States at the 2018 U20 World Championships, held in Finland.
• NATIONAL CHAMPS: Eight Southwest Louisiana products were part of LSU-Eunice’s national championship baseball team, which took home the title in dramatic fashion with a 5-4, 14-inning win over Western Oklahoma in the Game 3 of the NJCAA Division II championship series in Enid, Oklahoma.
Sulphur grad Scott Jones, an outfielder, had three hits, scored two runs and drove in another in the championship series for the Bengals. Barbe grad Carter Quinn (run, double) and Jennings grad Kole Myers (three runs) also contributed in the championship series. Barbe grad Bryce LaRocca hit a home run in LSU-E’s first game in the NJCAA World Series.
Other locals on the Bengals roster are infielder Michael Fontenot (Kinder), pitchers Dylan Beier (Barbe) and Brendan Moody (Iowa) and catcher Austyn Benoit (Welsh).
The championship was the seventh in program history.
• REGIONAL STAR: Sam Houston grad Silas Ardoin, a redshirt freshman catcher at the University of Texas, had a big weekend as the Longhorns won three games at the Austin Regional to advance to the Super Regional round of the NCAA tournament.
Ardoin went 3-for-10 with three walks and was hit by a pitch. He drove in four runs and hit two doubles as Texas beat Southern, Arizona State and Fairfield to win the regional.
The Longhorns will host South Florida, the winner of the Gainesville Regional, next weekend.
• GENTLEMAN CLOSER: Centenary sophomore pitcher and Welsh grad Parker Primeaux was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association’s NCAA Division III West All-Region second team.
Primeaux led the country with 10 saves for the Gents. He also earned first team All Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference honors.
Texas redshirt freshman catcher Silas Ardoin had three hits and four RBI in the Austin Regional.