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Carlei Wheeler chooses LSU-E

Simsboro pitching ace signs with Bengals
Thursday, November 14, 2024
Carlei Wheeler chooses LSU-E

Simsboro senior Carlei Wheeler (middle) signed with LSU Eunice on Wednesday to play college softball. She was joined by her parents Danny (left) and Toni Adkins (right). Leader photo by Matt Belinson

Simsboro’s best softball player officially made her college future official on Wednesday afternoon as Carlei Wheeler signed with LSU-Eunice to play college softball and further her academic career.

Wheeler signed with the Bengals because of their track record as one of the best junior college programs in the country and the school’s ability to send athletes off to four-year schools with consistency.

“ It’s really special to me. I worked really hard to get where I’m at and I just hoped to get an opportunity,” Wheeler said after she signed. “ Day- in and day- out I’ve worked to get to this point. It’s very emotional. I almost cried up there with coach [ Payton] Bond saying good emotional stuff.

“At LSU-E, it’s not just a two-year but it’s a good feeder school. I can get most of my basic classes out and then transfer to a bigger university. What they discussed with me is I could be a starter there and have a better chance of starting at a big university being a transfer student from a college already.”

LSU-E won National Junior College Athletic Association Championships in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2019.

Wheeler had a breakout season last spring for the Lady Tigers, earning LSWA All-State honors after putting up 227 strikeouts with a 2.86 ERA in the circle, along with a .545 batting average, 4 home runs, and 38 RBI. In her career, she’s a four-time first team all-district selection and has close to 1,000 strikeouts.

Simsboro softball coach Payton Bond, who’s coached Wheeler for five seasons, said her signing is a big step for the program’s future – showing younger players what it takes to reach the next level.

“I think it says a lot about the hard work and dedication that it takes to get to this point for her,” Bond said. “I know there have not been many people go on from Simsboro to play college softball. We’ve had one or two. That shows a lot about her hard work and dedication. She’s just committed. That’s hard to find in athletes today. It’s a big deal for her hard work to pay off.”

Wheeler helped Simsboro host its first playoff game since 2019 and secure its first playoff win since 2018 last spring, leading the Lady Tigers at the plate and in the circle throughout the season.

Entering her final season at Simsboro in 2025, Wheeler hopes her signing motivates her younger teammates to love the process and work hard.

“I hope it shows that anything is possible,” Wheeler said. “If you want to play college softball, you just have to work really hard. Just work hard and do what you want to do.”

Bond expects Wheeler to lead from the front once again this spring as the Lady Tigers look to make another playoff run.

“It’s not necessarily about where you’re at. You can find ways to get to that if you aspire to do that,” Bond said.

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