Lamar State College-Port Arthur softball coach Vance Edwards is not concerned his team is 0-2 heading into this weekend’s LSC-PA Tournament at Beaumont’s College Street Athletic Complex.

Tyler Junior College swept the Seahawks last Thursday to open the season by scores of 10-1 and 7-1. The scores are of no concern to Edwards, the 11th-year head coach who knows his team learned some lessons and is ready to bounce back.

“We knew it was going to be tough because Tyler is very good,” Edwards said. “They will probably be No. 1 or No. 2 in the seeding. We knew we had our hands full.”

The Seahawks are coming off a 30-25 season in which the team went 14-10 in Region XIV play. LSC-PA made the conference tournament but was knocked out with back-to-back losses to Navarro, 1-0, and Tyler, 3-1.

“The goal this year is to get back to the tournament,” Edwards said. “We want to win the thing this year.”

Sophomore Sierra Miller, a Baytown Lee product, is the Seahawks’ leading hitter to return from last year. She batted .364 as a freshman with 20 doubles, 46 RBI, five homers and 17 stolen bases.

Deweyville grad and LSC-PA sophomore infielder Brooke Wilhelm returns after hitting .333 a year ago.

“This year I think we have more power than last year,” Edwards said. “The hitters from two to seven in the lineup can possibly hit the ball for doubles and maybe hit the ball out. That is actually very new to us. We usually like to get hits and move the ball with speed. [Assistant] Coach Casey [Goodman] loves it. She is more offensive and power-minded. That works well for her.”

The Seahawks have two pitchers back with a lot of experience on the mound. Sophomore Angelica Rogers started 27 games as a freshman and had a 13-13 record. She posted a 2.55 ERA with 122 strikeouts and 66 walks.

Sophomore Rebecca Hernandez started 19 games last year and went 12-6 with a 3.01 ERA. She struck out 60 and walked 44 batters.

Seahawks pitchers were touched for 17 earned runs in the two games against Tyler and batters walked seven times against five strikeouts. Tyler had 21 hits in 10 innings.

“We have already forgot about that,” Edwards said. “You come out of the game and you have learned what you needed to learn. We have two sophomore pitchers, so they have experience. They will bounce back fine.”

The Seahawks open the LSC-PA Tournament at 6 tonight against Ranger College. LSC-PA plays Faulkner State Community College of Alabama at 11 a.m. Saturday before facing Trinity Valley Community College at 1 p.m. and North Central Texas College at 3 p.m.