The New Orleans Hurricanes paintball team just completed their rookie season in the professional division of the National X-Ball League (NXL), the premier paintball league in the country. The 2022 NXL season consisted of six events - Four Major events and two Minor events. Teams were required to play all Major events and at least one Minor. The NXL events are US based but include international teams. This season, events took teams to Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and California.
The Hurricanes worked their way up through the divisions and won the Semi Pro division in 2021. The 1st place team in Semi Pro earns their spot amongst the best teams in the world at the professional level. After competing in 5 events, they finished 11th overall for the season. Few debut seasons see the success of the Hurricanes, finishing twice in the top 10. They were the first rookie pro team in history to go undefeated in their preliminary matches at the Windy City Major entering the quarter finals as the 1st place seed.
The Hurricanes are the first professional paintball team out of Louisiana.
Coach Mike Bianca had this to say, "It was a heck of a season with a lot of ups and downs. The team overcame tremendous adversity and remained competitive all season long. I couldn't be more proud of the guys and we are proud to represent the southeast and the great state of Louisiana."
Team Captain Stuart Ridgel added, "We built this team from the ground up and it’s an honor to be the first professional team to come out of the state. We couldn’t have done this without the support of our friends, families and the local community. We’re looking forward to 2023 and our second season in the professional division.”
The New Orleans Hurricanes are sponsored by Planet Eclipse, Carbon Paintball, GI Sportz/JT USA and Virtue PB.
The team is based out of, sponsored and supported by LA Xtreme Paintball field in Slidell, LA.
For more information, visit us at www.facebook.com/hurricanes.pb or www.instagram.com/hurricanes.pb/ or contact Stuart Ridgel at 985-705-1727 or StuartRidgel@gmail.com