GAME DAY CENTRAL
Opponent: McNeese State (13-10, 4-2 Southland)
When: Thursday, March 11
Time: 4 p.m. CT & 6 p.m. CT
Where: Lamson Park
Radio: KPEL 1420 AM ESPN Radio - Steve Peloquin
Live Stats: www.ragincajuns.com
- Louisiana will play a mid-week double header on Thursday against McNeese State before taking a break on the upcoming weekend.
- Under co-head coaches, Michael and Stefni Lotief, the Cajuns are 30-2 against the Cowgirls. The Cajuns last lost to McNeese, 5-6, during the 2007 season. Since the loss, the Cajuns have shutout the in-state opponent five times, outscoring McNeese 36-0.
- The Cajuns went 4-1 this past weekend to claim the title at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. After dropping the first game to Drake, 1-2, UL rebounded to defeat Arkansas (5-2), Eastern Illinois (11-0), Southern Miss (7-3) and Iowa State (4-1).
- Christi Orgeron has an impressive weekend, batting .647 with a staggering 1.412 slugging percentage. She recorded four doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI without striking out once.
- Taryn Broussard has stepped into her role at the designated player position after transferring to UL from Texas A&M. Over the weekend, Broussard hit three homeruns, including two in the 4-1 win over Iowa State.
- Donna Bourgeois was a perfect 3-0 in the circle at the Razorback Invitational. She struckout 18 in 21 innings and posted a 1.67 ERA.
Scouting the Opposition
McNeese State enters Tuesday doubleheader with a 13-10 record. The Cowgirls have won four of their past six games, including a series sweep of Northwestern State.
For the season, McNeese is 6-4 agianst in-state teams.
Liz Morvant leads the squad with a .375 batting average and 14 runs scored. She is also 16-for-16 on stolen bases. As a team, McNeese is batting .281.
Megan Bond and Kelsey McClain have seen the most time in the pitcher's circle, throwing 61.2 and 42.2 innings, respectively. As a team, the Cowgirls have combined for a .284 ERA and 119 strikeouts.
Career Week For Orgeron
Rightfielder Christi Orgeron had a career week at the Razorback Invitational.
In 17 at bats, the slugger posted 11 hits, including four doubles and three home runs. She finished the tournament with a .647 batting average and a staggering 1.412 slugging percentage.
In the 1-2 loss to Drake, she scored the Cajuns' sole run, but went 3-for-4 with three doubles.
In the 11-0 shutout of Eastern Illinois, Oregeron posted five RBI and one home run.
In the 7-3 win over Southern Miss, Orgeron was responsible for all seven runs, belting two home runs.
Cajuns In The Polls
After starting the season 10-5, Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team is sitting in the top-25. As of March 2, The USA Today/NFCA Top-25 poll had the Cajuns ranked No. 19. The ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top-25 poll had the Cajuns at No. 22. Prior to this week the Cajuns were ranked No. 18 and No. 20, respectively.
Bridges Named All-Tournament
Gabriele Bridges was named to the NFCA Leadoff All-Tournament Team for her outstanding performance over the weekend.
She led the Cajuns with 1.000 slugging percentage and three home runs, including two two-run shots against No. 6 Missouri. She finished the weekend with a .438 batting average and a 1.000 fielding percentage in 37 chances at first base.
Lucky No. 13
In the 14-0 rout of No. 20 UMass, UL posted 13 runs in the fourth inning alone.
Four home runs were recorded in the inning with two by Christi Orgeron. Gabriele Bridges and Taryn Broussard also sent one out of the park.
The inning saw 10 hits, 11 RBI and two errors in nearly 45 minutes of action.
For the game, Erikka Murphy led the Cajuns in the batter's box going 4-for-4 and was 2-for-2 on stolen bases.
Something's Brou'in
In her first start for the Cajuns, Texas A&M transfer Taryn Broussard, made the most of the opportunity.
Having only had two at bats in the previous 10 games, the designated player led things off with a RBI-single in her first at bat against Radford. In her next at bat against the Highlanders, Broussard hit a grand slam, sealing the win for the Cajuns.
Against No. 20 UMass, she hit another multi-run home run, with a three-run bomb to right field.
She finished the weekend with a .375 batting average, a team-high eight RBI and two home runs.
Soaring Soria
Brittany Soria turned in an impressive performance at the Marriott Invitational.
The freshman second baseman led the Cajuns at the plate with a .444 batting average. She also turned in a .722 slugging percentage over the five games with two doubles and her first career home run. A two-RBI double against Purdue was able to knot the score 4-4 before UL pulled away with a 7-6 win.
Walk It Off
Last season, Gabriele Bridges drew 26 walks in 58 games. Through 10 games this season, she has reached nearly the halfway point, picking up 11 walks.
Home Run Derby
Twenty games in and the Ragin' Cajuns have already belted 27 home runs. Christi Orgeron leads the way with 10, while six other players have sent one out of the park.
At the current pace, UL is projected to hit 76 home runs this season.
Under co-head coach Michael Lotief, the Cajuns have averaged 71.89 HRs since 2001. The school record for most home runs in a season was set during the 2007 season after the Cajuns smashed a whopping 106 deep balls.
Last season, UL hit 50 home runs.
Behind The Mask
Brittany Cuevas is off to her best start since the 2007 season. The senior hurler is 5-0 with 49 strikeouts and seven walks in 36.0 innings.
As a freshman in 2007, Cuevas started the season 11-0, compiling a 31-12 record and earning Sun Belt Freshman of the Year.
Snapping The Streak
After starting the season with four home runs and a double through the first five games, Christi Orgeron struggled at the plate. Over the next five games, the sophomore was 0-for-19 before belting a solo home run in the win over Purdue.
Two Cajuns Grab Sun Belt Honors
Donna Bourgeois and Vallie Gaspard earned Sun Belt Pitcher and Player of the Week honors after their play at the 24th Annual Louisiana Classic in the season's opening weekend.
Bourgeois started three games, winning them all with two shutouts and one combined shutout. She allowed just four hits and walk while striking out 18 and allowing no runs.
Gaspard started all five games in left field. In 14 at bats she recorded eight hits. She also scored eight runs, grabbed four RBI and was 2-for-2 on stolen bases. She posted a .571 batting average over the weekend.
UL Wins 24th Annual Louisiana Classic
The Cajuns outscored opponents 52-4 en route to a 5-0 victory and the title at the 24th Annual Louisiana Classic Tournament.
Five Cajuns were named to the 24th Annual Louisiana Classic All-Tournament Team. Donna Bourgeois, Lana Bowers, Melissa Verde and Christ Orgeron grabbed the honors while Vallie Gaspard was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Cajuns Picked First in Sun Belt
The Sun Belt Conference released its 2010 Sun Belt Preseason Softball Poll with UL receiving eight first-place votes by the league's nine head coaches.
The Ragin' Cajuns received 80 total points, followed by second-place Troy with 70. FIU came in third (58), followed by FAU (50), North Texas (41), WKU (39), South Alabama (36), Louisiana-Monroe (19), and Middle Tennessee (12).
Courtesy: RaginCajuns.com
