|
M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field
Opponents fear it; the Ragin' Cajuns call it home.
M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field, one of Louisiana's largest and most impressive baseball facilities, has been the home of Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns since 1978.
The facility hosted game No. 1,000 in the 2010 season when Louisiana met Florida Atlantic on March 26. The Cajuns won 9-3.
"We have one of the finest baseball facilities in the state of Louisiana," Robichaux said. "Our field is named after someone who was here when I played here. He came to all of our games and sat in the dugout. He came to all our practices.
"We have a unique facility and with our fan support, we have one of the best home field advantages in the country and it is very tough for our opponents to come here and beat us."
From 1997-2007 the Ragin' Cajuns won 20 or more games at "The Tigue" 10 times in 11 seasons.
Since 1999, UL has consistently ranked in the Top 50 nationally in total and average home attendance. During the Cajuns' 2000 World Series run, Louisiana ranked 26th in total home attendance. The 2003 season saw a record 70,267 enter "The Tigue".
Moore Field was dedicated March 31, 1979, in honor of the Moore Family. Moore Field officially became known as M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field when the Cajuns opened their 1995 season against Maine on March 3, 1995 - also marking the home debut of current Ragin' Cajuns skipper Tony Robichaux.
The late Marion Lartigue Moore, Jr. and his wife, the late Catherine Moore, touched thousands of lives with their volunteer work at the University and throughout Acadiana.
"Tigue" Moore, known as "Mr. Baseball" in Acadiana, was respected throughout the nation for his tireless work in promoting the game. He won the Roberto Clemente Humanitarian Award in 1975.
"The Tigue" received its most visible upgrade in January 2010 when a ProGrass Synthetic Turf System was installed. The only dirt now is on the pitcher's mound. The base paths and warning track - normally dirt or cinder - are a different color and different consistency of turf.
Under Tony Robichaux's guidance the facility has received several upgrades: a new eight-foot-high aluminum outfield wall, a 71-foot state-of-the-art scoreboard, netting behind home plate was replaced, a brick backstop installed, addition of chairbacks in the box seats and grandstand areas, field-level boxes down the foul lines, new and enlarged bleachers down the basepaths and construction of Lourde's Park directly behind the first-base bleachers which is capable of hosting pre-and post-game parties.
These additions make Moore Field one of the finest baseball facilities in the state.
Moore Field's other features include the H.O. Roy Room, which houses the Ragin' Cajuns gift shop, a 4,000 squarefoot locker room facility, five batting cages down the right-field lines and lights for night games.
"The Tigue" was the site of the 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2008 Sun Belt Conference Tournament. It has also played host to the Silver Bullets Women's professional team twice and the Louisiana High School championship games and the LHSAA All-Star game in 1997.
The facility was once home to the Lafayette Bayou Bullfrogs of the Texas-Louisiana Independent League from 1998-2000.
Moore Field has been the sight of some of the greatest seasons in Cajuns baseball history, as well as several milestones.
In 2009, the Cajuns recorded their 700th win at "The Tigue" on March 20 vs. UALR. The 2008 season saw head coach Tony Robichaux earn his 300th victory at Moore Field with a 4-2 win over New Orleans on May 15. On March 17, 2003, Robichaux won his 292nd game as the Cajuns' skipper, passing Mike Boulanger for the school record. A year earlier, on March 2, 2002, Moore Field was the site of Robichaux's 500th career win as a head coach.
The Cajuns celebrated their 500th victory with a 4-1 win over Oklahoma on February 26, 2000.
In 2000, the Cajuns enjoyed one of the greatest seasons in Moore Field history. During that time, the squad set a new school record with a .909 winning percentage after posting a 30-3 record. In addition, a then-school-record 46,575 fans walked through the front gate, including 14,472 alone during the 2000 NCAA Regional at Lafayette.
|
