NPF Back to School Tour Set to Stop at Lamson Park

Contact: Matt Hebert

LAFAYETTE – The nationally ranked and renowned Ragin' Cajuns softball program is set to host a “Louisiana Saturday Night” against the National Pro Fastpitch All-Star team as part of the 2012 NPF Back to School Tour on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 5 p.m. at Lamson Park, head coach Michael Lotief announced Thursday.

“We are excited to be chosen as one of the host sites,” Lotief stated. “This is a unique opportunity for our fans to be able to watch the Ragin' Cajuns compete against pro softball players and former Olympians on a Louisiana Saturday Night.”

A premium package, which includes five tickets, parking pass and access to all players post game, valued at $105 is currently on sale through the Cajundome Ticket Office. Starting Monday, Oct. 8, individual game tickets go on sale with reserved grandstand seats priced at $18 and general admission tickets in the outfield priced at $10. For all ticket inquiries, call 337-265-2357 or e-mail mcasbon@cajundome.com.

The signature event of the Cajuns fall 2012 schedule will showcase prominent NPF athletes including former Olympians Caitlin Lowe and Kelly Kretschman plus Charlotte Morgan (Alabama), Andrea Duran (UCLA), Francesca Enea (Florida) and Jenn Salling (Washington).

“Not only will this be a fun Louisiana Saturday Night, but also an opportunity to generate funds for our softball program,” Lotief mentioned.

The game is one of six contests the Ragin' Cajuns are set to host at Lamson Park during their fall 2012 season.

The Cajuns and NPF players will conduct clinics the morning of gameday for any interested players or travel coaches and parents.

The game marks the first time UL has been scheduled on the NPF Back to School Tour. The Cajuns have played exhibition contests against the U.S. Olympic team three times (2004 and 2008 seasons) in previous seasons, but this is the first time the Cajuns will host an event of this caliber at Lamson Park.

“We are challenging our fans to pack the stands in order to continue to show how this community embraces world class softball,” Lotief said.

Lamson Park has sold out twice since its renovation, including the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in 2011 and the 2012 NCAA Lafayette Regional in which Louisiana led all 16 regional sites in attendance, with a total of 14,097 over the six games.

The stop at Lamson Park will mark the 16^th of 21 different venues on the NPF All-Stars' 2012 Back to School Tour. Other stops prior to Cajun Country include: College Park, Md. (Maryland), Batesville, Miss. (Mississippi State), Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan), Columbia, S.C. (South Carolina), Seattle, Wash. (Washington), Waco, Texas (Baylor), San Marcos, Texas (Texas State), and Baton Rouge (LSU).

“The Tour is one of my favorite events of the year for the NPF and this year's schedule is super,” commented NPF Commissioner, Cheri Kempf. “The goal of this Tour is to continue to broaden the fan base for professional softball in a competitive environment and to let many of the college programs we play against, celebrate their former players that have gone onto become professionals. We are grateful for, and appreciative of the programs that are so willing to share in that mission with us, and take a crack at the professionals along the way.”

Over the two year history of the NPF Back to School Tour, the team of professional All-Stars has a 41-1 record, with the only loss coming at the hands of the University of Oklahoma on the Fall 2011 Tour.

UL returns sophomore pitcher Jordan Wallace, who is coming off a stellar freshman campaign, where she was 27-2 and set a NCAA mark by beginning her career with 23 consecutive wins to start her career.

Senior shortstop Nerissa Myers paces the offensive attack for the Cajuns after hitting .391 with 13 home runs and leading the country with 83 runs scored in 2012. Slap hitting third baseman Natalie Fernandez will enter her junior season looking to build off last season where she hit for a career-high .436 average.

UL has added three transfers for the upcoming season, including Shelbi Redfearn (Baylor), Kristin Martinez (Kansas) and Leandra Maly (Blinn College) to go along with seven freshmen who will make their debut this fall.

The Ragin' Cajuns softball team enters the 11th season under the direction of Michael Lotief, his first as head coach in the 2012-13 season. Prior to this season, he compiled a 500-122 (.794) record over a 10-year span as co-head coach with his wife, Stefni Lotief, who recently stepped aside as co-head coach in order to spend more time with her family.

For all of the latest news and information on Ragin' Cajuns Athletics, visit RaginCajuns.com. Fans can also follow the athletics department on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/ULRaginCajuns along with @ULRaginCajuns on Twitter.

About Ragin' Cajuns Softball:
The Cajuns are entering their 33rd season in program history (first season was 1981)…Louisiana carries an all-time record of 1,359-396 (.774) into the 2013 campaign…The Cajuns have posted 31 consecutive winning seasons (1982-2012)…Since the inception of the league, UL has claimed 11 of the 12 regular season Sun Belt titles and 12 of the 13 conference tournament championships…Louisiana carries one of the nation's lengthiest strings of consecutive NCAA postseason appearances into 2013, having qualified for the NCAA Tournament each of the past 14 seasons (1999-2012) – the eighth longest streak in NCAA Tournament history…UL's all-time NCAA Tournament record of 56-44 marks the 10th-highest victory total in NCAA history…The Cajuns have compiled a 194-48 (.802) record over the last four years which ranks fifth in the country only behind Missouri, Arizona State, Alabama and Florida.

About National Pro Fastpitch:
National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn. The league, created to give elite female fastpitch players the opportunity to pursue a professional career in their chosen sport, has operated since 1997 under the names of Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). NPF is the Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball in the category of women's fastpitch softball since 2002.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

NPF Back to School Tour Set to Stop at Lamson Park

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