Softball Preview: Baylor

Games 36-38: #10/9 Louisiana (30-5, 15-3 Sun Belt) vs. #14/13 Baylor (27-7, 5-1 Big 12)
Friday, April 10 • 6 p.m. (CDT) • Lamson Park (2,790) • Lafayette, La.
Saturday, April 11 (DH) • 1 p.m. (CDT) • Lamson Park (2,790) • Lafayette, La.

Game Notes: Louisiana | Baylor
Radio: ESPN 1420-AM • Talent: Steve Peloquin, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, color
TV: MyKLAF/ESPN3 (Saturday only) • Talent: Don Allen, PxP; Dan McDonald, color
WatchESPN Links (Apr. 11 only): Game 1 | Game 2
Live Stats
Live Video (purchase necessary)
Rosters: Louisiana | Baylor
Schedule/Results: Louisiana | Baylor
Statistics: Louisiana | Baylor
Ragin' Cajuns Twitter: @ULRaginCajuns | @RaginCajunSB
Opponents Twitter: @BaylorSoftball

THE COACHES
Louisiana: Michael Lotief (Louisiana, 1985)
Career Record: 626-152-1 (13th season) Record at Louisiana: Same

Baylor: Glenn Moore (Northwestern State, 1993)
Career Record: 732-326 (18th season) Record at BU: 593-284 (15th season)

CAJUNS BREAK FROM SUN BELT PLAY, CHALLENGE RANKED FOE
The No. 10 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball team's bye week in Sun Belt play will have a NCAA Regional-type atmosphere. The Cajuns host No. 14 Baylor in a three-game series Friday-Saturday, April 10-11 at Lamson Park. Both programs are coming off an appearance in the 2014 Women's College World Series. Louisiana has appeared in each NCAA Tournament the past 16 seasons and Baylor has qualified in nine of the last 11 seasons (dates back to 2004).

SENIOR DAY ON SATURDAY
The Ragin' Cajuns will hold Senior Day festivities on Saturday, April 11 prior to the start of the 1 p.m., doubleheader vs. Baylor. The six seniors being honored are: Linzey Cifreo, Christina Hamilton, Marie Hoag, Leandra Maly, Taylor Meaux, Jordan Wallace.

CATCH 'EM WHILE YOU CAN
The Baylor series (April 10-11) and next Wednesday's (April 15) single game with Houston are the final games at Lamson Park on the regular season schedule.

CAJUNS VS. RANKED FOES IN 2015
Louisiana is 3-3 vs. ranked opponents in 2015: 1-2 vs. #4 Alabama (Feb. 28-Mar. 1); 2-1 vs. #24 South Alabama (Mar. 7-8).

RAGIN' ON OFFENSE
The Cajuns enter the Baylor series having scored double digit runs in five of the last seven games (dates back to Troy finale). The squad is hitting .385 during the stretch.

HIGH-POWERED AT LAMSON
Louisiana's hitters have felt at ease hitting in Lamson Park. The Cajuns are hitting .365 and have outscored foes 231-28 through 26 games in their home facility this season.

TEAM EFFORT
It's not just one "star" carrying the load for the Ragin' Cajuns. Each starter in the lineup has posted at least 23 hits (ranges from 23-46). Six players have posted 20-plus RBI, and that number will be seven on DJ Sanders' next RBI.

TRIPLE THREAT IN THE CIRCLE
Alex Stewart's emergence in the pitching circle during the Texas State and Georgia State series has further strengthened Louisiana's pitching efforts. She registered the two wins that won both series, allowing just five runs and striking out 34 in 21 innings.

LEADING THE WAY
Lexie Elkins entered the week No. 1 in the nation in home runs, having hit 19. Elkins has hit at least one home run in five of her last six outings. The junior catcher has hit 13 home runs since March 7.

WALLACE CLIMBING THE CHARTS
With her win in the Georgia State series finale, Jordan Wallace picked up career win No. 85 allowing her to take sole possession of fourth place on the career list, passing Melissa Coronado. Her first strikeout of the game, the 821st of her career, moved her past Kyla Hall for third place on the career list.

MIGHTY IN MARCH
Lexie Elkins hit .532 (25-of-47) with three doubles, 11 home runs and 27 RBI during the month of March. She struck out only twice in 62 plate appearances.

CHASING HISTORY
With 19 home runs and still four weeks left in the regular season, plus postseason, Lexie Elkins might challenge the single-season record 30 home runs hit by Danyele Gomez in 2006. Through 35 games in 2006, Gomez had hit 17 home runs.

SPARKLING SEASON FOR SHELLIE
The 15 home runs hit by Shellie Landry matches her personal single-season best hit as a freshman in 2013. She is four RBI shy from reaching 50 for the second time in her career and 15 shy of tying her personal-best 61 RBI established in 2013.

HOME RUNS FOR ALL
Following DJ Sanders' game-ending home run in the Georgia State opener, each non-slap hitters in the Ragin' Cajuns batting order had at least one home run.

SETTLED ON THE LINEUP
Before the season began, head coach Michael Lotief found a lineup he believed would give his team the best chance to succeed. No. 1-5 in the lineup has remained the same since opening day. No. 6-9 in the batting order was the same Feb. 7-Mar. 17. Position-wise, the starters at each spot in the field have started all 35 games.

UP NEXT
No. 10 Louisiana closes out the home portion of the 2015 schedule hosting Houston in a single game at 6 p.m., on Wednesday, April 15. The Cajuns then return to Sun Belt play in Boone, N.C., visiting Appalachian State for a series Saturday-Sunday, April 18-19.

LOUISIANA-BAYLOR SERIES
Series Record: Louisiana leads 10-6
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads 5-2
In Waco, Texas: Tied 2-2
Neutral: Louisiana leads 3-2
Current Streak: Louisiana won 3
Last Meeting: 4/22/14 in Waco, Texas
(Louisiana 7, Baylor 4)

Last Time vs. Baylor
The Cajuns swept a doubleheader at Getterman Stadium in Waco on April 22, 2014 by scores of 5-2 and 7-4. After Baylor jumped ahead 1-0 on a solo home run by Holly
Holl in the fourth inning of Game 1, the Cajuns responded with three runs in the fifth behind a Haley Hayden double and a two-run homer by Lexie Elkins to take the lead. With Game 2 tied at 4-4 after five complete, the Cajuns put together two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh to complete the sweep of the Bears. Haley Hayden was hit by a pitch from Heather Stearns with the bases loaded in the sixth to break the tie.

Series Notes
First meetings at Lamson Park since the 2007 Ragin' Cajuns Invitational...Baylor has visited Lamson Park since then, participating in the 2012 NCAA Lafayette Regional, but the two teams did not meet...Louisiana has won the last four meetings at Lamson Park...Cajuns took all three meetings in 2014 - one at the Gulfport (Miss.) College Classic (Feb. 28) and two in a doubleheader in Waco (Apr. 22)...First meeting took place in 1983 in Irving, Texas (UTA Tournament)...Met in Irving again in 1984 and back-to-back seasons in Houston from 1987-88...Baylor participated in the Louisiana Classics at Lamson Park each season from 1996-98, with the teams playing five times during that span...Wouldn't meet again until 2007 Ragin' Cajuns Invitational...Met in the 2009 NCAA Waco Regional at Getterman Stadium, with Baylor winning both meetings.

DIAMOND NOTES

• #ThinkingOfCoachMike: Louisiana head coach Michael Lotief is presently attending to a medical situation with his throat which has caused him to miss the Texas State and Georgia State series.

• #InAGroove: Shellie Landry brings a 13-game hitting streak into the Baylor series. It's tied for the longest streak of her career, set last season, and began March 14 vs. UTA.

• #WelcomeAboard: Haley Hayden has an active reached-base streak of 24 games. The career-best streak began Feb. 21 vs. Hofstra.

• #AddedPower: Kelsey Vincent homered once in each game of last Saturday's Georgia State doubleheader and has now hit a home run in four of the last six games.

• #SweepingUpAtShort: True freshman DJ Sanders has shined at shortstop this season after taking over for last season's starter Corin Voinche who is injured. She's made just three errors through the first 95 chances that have come her way (45 PO, 47 A, 3E).

• #NotAnEasyOut: Opponents have found it tough to keep Haley Hayden, Shellie Landry and Lexie Elkins off the base path. The Cajuns' 1-2-3 hitters have combined for 128 hits and 75 walks. Add in a combined nine times being hit by a pitch, they've been on base a combined 203 times in a combined 415 plate appearances.

• #AmazingAleah: Redshirt freshman Aleah Craighton hit above .400 through the first five weeks and has been no lower than .368 since.

• #HistoricPace: With 66 home runs hit so far and the current pace of 1.89 HR/game, the Cajuns could be in striking distance of the second 100 HR season in school history (102 in '06) before the postseason arrives (on pace for 91 by regular season's end).

• #CatchMeIfYouCan: Louisiana is 27-3 when scoring first. The lone losses: Mar. 8 at South Alabama, Mar. 21 vs. Troy (Game 1) and Mar. 28 at Texas State (Game 1).

• #WelcomeBack: Louisiana returned to the Top 10 in this week's USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll. The Cajuns moved up two spots from No. 12 and returned to the Top 10 after falling out last week for the first time all season.

• #RecipeForSuccess: The sweep of Georgia State gave the Ragin' Cajuns their sixth Sun Belt series win in as many played. That has the team in sole possession of first place in the league standings and on the doorstep of clinching the title.

#GeauxCajuns

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Players Mentioned

Linzey Cifreo

Aleah Craighton

Lexie Elkins

Christina Hamilton

Haley Hayden

Marie Hoag

Shellie Landry

Leandra Maly

Taylor Meaux

DJ Sanders

Alex Stewart

Kelsey Vincent

Jordan Wallace

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