Softball Preview: Texas Tech and Ragin' Cajuns Invite

Games 10-15: Texas Tech (DH) / Ragin' Cajuns Invitational (Lamson Park)
Thursday, Feb. 25 • 4 p.m. (CST) • Texas Tech (DH) • Lamson Park
Friday, Feb. 26 • 4 p.m. (CST) • Rutgers • Ragin' Cajuns Invitational • Lamson Park
Saturday, Feb. 27 • 1:30 p.m. (CST) • Rutgers • Ragin' Cajuns Invitational • Lamson Park
Saturday, Feb. 27 • 4 p.m. (CST) • Alcorn State • Ragin' Cajuns Invitational • Lamson Park
Sunday, Feb. 28 • 12 p.m. (CST) • Alcorn State • Ragin' Cajuns Invitational • Lamson Park

Game Notes: Louisiana
Radio: ESPN 1420-AM | Live Stats
Rosters: Louisiana | Texas Tech | Rutgers | Alcorn State
Schedules: Louisiana | Texas Tech | Rutgers | Alcorn State
2016 Stats: Louisiana | Texas Tech | Rutgers | Alcorn State
Ragin' Cajuns Twitter: @ULRaginCajuns | @RaginCajunSB
Opponents Twitter: @TTUSB | @RUSoftball | @AlcornAthletics

THE COACHES
Louisiana: Michael Lotief (Louisiana, 1985)
Career Record: 646-160-1 (14th season) Record at Louisiana: Same

Texas Tech: Adrian Gregory (Texas A&M, 2006)
Career Record: 29-32 (2nd season) Record at TTU: Same

Rutgers: Jay Nelson (St. Olaf College, 1974)
Career Record: 223-261 (10th season) Record at RU: Same

Alcorn State: Josef Rankin (Southern, 2002)
Career Record: 13-76 (3rd season) Record at Alcorn: Same

HOMESTANDING CAJUNS
No. 6 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball continues a 10-game homestand, which began with last weekend's Louisiana Classics tournament, hosting Texas Tech in a 4 p.m. doubleheader on Thursday, Feb. 25, followed by the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational Friday-Sunday, Feb. 26-28 featuring Alcorn State and Rutgers.

TOP 10 TRIUMPH
The Louisiana Classics was highlighted by the Ragin' Cajuns claiming two of the three matchups with No. 5 Oregon. Alex Stewart (5-0, 1.50 ERA) pitched complete games in both of Louisiana's wins over Oregon, Lexie Elkins homered twice off of All-American pitcher Cherdian Hawkins and Kara Gremillion (two-run double in Game 1) and Haley Hayden (three-run double in Game 3) provided key at bats in the three-game set with the Ducks.

CLIMBING HIGHER
Lexie Elkins homered three times during the Louisiana Classics, increasing her career home run total to 64. That leaves the senior catcher three home runs shy of passing Gabriele Bridges (66 HR from 2008-11) for fourth place. The school career Top 5 HR list includes: Danyele Gomez (83), Holly Tankersely (71), Christi Orgeron (70), Gabriele Brigdes (66) and Lexie Elkins (64).

RAGIN' CAJUNS SOFTBALL CAREER HOME RUNS CHART
1. 83 Danyele Gomez (2003-06)
2. 71 Holly Tankersley (2004, 2006-08)
3. 70 Christi Orgeron (2009-12)
4. 66 Gabriele Bridges (2008-11)
5. 64 Lexie Elkins (2014-present)

NOTHING IS FREE
In two starts (14 inning pitched) vs. No. 5 Oregon, Alex Stewart did not issue a walk. That extended her string of consecutive walk-free innings pitched to start the season to 28 innings. Louisiana's pitching staff has yielded only 10 walks in 54 innings overall.

MIGHTY BATS
The four home runs vs. Central Arkansas in the Louisiana Classics finale marked the third time this season that Louisiana reached the tally in a contest (5 vs. UAB, 4 vs. La. Tech, 4 vs. UCA). The Ragin' Cajuns have belted 18 home runs in nine contests for an average of 2.0 per game, which leads the nation. In 2015, UL produced a nation-best 2.15 home runs per game.

LAMSON COMES ALIVE
Boosted by a new season ticket record (890 as of Feb. 18), the Ragin' Cajuns drew an average of 2,060 fans over the weekend during the Louisiana Classics. Friday's doubleheader vs. No. 5 Oregon drew 2,273 and Saturday's matchup had 2,315 in attendance. Since the current configuration of Lamson Park debuted in 2012, the Cajuns have ranked Top 20 nationally in attendance the past four seasons which includes Top 10 finishes the last two seasons (2014-15).

TOP-TO-BOTTOM PRODCUTION
All nine of the starters in the Cajuns batting order have produced at least seven base hits. While the top four in the lineup (Hayden, Landry, Elkins, Vincent) have combined for 45 RBI, the remaining four non-slap hitters (Craighton, Sanders, Corbello, Gremillion) have generated 23 RBI.

SWEEPSTAKES FOR ELKINS
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball senior catcher Lexie Elkins' season-opening display of power in Gulf Shores resulted in national notoriety - in addition to Sun Belt Conference Student-Athlete of the Week honors - for the two-time All-American slugger as she was named both the Louisville/Slugger NFCA Division I National Player of the Week by the NFCA and USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week by ASA/USA Softball. Elkins finished 10-for-15 (.667) at the plate with five home runs and 14 RBI as the Ragin' Cajuns began the 2016 season with a 5-0 mark in Gulf Shores.

MILESTONE MOMENT
The 8-0 (5 inn.) win over Southeast Missouri on Saturday, Feb. 13 at the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores marked the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball program's 1,500th all-time victory. The present all-time record, for the program which was launched in 1981, is 1,501-433-1 (.776).

RAGIN' CAJUNS JOIN TOP 10
A 5-0 start to the 2016 season has propelled the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball team into the Top 10 of the national polls on Tuesday, Feb. 16. Louisiana rose to No. 7 in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll, up from its No. 11 preseason rank. The Ragin' Cajuns moved up three spots, from its preseason No. 11 billing, to No. 8 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll.

THE TANK REMAINS FULL
The Ragin' Cajuns returned 90-plus percent in all major hitting categories (hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI and total bases). The squad returns 100 percent of the home run production from 2015 (116 home runs).

QUICK LOOK AT THE 2016 RAGIN' CAJUNS
The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, ranked No. 11 in the final 2015 polls and coming off a fourth straight NCAA Super Regional appearance, return eight (8) of the nine (9) hitters from its 2015 starting lineup that produced a school-record 116 home runs. Second team All-Sun Belt pitcher Alex Stewart (10-2, 2.09 ERA in 2015), who posted five of the Ragin' Cajuns final 10 Sun Belt wins that paved the way for a conference championship in 2015, leads the candidates in the pitching circle who are poised to take over for the departed Christina Hamilton and Jordan Wallace (both graduated).

ELKINS AND LANDRY NAMED TO "WATCH" LIST
Lexie Elkins and Shellie Landry, both All-Americans in 2015, were included among the 50 players that comprised the "Watch List" for the 2016 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award.

CAJUNS ARE THE CHOICE OF THE SUN BELT
The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball team was selected as the favorite to finish atop the 2016 Sun Belt Conference standings and senior catcher Lexie Elkins was chosen as the Preseason Student-Athlete of the Year in the preseason picks voted on by the conference's nine head coaches and released on Tuesday, Jan. 26.

UP NEXT
The No. 6-ranked Ragin' Cajuns travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., for a three-game series (March 5-6) with Southern Miss. The series marks the final non-conference weekend prior to the start of Sun Belt Conference play March 12-13 vs. South Alabama at Lamson Park.

SERIES HISTORY
Texas Tech (Louisiana leads 3-1)
In Lafayette: 1-0
In Lubbock, Texas: 0-0
Neutral: Louisiana leads 2-1
Current Streak: Louisiana won 2
Last Meeting: 2/20/04 at Lamson Park
(Louisiana 7, Texas Tech 1)

Texas Tech Series Notes
First meeting since the 2004 Mardi Gras Classic held at Lamson Park...first time the two programs meet in a non-tournament setting...second straight meeting at Lamson Park, after first three meetings were held at a neutral site...Cajuns won lone previous meeting at Lamson Park, winning 7-1 in the final matchup of the opening day of the 2004 Mardi Gras Classic...Teams first met in April 1984 at the UTA Tournament in Irving, Texas, and split a pair of meetings...Cajuns began current two-game win streak over the Red Raiders with a 2-0 win in March 1998 at the H.I.T. Tournament in Houston.

Did You Kneaux??
Ragin' Cajuns All-American catcher Lexie Elkins began her collegiate career at Texas Tech, competing as a freshman in 2013 before transferring to Louisiana...Elkins, who graduated from Victoria East High School at mid-term in December 2012, saw time in 47 games (starting 42 at catcher) and batted .282 with eight doubles and 21 RBI for Texas Tech in spring 2013.

Rutgers (Louisiana leads 3-0)
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads 1-0
In Piscataway, N.J.: 0-0
Neutral: Louisiana leads 2-0
Current Streak: Louisiana won 3
Last Meeting: 2/23/14 in Clearwater, Fla.
(Louisiana 4, Rutgers 3)

Rutgers Series Notes
Meeting in a Lamson Park-based tournament for the second time in the past five seasons (met in Louisiana Classics in 2012)...this weekend's Ragin' Cajuns Invitational matchups mark the third and fourth meetings since 2012...in addition to 2012 Louisiana Classics meetings, the two programs met in 2014 NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla...Cajuns were victorious in all three previous meetings...first met at the KIA Klassic, hosted by Cal State Fullerton, in March 2002.

Alcorn State (Tied 1-1)
In Lafayette: 0-0
In Lorman, Miss.: 0-0
Neutral: Tied 1-1
Current Streak: Louisiana won 1
Last Meeting: 2/25/07 in Natchitoches, La.
(Louisiana 8, Alcorn State 0 - 6 inn.)

Alcorn State Series Notes
First time meeting at Lamson Park...programs last met in 2007 in Natchitoches, La., splitting a pair of contests in the Northwestern State Invitational...meetings in Natchitoches are the only prior two meetings in the series...Alcorn held the Cajuns to one hit through the first six innings and staved off a seventh-inning rally to post a 5-4 upset in the first-ever meeting on Feb. 23, 2007...Louisiana gained revenge two days later, pulling away for an 8-0 (6 inn.) win in the second inning after a grand slam by Lacey Bertucci opened a 6-0 edge.

DIAMOND NOTES
#KsForKylee: Kylee Jo Trahan tied her season-high with eight strikeouts last Sunday vs. Central Arkansas. It matched her tally from a Feb. 13 meeting with Samford in Gulf Shores. Trahan's pair of eight strikeout performances also mark the season-high on the pitching staff.

#GrowingUpFast: Freshman Kara Gremillion has displayed poise at the plate and the results have backed that up. Gremillion leads the squad with five doubles, one of which broke open a scoreless game vs. No. 5 Oregon last Friday.

#GoodEye: Through nine games and 284 total plate appearances, the Ragin' Cajuns have drawn 36 walks against 32 strikeouts. The squad has struck out four times or fewer in seven of the nine outings.

#DefenseBacksThemUp: The Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff doesn't have to pile up impressive strikeout numbers as a veteran defense plays behind them. Seven of the nine starters in the field have at least two years experience at their position. The defense has committed only seven errors in 226 chances and had multiple errors just once in nine games.

#CatchMeIfYouCan: Louisiana is 8-0 when scoring first. In those eight wins, the Ragin' Cajuns have never relinquished the lead.

#MovingOnUp: Louisiana rose to No. 6 in both national polls, marking the second straight week that the squad advanced in the rankings.

#EliteCompany: Dating back to the start of the 2015 season, Louisiana has been in the Top 10 of the NFCA rankings in 14 of the past 17 polls and Top 10 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll in 13 of the past 17 polls.

#FamilyTies: Being members of the Ragin' Cajuns softball team has added meaning for three families. Sisters Shellie Landry and Jaime Landry are competing on the field for the first time (Jaime redshirted in 2015). Kara Gremillion is following in the footsteps of her aunts, Stacie Gremillion and Sandy Percle, who donned the Cajuns uniform in the mid-1980s. And, Chelsea Lotief joins her father, head coach Michael Lotief, in the dugout while suiting up for the Ragin' Cajuns like her mother, Stefni (Whitton) Lotief, did from 1987-90.

#GeauxCajuns

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Players Mentioned

Lexie Elkins

Kara Gremillion

Christina Hamilton

Haley Hayden

Jaime Landry

Shellie Landry

Chelsea Lotief

Alex Stewart

Kylee Jo Trahan

Jordan Wallace