Softball Preview: Appalachian State

Games 39-41: No. 7 Louisiana (32-6, 13-1 Sun Belt) vs. Appalachian State (9-37, 2-16 Sun Belt)
Saturday, Apr. 23 (DH) • 2 p.m. (CDT) • Lamson Park (2,790) • Lafayette, La.
Sunday, Apr. 24 • 12 p.m. (CDT) • Lamson Park (2,790) • Lafayette, La.

Game Notes (PDF): Louisiana
Radio: ESPN 1420-AM • Talent: Steve Peloquin, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, color
TV (Apr. 23 only): MyAcadianaTV/ESPN 3 • Talent: Cavan Bordelon, PxP; Chris Kovatch, color
WatchESPN Links (Apr. 23 only): Game 1 | Game 2
Live Stats
Live Video (Apr. 24 only)
Rosters: Louisiana | Appalachian State
Schedules: Louisiana | Appalachian State
2016 Stats: Louisiana | Appalachian State
Ragin' Cajuns Twitter: @ULRaginCajuns | @RaginCajunSB
Opponents' Twitter: @AppStateSB

THE COACHES
Louisiana: Michael Lotief (Louisiana, 1985)
Record at Louisiana: 670-165-1 (14th season) Career Record: Same

Appalachian State: Janice Savage (Delaware State, 2005)
Record at App State: 23-72 (2nd season) Career Record: 80-122 (4^th season)

WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Saturday – First 500 fans receive a pair of Ragin' Cajuns Sunglasses
Sunday – First 500 fans get a #GeauxCajuns Sunglasses strap

CANNED GOOD COLLECTION ON SATURDAY
During Saturday's doubleheader at Lamson Park, the Ragin' Cajuns Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will be collecting canned food and monetary donations to benefit the Northeast Louisiana Food Bank, whose supply has been diminished following the floods that ravaged North Louisiana.

CAJUNS RESUME SUN BELT PLAY, RETURN TO LAMSON
No. 7-ranked Ragin' Cajuns Softball (32-6, 13-1 Sun Belt) is at Lamson Park this weekend (April 23-24) hosting Appalachian State (9-37, 2-16 Sun Belt) in a Sun Belt Conference series. The Cajuns and Mountaineers will play a doubleheader on Saturday at 2 p.m. and single game on Sunday at 12 p.m. Saturday's doubleheader is being televised locally on MyAcadianaTV and worldwide on WatchESPN. The series marks a return to conference play for the Ragin' Cajuns who stepped out of SBC action last weekend and competed in a non-conference series at No. 1 Florida.

LOVING LIFE AT LAMSON
The Ragin' Cajuns return to the friendly confines of Lamson Park for the first time in three weeks. Louisiana has won its last 14 games contested at the facility and has been victorious 174 out of 190 times dating back to 2010. Crowd support has been at an all-time high this season, with 1,300-plus in attendance all 11 playing dates thus far and an average attendance of 1,759.

Bienvenue à Lafayette
Appalachian State is making its first-ever appearance at Lamson Park. The Mountaineers joined the Sun Belt Conference last season and started the series with the Ragin' Cajuns in Boone, N.C.

THE STRETCH RUN
Three weeks remain in the 2016 collegiate softball regular season. As positioning for seeding in the NCAA Tournament begins, Louisiana sits at No. 7 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings. Also, the careers of seniors Sara Corbello, Lexie Elkins, Gabby Felps, Shellie Landry, Meagan Thomas and Kelsey Vincent begins to near completion (Senior Day is Sunday, May 8 at Lamson Park).

STURDY STEWART
Alex Stewart held No. 1 Florida to three earned runs in both of her starts last weekend in Gainesville. She has surrendered no more than three earned runs in all six starts vs. ranked foes.

STURDY STEWART (Part 2)
Alex Stewart has yielded 33 earned runs over 134 innings pitched and has limited all foes to three earned runs or less in 21 of 22 games started.

QUIETLY AT WORK
While the offense stands out in producing 7.58 runs per game and two-plus home runs per game, the Cajuns pitchers have worked their way into one of the nation's top units. The group is ranked seventh nationally in ERA (1.92), has allowed five earned runs or more only twice (No. 5 Oregon and No. 1 Florida), and handcuffed foes to a .216 batting average.

QUIETLY AT WORK (Part 2)
Haley Hayden (.349, 6 HR, 35 RBI) has reached 40 hits for the third straight season. In doing so, she's pieced together nine different hit streaks and has gone the entire season without back-to-back hitless outings. She has hit safely in 29 of 38 games.

WISE BEYOND HER YEARS
Kara Gremillion finished 4-for-7 in the series at No. 1 Florida, tops in hits among the Ragin' Cajuns roster. Gremillion is now 7-for-18 (.389) vs. ranked teams in her collegiate debut season.

CRAIGHTON CRANKS 'EM OUT
Aleah Craighton tops the Cajuns with 25 extra base hits (10 doubles, 1 triple, 14 home runs) out of her 40 hits total (63 percent). She's reached 25 extra baggers a second straight year (26 in 2015).

WINNING THE WEEKEND
No. 7 Louisiana is 5-for-5 in claiming Sun Belt series victories (USA, UTA, TROY, TXST, GAST). The Georgia State series win (April 9-10) extended the Ragin' Cajuns string of consecutive SBC series wins to 26, a streak which began with a sweep of FIU in March 2013.

RAGIN' ON OFFENSE
No. 7 Louisiana has belted multiple home runs in each of the last nine Sun Belt games - dates back to the start of the Troy series (Mar. 25). During that timeframe, the offense has launched 25 home runs and outscored SBC foes 64-9.

SARA'S SURGE
Sara Corbello has strengthened the bottom of the Ragin' Cajuns order in the past month. Since the Troy series (Mar. 25-26), she's raised her average 37 points, hit six home runs and collected at least one base hit in 10 of the last 14 games. She had a string of six consecutive Sun Belt games with a home run, hitting one each game of series vs. Troy and Texas State.

SEND 'EM IN SANDERS
DJ Sanders posted multiple RBI in each game of the Sun Belt Conference series at Georgia State. That increased her season multiple-RBI total to a team-leading 12 and her career figure to 20.

NEARING TWO GRAND
Shellie Landry joins Lexie Elkins and DJ Sanders in leading the Cajuns in multiple-RBI games with 12. Landry enters the Appalachian State series just five RBI shy of collecting her 200th career tally.

MIGHTY BATS
Just how powerful is the Ragin' Cajuns offense as a collective unit? The team has hit at least one home run in 29 of 38 games, tallying multiple home runs 22 times (had multiple home runs in each game in three straight weekend series). Seven different players have hit at least six home runs.

THE GOLD STANDARD
The Ragin' Cajuns have belted 78 home runs in 38 contests for an average of 2.05 per game, which leads the nation. In 2015, UL produced a nation-best 2.15 home runs per game.

STOPPING 'EM IN THEIR TRACKS
The Cajuns' pitching staff has held foes to two runs or less in 26 of 38 games (25-1 record). In back-to-back Sun Belt series against Troy and Texas State, the staff yielded no more than two runs. Opponents have surpassed five runs only three times (Feb. 19 vs. Oregon; March 13 vs. South Alabama; April 16 at Florida).

DOUBLE THE TROUBLE
Louisiana's offense has been problematic for opposing pitching staffs in doubleheaders. On March 5 at Southern Miss, the Cajuns belted 11 home runs and 25 hits total in outscoring USM 30-1. On March 19 at UT Arlington, the squad piled up eight home runs (three grand slams) and 26 hits in outscoring UTA 29-0. At Troy (March 25), the Cajuns clubbed six home runs and posted 22 hits in the twinbill, topping the Trojans by a combined score of 19-1. And, in a twinbill sweep of Texas State on April 2 the Ragin' Cajuns clubbed seven home runs.

ANSWERING THE CALL
The Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff, spearheaded by Alex Stewart and Kylee Jo Trahan, has left little doubt they are ready to carry the torch after the graduation of Jordan Wallace and Christina Hamilton. The group - which also includes Victoria Brown, Alison Deville and Macey Smith - has combined for 15 shutouts and surrendered two runs or fewer in 26 of 38 games thus far. Of the 189 hits allowed in 233 innings, only 40 have gone for extra bases.

ELKINS NO. 1 OVERALL PICK IN NPF DRAFT
Two-time All-American Lexie Elkins was chosen as the No. 1 overall pick by the Pennsylvania Rebellion in the 2016 National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) College Senior Draft held on April 14. Elkins became the first No. 1 overall pick – and fourth draftee – in Ragin' Cajuns history. She joins Krystal Lewallen (2006), Christi Orgeron (2012 and Brianna Cherry (2013) as draftees.

ELKINS NAMED TOP 25 FINALIST FOR SOFTBALL'S TOP HONOR
Lexie Elkins was one of the 25 finalists named for the 2016 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball announced on Wednesday, April 13. This is the second time in her career that Elkins was selected as a finalist for the award. She was named a Top 26 finalist in 2015.

LOUISIANA-APPALACHIAN STATE SERIES
Series Record: Louisiana leads 2-0
In Lafayette: First Meeting
In Boone, N.C.: Louisiana leads 2-0
Neutral: 0-0
Current Streak: Louisiana won 2
Last Meeting: 4/18/15 in Boone, N.C.
(Louisiana 23, Appalachian State 6 - 5 inn.)

Series Notes
Series began with Appalachian State's entry into the Sun Belt Conference in 2015...First-ever Sun Belt Conference series between the two programs took place in Boone, N.C., last April...Ragin'Cajuns and Mountaineers are meeting at Lamson Park for the first time...Louisiana claimed a pair of run-rule wins in Boone last season, scoring 20-plus runs both in games of a doubleheader.

Last Series (April 18-19, 2015 - Boone, N.C.)
Lexie Elkins went a combined 8-for-10 at the plate with five home runs and 13 RBI and the No. 9-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball team belted a combined 13 home runs as they earned a doubleheader sweep of Appalachian State. Louisiana scored in eight of 10 innings played in its first meeting against Appalachian State, including a combined 25 runs in the fifth inning of the twinbill. The Ragin' Cajuns built a 21-2 lead in the opener after scoring 11 runs in the fifth inning before erupting for 14 runs in the nightcap after the Mountaineers got to within 9-6 after four innings. Continuous rain the following day in the Boone, N.C., area forced the cancellation of the series finale.

BY THE NUMBERS
1.92 – Louisiana's pitching staff brings a 1.92 ERA into the Appalachian State series - ranked No. 7 in NCAA

4 – Four times the Ragin' Cajuns have reached five home runs in a game (last 3/19 at UT Arlington)

7 – Seven players (Sara Corbello, Aleah Craighton, Lexie Elkins, Haley Hayden, Shellie Landry, DJ Sanders and Kelsey Vincent) have hit at least six home runs

14 – Number of run-rule wins

15 – Ragin' Cajuns pitching has tossed 15 shutouts. Alex Stewart and Kylee Jo Trahan both rank Top 25 nationally with five shutouts each

22 – Louisiana has hit multiple home runs 22 times (through 35 games). The team has hit multiple HR in 10 of the last 15 games (since 3/25 at Troy)

67 – The Ragin' Cajuns have scored multiple runs in 67 out of 225-1/3 innings at the plate. The bulk of the team's production has been in the middle innings (third through fifth) where 140 out of 288 totals runs (49 percent) have crossed the plate

70 – The Ragin' Cajuns have reached 70 home runs for the fifth straight season (currently have hit 78). Under Michael Lotief's tutelage, the program has hit at least 70 home runs in 10 of the past 16 seasons

DIAMOND NOTES
#PickMeUp: Brittany Nollkamper (catcher) and Taylor Terrio (right field) have filled in for Lexie Elkins (thumb) and Kassidy Zeringue (ankle) who are recovering from injuries.

#CatchMeIfYouCan: Louisiana is 27-0 when scoring first. In those 27 wins, the Ragin' Cajuns have relinquished the lead only twice (4th inn. of Game 1 vs. TTU; 5th inn of Game 2 at GSU).

#DefenseBacksThemUp: The Ragin' Cajuns defense has committed only 29 errors in 944 chances and had multiple errors only six times through 38 games.

#HeyItsHaley: With 44 runs, 42 hits and 35 RBI, Haley Hayden is on pace to reach 60 runs, 60 hits and 50 RBI for the third straight season.

#StrengthInNumbers: Every starter in the Ragin' Cajuns lineup has posted at least 20 base hits. The numbers range from 25 to 44. The team average of .336 ranks No. 12 in the NCAA stats.

#KsForKylee: Kylee Jo Trahan has posted at least eight strikeouts in five of her eight starts that she pitched at least five innings. She tied her career-high of 10 vs. Rutgers (Feb. 26).

#SteadyAlex: Alex Stewart began the season with 35 2/3 consecutive walk-free innings. She's yielded only 20 walks in 134 innings pitched through her first 25 appearances (22 starts).

#GrowingUpFast: Freshman Kara Gremillion has displayed poise at the plate and the results have backed that up. Gremillion posted five doubles through her first seven collegiate hits, one of which broke open a scoreless game vs. No. 5 Oregon on Feb. 19. She's shined on defense as well, fielding all but three of 97 chances cleanly (44 PO, 50 A, 3 E, .969 FLD%). She had a string of 21 straight error-free games from Feb. 26 through April 23.

#NationalPower: Dating back to the start of the 2015 season, Louisiana has been in the Top 10 of the NFCA rankings in 22 of the past 25 polls and Top 10 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll in 21 of the past 25 polls. Since the completion of opening weekend this season, the Ragin' Cajuns have been inside the Top 10 each of the last 10 weeks.

#FamilyTies: Being members of the Ragin' Cajuns softball team has added meaning for three families. Sisters Shellie Landry and Jaime Landry are competing together collegiately 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

Victoria Brown

Sara Corbello

Aleah Craighton

Alison Deville

Lexie Elkins

Gabby Felps

Kara Gremillion

Christina Hamilton

Haley Hayden

Jaime Landry

Shellie Landry

Chelsea Lotief

Brittany Nollkamper

DJ Sanders

Macey Smith

Alex Stewart

Taylor Terrio

Meagan Thomas

Kylee Jo Trahan

Kelsey Vincent

Jordan Wallace

Kassidy Zeringue

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