Softball Preview: ULM (Senior Weekend)

Games 45-47: No. 9 Louisiana (37-7, 18-2 Sun Belt) vs. ULM (23-29, 7-14 Sun Belt)
Saturday, May 7 (DH) • 2 p.m. (CDT) • Lamson Park (2,790) • Lafayette, La.
Sunday, May 8 • 1 p.m. (CDT) • Lamson Park (2,790) • Lafayette, La.

Game Notes (PDF): Louisiana | ULM
Radio: ESPN 1420-AM • Talent: Steve Peloquin, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, color
TV (May 7 only): MyAcadianaTV/ESPN 3 • Talent: Cavan Bordelon, PxP; David Schultz, color
WatchESPN Links (May 7 only): Game 1 | Game 2
Live Stats
Live Video (May 8 only)
Rosters: Louisiana | ULM
Schedules: Louisiana | ULM
2016 Stats: Louisiana | ULM
Ragin' Cajuns Twitter: @ULRaginCajuns | @RaginCajunSB
Opponents' Twitter: @ULM_Softball

THE COACHES
Louisiana: Michael Lotief (Louisiana, 1985)
Record at Louisiana: 675-166-1 (14th season) Career Record: Same

ULM: Corey Lyon (Newman, 1995)
Record at ULM: 53-51 (2nd season) Career Record: 143-140 (5th season)

WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Saturday – Graduation Ceremony prior to first pitch
Sunday – Senior Day Ceremony prior to first pitch

OUR LADY OF LOURDES TO "STRIKE OUT A STROKE"
Our Lady of Lourdes is partnering with Ragin' Cajuns Athletics to donate $100 for every strikeout recorded by Cajuns pitchers. At the end of the weekend, Lourdes will hand over a check to head coach Michael Lotief signifying the amount that will be donated to the American Stroke Foundation in the program's honor.

On Saturday, doctors from Our Lady of Lourdes will offer free stroke screening at Lamson Park from 2:30-4:30 p.m., with participants receiving a free t-shirt.

5 THINGS TO KNOW
1 - This weekend's series vs. ULM is "Senior Weekend" and the final games of the 2016 regular season. The Senior Day ceremony takes place prior to Sunday's game.

2 - Louisiana has won 28 consecutive Sun Belt Conference series (school and SBC record streak). The streak began in March 2013 with a three-game sweep of FIU.

3 - The Ragin' Cajuns secured the outright Sun Belt title and No. 1 seed for the conference tournament after last Saturday's doubleheader sweep in Statesboro.

4 - The Cajuns lead all levels of NCAA softball in home runs (90) and home runs per game (2.05). Louisiana has hit multiple home runs 26 times (out of 44 games).

5 - The Cajuns pitching staff has limited foes to two runs or fewer in 31 of 44 games, overall. In Sun Belt play, opponents have scored two or less in 16 of 20 games.

CAJUNS CLOSE REGULAR SEASON, HOLD SENIOR WEEKEND
No. 9-ranked and Sun Belt Conference champion Ragin' Cajuns Softball (37-7, 18-2 Sun Belt) closes out the regular season hosting ULM at Lamson Park Saturday-Sunday, May 7-8. The program will celebrate the careers of Sara Corbello, Lexie Elkins, Gabby Felps, Shellie Landry, Meagan Thomas and Kelsey Vincent who are all playing their final regular season games at Lamson Park with a Senior Day ceremony prior to Sunday's contest. Our Lady of Lourdes is sponsoring "Strike Out a Stroke", donating $100 per strikeout to the American Stroke Foundation.

COACH LOTIEF ON SENIOR WEEKEND
"I love Senior Weekend. I love Senior Day. I love the fact that those kids get to walk across the field and get acknowledged by this community for their contribution, love, example and their role in this community. All six of these kids have done it the right way. Each one of these kids is so much bigger than a stat line – who they are as people and how they influence the people around them and the differences they've made in this program, and in this community, has been phenomenal."

WHERE THE JOURNEY BEGAN
The 2016 Ragin' Cajuns Softball senior class was connected together over a three-year span. Meagan Thomas was a redshirt freshman in 2012 and she began competing with Sara Corbello, Gabby Felps, Shellie Landry and Kelsey Vincent who arrived as freshmen in 2013. Lexie Elkins joined the group as a sophomore in 2014, transferring in after her freshman season at Texas Tech.

WHAT A RIDE
The 2016 senior class has continued the programs string of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (now 17 straight), advanced to three straight Super Regionals, clinched a Women's College World Series berth on their home field (2014) and captured the Sun Belt Conference championship the past three seasons. Entering Senior Weekend, the class' overall record is 175-44-1 (.798) and their record at Lamson Park is 98-11-1.

ONE LAST HURRAH?
While it's the final regular season games for the 2016 senior class, it may not be their last time walking into the friendly confines of Lamson Park. Louisiana sits at No. 11 in the most recent RPI, an indicator that a potential NCAA Regional could be held at Lamson Park (May 20-22).

SENIOR STRIDES
In Sun Belt play, Shellie Landry leads the Cajuns in RBI with 30 and averages 1.5 RBI per game. Since the Troy series (March 25), Sara Corbello has raised her average 56 points and is batting a team-best .364 (20-for-55) with nine home runs and 18 RBI (hitting a career-best .358 in SBC play).

ONE GOAL REACHED, ON TO THE NEXT
With a doubleheader sweep of Georgia Southern last Saturday in Statesboro, the Ragin' Cajuns secured the outright Sun Belt Conference championship and No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament (May 11-14 in Mobile, Ala.). The Ragin' Cajuns earned the program's third consecutive championship and 14th in the 16 seasons of league competition since 2001.

LOVING LIFE AT LAMSON
Louisiana has won its last 17 games contested at Lamson Park and has been victorious 177 out of 193 times dating back to 2010. Crowd support has been at an all-time high this season, with 1,300-plus in attendance all 13 playing dates thus far and an average attendance of 1,725 which has the program on pace for a Top 10 finish nationally in attendance a third straight season.

STEWART STANDS STRONG
Alex Stewart (22-4, 1.57 ERA), who pitched 36 consecutive scoreless innings in Sun Belt play earlier this season, extended her most recent stretch of scoreless innings in league play to 21 innings prior to a home run by Georgia Southern's AJ Hamilton last Sunday. Stewart has held Sun Belt foes to 11 runs and 54 hits covering 17 appearances and 78 innings pitched.

STEWART STANDS STRONG (Part 2)
Alex Stewart posted a 13-0 start in Sun Belt Conference play to lead the Ragin' Cajuns to the conference championship.

LANDRY'S LOCKED IN
Shellie Landry leads the Cajuns in RBI in Sun Belt play with 30 (second in league), averaging 1.50 RBI per game. She reached three RBI in six of 12 SBC games from Mar. 25-Apr. 23. Starting March 25 at Troy, she hit .457 with nine home runs and 25 RBI over a span of four Sun Belt series.

HUMMING ALONG
Haley Hayden (.362, 7 HR, 38 RBI) has reached 50 hits for the third straight season. In doing so, she's pieced together nine different hit streaks, gone the entire season without back-to-back hitless outings and hit safely in 34 of 44 games. Hayden hit .362 in February, .360 in March and .388 in April. She leads the Ragin' Cajuns with 15 multiple-hit games, nine coming in Sun Belt play.

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
Entering last weekend's series at Georgia Southern, the Ragin' Cajuns were the lone team in the nation to rank Top 10 in both batting average and earned run average. Louisiana remains Top 10 in ERA (7th, 1.86) and sits at No. 13 in batting average (.335) entering this week's play.

SEND 'EM IN SANDERS
DJ Sanders (.311, 16 HR, 50 RBI) posted multiple RBI in both games the Saturday doubleheader at Georgia Southern, totaling six on the day. The production increased her season RBI total to 50 – the first Cajun to reach the mark this season. She boosted her Sun Belt-only RBI total to 28.

SEND 'EM IN SANDERS (Part 2)
DJ Sanders is the Cajuns leader in multiple-RBI games with 16 (has 10 in Sun Belt play). She's reached at least three RBI in a game eight times.

GREMILLION'S GOT THE GRIP
Freshman Kara Gremillion fielded all 13 chances at third base cleanly last weekend at Georgia Southern, extending her current string of error-free games to 11 (had a string of 21 straight error-free games earlier in the season from Feb. 26-Apr. 3). For the season, Gremillion has committed only three errors over 123 chances (51 PO, 71 A, 3 E, .976 FLD%).

BALANCED EFFORT
Louisiana's lineup features four players with 40-plus RBI (Craighton, Elkins, Landry, Sanders). There are six players with double digits in home runs (Corbello, Craighton, Elkins, Landry, Sanders, Vincent). And, eight of the team's nine starters have reached 30 base hits with Kara Gremillion one hit shy of becoming the ninth player to reach 30 hits.

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.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The No. 9-ranked Ragin' Cajuns travel to Mobile, Ala., for the 2016 Sun Belt Conference Tournament being held Wednesday-Saturday, May 11-14 at Jaguar Field on the University of South Alabama campus. The Ragin' Cajuns, who clinched the conference championship and No. 1 seed last weekend at Georgia Southern, will have a bye on the tournament's opening day and begin competition on Thursday, May 12.

LOUISIANA-ULM SERIES
Series Record: Louisiana leads 99-27
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads 42-10
In Monroe, La.: Louisiana leads 46-14
Neutral: Louisiana leads 11-3
Current Streak: Louisiana won 12
Last Meeting: 5/3/15 in Monroe, La.
(Louisiana 9, ULM 2)

Last 10 Meetings
5/4/13             UL 8, ULM 2             Monroe, La.
5/4/13             UL 12, ULM 3 (5)     Monroe, La.
5/5/13             UL 6, ULM 0             Monroe, La.
5/3/14             UL 8, ULM 6             Lamson Park
5/3/14             UL 7, ULM 0             Lamson Park
5/4/14             UL 9, ULM 3             Lamson Park
5/9/14             UL 14, ULM 6           Lamson Park (Sun Belt Tournament)
5/2/15             UL 9, ULM 3             Monroe, La.
5/2/15             UL 20, ULM 2 (5)     Monroe, La.
5/3/15             UL 9, ULM 2             Monroe, La.

Series Notes
Louisiana posted three-game sweeps the last three seasons, the only sweeps in eight SBC series that were three games in length (2009 only a doubleheader was played)...Cajuns' most-played series at 126 games...Southland Conference foes from 1983-87...Sun Belt Conference foes 2007-present... Cajuns hold a 21-5 edge in SBC regular season games...Louisiana won all previous nine Sun Belt series...Met in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2014 Sun Belt Tournament...Cajuns hold a 4-1 edge in SBC Tournament... ULM was the opposition for the first games of the Lotief era on Feb. 14, 2001...Cajuns' 6-2 win in Monroe on April 20, 2005 marked the 1,000th win in program history.

Last Season's Series (May 2-3, 2015 - Monroe, La.)
Louisiana generated 29 runs off 33 hits in the Saturday doubleheader, which included 12 home runs, to claim a 9-3, 20-2 (5 inn.) sweep which locked up the 2015 Sun Belt championship. Aleah Craighton finished the doubleheader with four home runs. Craighton went 5-for-8 at the plate with nine RBI which included a career-high six RBI in Game 2. Jordan Wallace struck out 13 in Game 1 and Christina Hamilton limited ULM to one hit and struck out six in her three innings of work in Game 2. On Sunday, Samantha Walsh posted a four-hit day, finishing 4-for-4 at the plate, and Kelsey Vincent (four) and Shellie Landry (three) combined for seven RBI as the Cajuns finished the sweep of the Warhawks with a 9-2 triumph.

DIAMOND NOTES
#MayMadness: The month of May has arrived, meaning softball's version of the NCAA Tournament is not far off. Louisiana seeks its 18th straight appearance and 26th in the past 27 seasons. Selection Sunday is May 15 with the regional round beginning on May 20.

#ChargingOn: Shellie Landry has posted at least one base hit in 18 of the team's 20 Sun Belt contests, having hit safely the past nine league outings.

#HelpingHand: Victoria Brown's three-inning relief stint last Sunday at Georgia Southern tied her season-high for innings pitched in relief (Apr. 9 at Georgia State, Apr. 16 at Florida).

#ExtraExtra: Aleah Craighton has produced 26 extra base hits. She's one shy of setting a new career-best total, topping the 26 she had as a redshirt freshman in 2015.

#ToughOut: In the month of April, Aleah Craighton was aboard the base path 30 times in 47 plate appearances (.638 OB%). She hit .414, with 12 hits (6 HR) plus 13 walks and five hit by pitch.

#CatchMeIfYouCan: Louisiana is 31-0 when scoring first. In those 31 wins, the Ragin' Cajuns have relinquished the lead only twice (4th inn. of Game 1 vs. TTU; 5th inn of Game 2 at GSU).

#SteadyAlex: Alex Stewart began the season with 35 2/3 consecutive walk-free innings. She's yielded only 20 walks in 156 innings pitched through 31 appearances (28 starts). Stewart worked 14 walk-free innings last weekend at Georgia Southern and enters the ULM series on a string of 25-1/3 walk-free frames.

#ScoringInBunches: The Ragin' Cajuns have scored multiple runs in 79 out of 257-1/3 innings at the plate. The bulk of the team's production has been in the middle innings (third through fifth) where 173 out of 346 totals runs (50 percent) have crossed the plate.

#NationalPower: Dating back to the start of the 2015 season, Louisiana has been in the Top 10 of the NFCA rankings in 24 of the past 27 polls and Top 10 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll in 23 of the past 27 polls.

#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

Lexie Elkins

Gabby Felps

Kara Gremillion

Christina Hamilton

Haley Hayden

Jaime Landry

Shellie Landry

Chelsea Lotief

DJ Sanders

Alex Stewart

Meagan Thomas

Kelsey Vincent

Jordan Wallace

Samantha Walsh

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