Softball Preview: at Texas A&M

Game 39: No. 17 Louisiana (32-6) at No. 4 Texas A&M (37-4)
Wednesday, Apr. 19 • 6:30 p.m. (CDT) • Aggie Softball Complex (1,750) • College Station, Texas

Game Notes: Louisiana | Texas A&M
Radio: Talk Radio 960-AM • Talent: Steve Peloquin, PxP
TV: None
Live Stats: Click Here
Live Video: WatchESPN
Rosters: Louisiana | Texas A&M
Schedules: Louisiana | Texas A&M
Season Stats: Louisiana | Texas A&M
Ragin' Cajuns Twitter: @ULRaginCajuns | @RaginCajunsSB
Opponent's Twitter: @AggieSoftball

THE COACHES
Louisiana: Michael Lotief (Louisiana, 1985)
Career Record: 716-174-1 (15th season) Record at Louisiana: Same

Texas A&M: Jo Evans (Utah, 1983)
Career Record: 1,159-598-2 (31st season) Record at Texas A&M: 826-388-2 (21st season)

FOR STARTERS
17th-ranked Ragin' Cajuns Softball returns to the State of Texas on Wednesday for a Top 25 matchup in College Station at Texas A&M. The Ragin' Cajuns and Aggies will meet in a 6:30 p.m. single game at the Aggie Softball Complex live on SEC Network Plus (WatchESPN.com).

FAMILIAR SCENE
Louisiana was just in Texas over Easter Weekend, playing a Sun Belt series in San Marcos against Texas State.

REGIONAL REMATCH
Wednesday's contest with Texas A&M is a rematch of the 2016 NCAA Lafayette Regional championship game that Louisiana claimed 9-8 in extra innings. DJ Sanders tied the game with a two-run homer in the seventh, then Aleah Craighton broke the tie by leading off the ninth inning with a solo shot.

LIKE QUALITIES
The Cajuns and Aggies can both produce runs in bulk, find the gaps and hit the long ball, feature stingy pitching staffs and both display fine-tuned defense.

IN THE ZONE
All four of DJ Sanders' hits last week were home runs, three of which were grand slams. She leads the nation in total home runs (23), home runs per game (0.61), RBI per game (1.58) and slugging percentage (1.070).

TWO-GRAND TALLIES
Senior right fielder Haley Hayden is three (3) RBI away from her reaching the 200-mark in career runs, hits and RBI.

MS. CONSISTENCY
Haley Hayden has produced at least 40 runs, hits and RBI all four years of her career.

MAGIC NUMBER
Louisiana is undefeated (28-0) when scoring at least six runs. The Ragin' Cajuns have produced six runs or more in 28 of the season's 38 games.

LINEUP SHIFT
The choice to work around DJ Sanders became an even more riskier gamble when she was elevated to the No. 2 spot in order (up from cleanup). Now she's backed up by the team's hottest hitter of late, Haley Hayden (hitting .536 with 4 HR and 15 RBI), and Aleah Craighton who owns 72 career extra base hits.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE
Louisiana hit .361 during its recent 15-game win streak (Mar. 18-Apr. 14). The Ragin' Cajuns have generated six or more runs in all but two of the games, outscored foes 133-33 and strung together 143 base hits (48 for extra bases).

STEADY DOES IT
The Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff has a season-long trend of holding foes to five runs or fewer. The unit held the opposition to two runs or less for the 24 times in 38 outings.

THE WHOLE PICTURE
The offensive statistics are what pop out in DJ Sanders' stat line. However, head coach Michael Lotief notest that her impact extends beyond those figures. "It's the total package that is impressive, not just home runs." Lotief said. "She's making some incredible plays that are not easy to make and she's making them look easy. Unlike in years past, she's become vocal and is becoming a leader helping our younger kids feel comfortable playing the game."

STEWART'S STRONGHOLD
Alex Stewart has yielded just eight runs and 18 hits over her past 31-1/3 innings of work dating back to the March 25-26 series at South Alabama.

LOUISIANA-TEXAS A&M SERIES
Series Record: Louisiana leads 14-13
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads 7-3
In College Station, Texas: Texas A&M leads 6-2
Neutral Site: Louisiana leads 5-4
Current Streak: Louisiana won 1
Last Meeting: 5/22/16 at Lamson Park
(Louisiana 9, Texas A&M 8 - 9 inn.)

Last 10 Series Meetings
4/29/95         LA 11, A&M 0             Lamson Park
3/2/97           LA 6, A&M 5               Columbus, Ga. (NFCA Leadoff Classic)
3/1/02           A&M 3, LA 2               College Station, Texas (Aggie Invitational)
3/7/08           A&M 1, LA 0               College Station, Texas (Aggie Classic)
3/8/08           LA 2, A&M 1               College Station, Texas (Aggie Classic)
5/30/08         A&M 2, LA 1               Oklahoma City, Okla. (WCWS)
5/21/10         LA 5, A&M 0               Baton Rouge, La. (NCAA Baton Rouge Regional)
5/23/10         LA 6, A&M 1               Baton Rouge, La. (NCAA Baton Rouge Regional)
3/1/13           A&M 6, LA 4               Kissimmee, Fla. (Diamond 9 Citrus Classic)
5/22/16         LA 9, A&M 8               Lamson Park (NCAA Lafayette Regional)

Series Notes
Programs first met in 1985 at a tournament held in Thibodaux, La...First meeting on either campus came in March 1987 in the 1st Annual Louisiana Classics held at Lamson Park...Aggies were a regular in the tournament through the 1990 season...First NCAA postseason matchup came May 18, 1990 – the first-ever NCAA postseason game held at the facility...Louisiana's made its first trip to College Station in 1993 for the Aggie Invitational – the first of four trips to College Station for a tournament (also visited in 1995, 2002 and 2008)...Cajuns and Aggies met in the 2008 WCWS in winner's bracket game on day two (A&M won 2-1)...In 2010, Louisiana had the upper-hand in two meetings in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional winning 5-0 in the opening round and 6-1 on Championship Sunday to secure a trip to the Los Angeles Super Regional at UCLA...Including a 9-8 (9 inn.) win in last year's NCAA Lafayette Regional final, Louisiana holds a 4-1 edge in NCAA Tournament matchups.

Last Meeting (May 22, 2016 - NCAA Lafayette Regional Final - Lamson Park)
Late-inning home runs from DJ Sanders and Aleah Craighton vaulted No. 9-ranked Ragin' Cajuns Softball to a 9-8 (9 inn.) win over Texas A&M in the NCAA Softball Lafayette Regional championship game.Trailing 8-6 and down to the final two outs in the seventh inning, Sanders launched a two-run home run to straightaway center pulling the Ragin' Cajuns into a tie that forged extra innings. After a scoreless eighth inning, Craighton led off the ninth inning with a solo home run which gave Louisiana the lead for good. After falling behind 8-6 in the fifth inning, Alex Stewart shutout the Aggies in their final four at bats to secure victory. The Ragin' Cajuns utilized a 16-hit attack to outlast the visiting Aggies who produced 13 hits of their own.

Last Meeting in College Station, Texas (March 8, 2008)
Meeting for the second time in the 2008 Aggie Classic, the Ragin' Cajuns walked off with a 2-1 win in the bottom of the eighth. The Aggies walked Holly Tankersley on four straight pitches to load the bases and create the force play at home. However, Melissa Verde drove the first pitch she saw into left center to plate the winning run. Freshman Ashley Brignac scattered four hits and struck out 11 in defeating the 3rd-ranked Aggies. Texas A&M was able to forge extras by scoring in the sixth inning after a pair of one-out walks gave them a runner in scoring position.

BY THE NUMBERS
3 – Haley Hayden is three RBI shy of posting her 200th career RBI (will give her 200-plus in runs, hits & RBI)

4 – Of the Ragin' Cajuns' six losses, a total of four have come by one run

6 – DJ Sanders has hit six grand slams in 2017, tying the NCAA record for a season (last reached by former Cajun Christi Orgeron)

10 – Number of times DJ Sanders has posted at least three RBI. She leads Louisiana with 14 multiple-RBI games

16 – The Ragin' Cajuns have scored in the first inning 16 times and hold a 47-9 runs scored edge in the frame

28-0 – Louisiana's record when scoring six runs or more

30 – Leadoff hitter Kara Gremillion has reached base 30 straight games. She's struck out only 9 times in 155 plate appearances

68 – Combined hits by the Cajuns table setters Kassidy Zeringue (No. 8 hitter) and Kelli Martinez (No. 9 hitter)

2008 – The last time the Ragin' Cajuns and Aggies met at the Aggie Softball Complex in College Station

209 – Cajuns hitters have turned patience and strong plate discipline into 209 walks, a tally which ranks second nationally trailing only Auburn's 217.

#GeauxCajuns

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Players Mentioned

Aleah Craighton

Kara Gremillion

Haley Hayden

Kelli Martinez

DJ Sanders

Alex Stewart

Kassidy Zeringue

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