BASEBALL OPENS SEASON WITH DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP

6/30/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

ROBICHAUX OVERWHELMING CHOICE FOR TOP REGIONAL COACH ... June 30, 2000 MOBILE, Ala. – Louisiana's Ragin' Cajun baseball head coach Tony Robichaux, who led his squad to their first NCAA College World Series earlier this month, was named the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings South Central Region Coach of the Year for the second straight season.

The award is voted on by 22 coaches that comprise the South Central Region, which includes schools in the Sun Belt and Southland conferences and four other institutions.

Robichaux guided the Cajuns (49-20) to a third-place finish at the CWS two weeks ago in Omaha, Neb. The Cajuns, who tied a single-season school record for victories during their inaugural appearance, defeated San Jose State and Clemson.

This season, Louisiana-Lafayette became the first Sun Belt Conference school to host a regional, and the first league member to earn a berth to Omaha. The Cajuns went undefeated in Regional play and took two of three from top-ranked South Carolina on the road to advance to their first CWS.

In 1999, the Cajuns (42-24) advanced to the Super Regional in Houston before losing a three-game series to the host Rice Owls.

Robichaux is the second coach in the last four years to win consecutive honors, joining South Alabama's Steve Kittrell, who was named the top regional coach in 1997-98.

He will be recognized, along with seven other regional coach of the year winners, later this year at the annual ABCA Convention.