University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Cajuns Picked Third In Sun Belt Preseason Poll
1/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
NEW
ORLEANS- Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns baseball team
received 63 points including one first place vote and
are picked to finish third overall in the 2003 Sun Belt
Conference Coaches Preseason Poll.
The Cajuns are predicted to finish third behind
preseason favorite South Alabama (79 points) and Florida
International (67 points). South Alabama and FIU will
both have to travel to play the Cajuns this season at
M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field.
The Cajuns are picked to finish ahead of New Orleans,
who finished fourth in the poll with 49 points, followed
by Middle Tennessee with 38 points. New Mexico State and
Western Kentucky are tied in the poll at sixth place
with 33 points each and are followed by Arkansas-Little
Rock with 25 points and Arkansas State with 18 points.
The Ragin' Cajuns are coming off of a 39-23 season in
which they finished second in the Sun Belt regular
season standings with a 17-7 record only one game back
of league champion South Alabama.
The Cajuns advanced to the NCAA Regionals and were just
one win away from advancing to their third Super
Regional in the past four seasons in 2002. They return
18 lettermen from that team including 2002 First Team
All-Sun Belt outfielder/pitcher Corey Coles (.368, 45
RBI) and First Team All-Sun Belt pitcher Andy Gros
(11-4, 2.59 ERA).
UL Lafayette opens the season February 7th
with a weekend series against the Southwest Texas
Bobcats who are preseason favorites to win the Southland
Conference and are led by Preseason All-American staff
ace Bobby Sawicki (11-2, 3.57 ERA in 02').
Following the Southwest Texas series the Cajuns will
travel to take on Northwestern State on Feb. 11th
before heading to Houston to make their second
consecutive appearance in the Astros College Classic at
Minute Maid Park. The Cajuns will face another strong
field with Alabama (Feb. 14), #10 Baylor (Feb. 15), and
Texas A&M (Feb. 16).
M.L. “Tigue” Moore
Field, home of Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns baseball team
will be the host site of the 2003 Sun Belt Conference
Baseball Tournament on May 21-24.
2003 Sun Belt
Conference Baseball Preseason Poll
() = First Place
Votes
Team Points
1. South Alabama 79 (7)
2. Florida International 67 (1)
3. Louisiana-Lafayette 63 (1)
4. New Orleans 49
5. Middle Tennessee 38
6. New Mexico State 33
Western Kentucky 33
8. Arkansas-Little Rock 25
9. Arkansas State 18
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
