University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
2003 Season Opens Tuesday Against Louisiana Tech
2/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
2003
Season Opens Tuesday Against Louisiana Tech
Monday, Feb. 10, 2003
LAFAYETTE – The third season
for the Louisiana's Lady Cajuns softball program under
head coach and former All-American pitcher Stefni Lotief
will get underway here Tuesday at 4 p.m. as the hosts
battle in-state foe Louisiana Tech in a doubleheader at
Lady Cajun Park.
Louisiana-Lafayette will kick off the 23rd season in program history and 19th at Lady Cajun Park when the first pitch is thrown.
The two-time defending Sun Belt Conference regular season champions return five position starters, three pitchers and a total of 11 letterwinners from last season's 50-13 squad which won the Sun Belt Conference regular season and tournament championships and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Regionals which it hosted at Lady Cajun Park.
UL Lafayette is the preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt Conference once again this season and will be beginning its regular season at home for the first time since 2001. The Lady Cajuns are 1-1 in home openers under Lotief, defeating Houston 6-1 in last season's opener.
UL Lafayette will be led this season by senior All-American third baseman Becky McMurtry. The 2002 SBC Player and Newcomer of the Year will be counted on to lead the offensive charge for the Lady Cajuns. Last season the North Platte, Neb., native belted 14 home runs, hit .406 and set the school record for slugging percentage (.766) and total bases (151).
Helping her to shoulder that offensive load this season will be junior and Lafayette native Jill Robertson. Robertson is expected to move over to shortstop with the graduation of All-American Alana Addison. Robertson hit a career-best nine home runs and drove in 38 runs last season and is expected to have a breakout season at the plate. Robertson is a two-time All-Sun Belt First Team selection and was a member of the 2002 Verizon Academic All-District VI Team.
Senior first baseman Summar Lapeyrouse returns for her fourth season in the Lady Cajuns program. Last season, she posted a .996 fielding percentage at first base – her first season at the position after spending the previous two years at third. Lapeyrouse was an Academic All-America finalist and a member of the Sun Belt Conference First Team.
Returning as the top arm in the circle in 2003 is pitcher Brooke Mitchell. The sophomore from Pasadena, Texas, led the Lady Cajuns pitching staff in wins (20) and strikeouts (164) as a freshman and was named the SBC Freshman of the Year.
Louisiana Tech (1-1) opened its season on Saturday, Feb. 8 with a doubleheader split against Centenary College. The Lady Techsters were 21-27 last season and are under the guidance of first-year head coach Sara Dawson in 2003.
The two teams are meeting for the first time since the April 13-14, 2001 when the then-Sun Belt Conference rivals met for a four-game set in Ruston. The last time Tech played at Lady Cajun Park was April 28, 2000, in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament a game which the Lady Cajuns won 16-0.
The Lady Techsters lead the all-time series 30-29, but the Lady Cajuns have won the last eight meetings. La. Tech's last win came on April 25, 1998, a 3-1 win in Ruston.
Following Tuesday's afternoon's twinbill, the Lady Cajuns will travel to Monroe to participate in the UL Monroe Mardi Gras Classic. There the Lady Cajuns will face Tulsa on Friday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m., Southeastern Louisiana Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. and Auburn at 3 p.m. on Saturday as well. Bracket play begins Saturday at 5 or 7 p.m.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
