University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Cajuns Host Louisiana Classics This Weekend
2/27/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Cajuns
Host Louisiana Classics This Weekend
Thursday, Feb. 27, 2003
LAFAYETTE – Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team returns to action this weekend as it plays host to the 17th Annual Louisiana Classics here at Lady Cajun Park Friday-Sunday, Feb. 28-March 2.
This year's field includes NCAA Regional regular Notre Dame and in-state rivals McNeese State and Northwestern State. Each team will play five games over three days with the team with the best record after five games being crowned the champion and so forth.
The Cajuns (6-1) begin play in the four-team, round robin tournament at 4:15 p.m. Friday against in-state rival McNeese State (0-7). UL Lafayette will conclude Friday's action with a 6:30 p.m. contest against Big East-member Notre Dame (3-4). Notre Dame and Northwestern State kick off the classic at 11:45 a.m. Friday.
UL Lafayette has won the annual event, which began in 1987, the last five years in a row and 12 out of the 16 previous. The Cajuns are 57-8 all-time in Louisiana Classics games and have won 20 straight since losing to Baylor 4-3 on Feb. 23, 1997.
The Ragin' Cajuns have not played since Wednesday, Feb. 19 at Nicholls State. UL Lafayette swept NSU 1-0 and 6-3 in extending its season-high winning streak to four games. The Cajuns are 2-0 at home this season after opening the home slate Tuesday, Feb. 11 against Louisiana Tech.
This weekend's tournament marks the beginning of a stretch of in which the Cajuns play the bulk of their 2003 home schedule. Louisiana-Lafayette will play 25 of its next 30 games within the friendly confines of Lady Cajuns Park where the Cajuns have won 85 percent of their games all-time posting an all-time win-loss record of 386-68 and have won 102 of the last 113 games played there. UL Lafayette is 50-7 at Lady Cajun Park under head coach Stefni Lotief.
The Cajuns are led at the plate by true freshman Danyele Gomez. The Metairie native is hitting .474 through seven games and has two home runs and seven RBI to her credit. She leads all players with nine hits. Tiffany Grayson (.318) and Crystal George (.312) join Gomez as the Cajuns hitting above .300. All-American third basmeman Becky McMurtry is hitting just .286 but is being pitched around in the early season.
In the pitcher's circle the Cajuns have been led by sophomore hurler Brooke Mitchell (4-1, 0.25 ERA, 49K). Mitchell, the two-time defending Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week, has allowed just one earned run and struck out 49 batters in 28 1/3 innings of work.
Mitchell tied a career-high in fanning 15 Nicholls State batters last week in game one. She came on in relief in game two, pitching 4 1/3 innings striking out nine to end the doubleheader with 24 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings.
As a staff, the Cajuns pitching staff has had the handcuffs on all season long. The Cajuns have held opponents to a .158 batting average, registered 59 strikeouts to just 10 walks and sport a 0.31 ERA. Michael Parrott (1-0, 0.00 ERA) and Afton Thoms (1-0, 1.00 ERA) will join Mitchell in the circle this weekend.
The Cajuns 6-1 start this season is the best under head coach Stefni Lotief and the best since beginning 6-1 in 2000.
UL Lafayette has had a long history with both McNeese and Northwestern State. Notre Dame is making its first appearance in the Louisiana Classics and in the city of Lafayette.
The Cajuns and Fighting Irish have met four times last meeting in the Texas A&M Verizon Invitational last season on March 1, 2002 with UL Lafayette winning 6-3. The series is tied 2-2.
The Cajuns lead the McNeese series 65-21 and have defeated the Cowgirls 31 straight times and have not lost to MSU since March 19, 1994 a 4-3 loss in Lake Charles. April 12, 1990, was the last time the Cowgirls won at Lady Cajun Park.
UL Lafayette and Northwestern State have met 68 times with the Cajuns holding a 55-13 lead. The two teams split two games last season with NSU winning in the OU/Nike Classic and UL Lafayette gaining revenge in the Louisiana Classics on Feb. 23, 2002, winning 8-0. The Cajuns have won 9 of the last 12 meetings and the two teams have split the last four outings.
The tournament will run through Sunday at 1 p.m. when Louisiana-Lafayette and McNeese State wrap up play.
17th Annual Louisiana Classics
hosted by the University of Louisiana
at Lafayette
Friday-Sunday, Feb. 28-March 2, 2003
Lafayette, La. – Lady Cajun Park (1,500)
Friday, Feb. 28,
2003
11:45 a.m. Notre Dame vs.
Northwestern State
2 p.m. Northwestern State vs. McNeese State
4:15 p.m. Louisiana-Lafayette vs. McNeese State
6:30 p.m. Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Notre Dame
Saturday, March 1,
2003
11:45 a.m. McNeese State
vs. Northwestern State
2 p.m.
Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Northwestern State
4:15 p.m.
Notre Dame vs. McNeese State
6:30 p.m. Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Notre Dame
Sunday, March 2,
2003
11 a.m. Northwestern
State vs. Notre Dame
1
p.m. Louisiana-Lafayette vs. McNeese State
All Times Listed are Central Standard
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
