University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Cajuns Host Aggies In Sun Belt Home Finale
4/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Thursday, April 10, 2003
Dates: Saturday, April 12, 2003 - 1 p.m. (DH)
Sunday, April 13, 2003 - 1 p.m. (DH)
Location: Lafayette, La.
Venue: Lady Cajun Park (1,500)
The Teams: No. 21 Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns (24-5, 4-0 Sun Belt), New Mexico State Aggies (7-40, 0-4 Sun Belt)
The Coaches: Louisiana-Lafayette - Stefni Lotief (125-28, third season at UL Lafayette and overall); New Mexico State - Lea Ann Jarvis (79-161, 4th season at NMSU; 175-344 9th season overall)
The Series: Cajuns lead 9-0 (all meetings since NMSU joined SBC in 2001)
Last Meeting: April 21, 2002 in Las Cruces, N.M. - Cajuns won 6-0
Cajuns Most Recently: Swept Middle Tennessee 12-4 (6), 5-0, 10-0 (5), 6-3 Saturday-Sunday, April 5-6
Aggies Most Recently: Lost to FIU 13-2, 2-1, 15-0, 9-0 Saturday-Sunday, April 5-6
Cajuns Streak: Won 9 - began on March 27 with a 2-0 win over then-No. 16 Alabama
Aggies Steak: Lost 7 - began on March 23 with a 8-0 loss to New Mexico
CAJUNS HOST STRUGGLING AGGIES IN FINAL HOME WEEKEND SERIES
The 21st-ranked Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team (24-5, 4-0) will look to extend its season-high winning streak to 13 games as it hosts Sun Belt Conference foe New Mexico State (7-40, 0-4) in a four-game conference series Saturday-Sunday, April 12-13 at Lady Cajun Park.
The series will mark the final home weekend appearance for Louisiana-Lafayette. The home portion of the 2003 season will conclude with a doubleheader against Nicholls State on Wednesday, April 16 and a single-game against Texas-San Antonio on Thursday, April 17.
Louisiana-Lafayette enters this weekend's set with NMSU riding a season-high nine-game winning streak overall and a 16-game winning streak at Lady Cajun Park.
UL Lafayette began Sun Belt play last weekend with a four-game sweep of Middle Tennessee to extend its SBC win streak to 18 games dating back to last season's 7-6 loss to Western Kentucky April 6.
New Mexico State enters this weekend's series on a seven-game losing streak and has lost eight straight league outings dating back to last season.
NMSU opened conference play at home last weekend with Florida International and was swept in four games by a count of 39-3 - including 15-0 and 9-0 losses on Sunday.
Louisiana-Lafayette has swept 11 straight doubleheaders dating back to last season's split with ULM on April 24 and has swept nine straight SBC ones. Since joining the league, the Cajuns have swept 18 of the 20 doubleheaders they participated in and have posted a 38-2 record.
The series with NMSU will commence on Saturday, April 12 at 1 p.m. and conclude Sunday, April 13 at 1 p.m.
THE HOMESTAND CONTINUES...
This weekend's four-game series with New Mexico State continues the Cajuns school-record 16-game homestand which runs through April 17 against Texas-San Antonio.
UL Lafayette is currently 9-0 on the homestand and has seven games remaining.
Louisiana-Lafayette is hitting .323 as a team on the homestand and has outscored the opposition 63-9 and out-hit them 72-25.
SENIOR SALUTE
The Ragin' Cajuns softball program will honor its four seniors before Sunday's first game with New Mexico State.
Those being honored include Lafayette native Summar Lapeyrouse, third base and All-American Becky McMurtry, Houston native Michael Parrott and Rachel Reese.
The actual final home game for the seniors is Thursday, April 17 vs. Texas-San Antonio.
THE SERIES - LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE LEADS 9-0
The Cajuns and Aggies began competing against one another when New Mexico State joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2001. Since then, the two teams have played nine times over the past two seasons.
UL Lafayette leads the all-time series 9-0 and this weekend will mark meetings No. 10-13 between the two schools.
New Mexico State is making its second trip to Lafayette, having last visited in 2001. UL Lafayette swept NMSU by the count of 13-0 April 27-29 in the first series between the two at Lady Cajun Park.
The two would tangle in the Sun Belt Tournament second round in 2001 in Las Cruces, with UL Lafayette posting an 8-4 win en route to its second straight tournament championship.
Last season, the Cajuns made the trip out west for a four-game set. UL Lafayette rolled to the sweep, outscoring NMSU 43-15 over the weekend including scoring 28 runs in the Saturday doubleheader.
UL Lafayette has scored eight or more runs against NMSU five times in nine meetings and has posted a shutout five times.
In the two team's series last season in Las Cruces, the Cajuns clubbed 12 home runs over four games and hit four in a game twice. In the final game of the series on April 21 (game 2), the Cajuns' second home run of the game broke the school record for home runs in a single-season - a homer by Alana Addison which was the team's 62nd of the year.
THE CAJUNS-AGGIES SERIES GAME-BY-GAME
April 27, 2001 - @Cajuns 1, Aggies 0
April 28, 2001 - @Cajuns 8, Aggies 0
April 28, 2001 - @Cajuns 1, Aggies 0
April 29, 2001 - @Cajuns 3, Aggies 0
#May 12, 2001 - Cajuns 8, @Aggies 4 (Sun Belt
Tournament)
April 20, 2002 - Cajuns 17, @Aggies 7
April 20, 2002 - Cajuns 11, @Aggies 3
April 21, 2002 - Cajuns 9, @Aggies 5
April 21, 2002 - Cajuns 6, @Aggies 0
COACHES VS. THE OPPOSITION
Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Stefni Lotief is 9-0 in her career versus New Mexico State. Lotief is 4-0 vs. the Aggies at Lady Cajun Park.
New Mexico State head coach Lea Ann Jarvis is 0-12 in her career versus Louisiana-Lafayette and is 0-6 at Lady Cajun Park. Jarvis met the Cajuns three times as head coach of Southwest Texas in 1997 and 1998 and posted a 0-3 mark. She is 0-9 against the Cajuns at NMSU.
CAJUNS AT HOME IN SUN BELT PLAY
Since the league was formed in 2001, the Cajuns are 19-1 at Lady Cajun Park in Sun Belt Conference play. The lone loss at Lady Cajun Park in Sun Belt play came on April 6, 2002 - a 7-6 loss to Western Kentucky.
UL Lafayette will play eight games in Sun Belt play at home this season. UL Lafayette is 4-0 at home this season in Sun Belt play and this weekend's series with NMSU marks the final SBC home games of the season.
THE LAST TIME OUT...April 6 vs. Middle Tennessee
LAFAYETTE – The 25th-ranked Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team completed its four-game sweep of Middle Tennessee here Sunday by taking both ends of the doubleheader from the Blue Raiders 10-0 and 6-3 at Lady Cajun Park in Sun Belt Conference softball action.
With the four-game sweep, No. 25 Louisiana-Lafayette (24-5, 4-0 Sun Belt) extended its season-high winning streak to nine games and swept a doubleheader for the 11th straight time. The Cajuns also extended their SBC winning streak to 18 games and improve to 38-2 all-time in league play since it began in 2001.
Once again the Cajuns offense came alive in the early stages of the game and a solid pitching effort from Brooke Mitchell stifled the Blue Raiders (17-14, 0-4 Sun Belt). The Cajuns scored 11 runs in the first three innings of both games of the twinbill combined and Mitchell delivered two more one-hit outings.
In game one, Louisiana-Lafayette used a six-run third inning to break open a 1-0 game after 2 ˝ innings of play. UL Lafayette had taken the lead in the bottom of the first when Joy Webre lined a double down the left field line that plated senior All-American third baseman Becky McMurtry with the first run of the game. McMurtry reached base on a double of her own two batters earlier.
UL Lafayette's fireworks in the third inning came on five hits. Jill Robertson began the inning with a single to left field and was followed by a McMurtry walk. Danyele Gomez would single to center field to load the bases with no outs.
After a Webre strikeout, freshman and Beaumont, Texas, native Brittany Bryant delivered a 2-RBI single the a hole in the left side of the infield that scored Robertson and McMurtry for a 3-0 lead and advanced Gomez to second.
A Lauren Castle grounder advanced Gomez and Bryant over one base. Leslie Pierce then drew a walk to load the bases once more for the Cajuns.
Summar Lapeyrouse made it 5-0 when she placed a single down the left field line that scored Gomez and Bryant. Lapeyrouse and Pierce would cross home plate and make it 7-0 Cajuns when Crystal George followed with a 2-RBI double.
The Ragin' Cajuns would ice the game in the fourth inning on the bat of Bryant. Bryant drilled her sixth home run of the season to right center field for three RBI and a 10-0 advantage.
Afton Thoms pitched the fifth inning to close out the game and collect a combined shutout with Mitchell and induce the mercy rule. It was the Cajuns 14th shutout of the season and the 10th mercy-rule win of the season.
Bryant ended game one 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBI. Seven other batters collected at least one hit as the Cajuns had all but one batter pick up a hit.
McMurtry was 1-for-1 with a double, three runs scored, one walk and one hit-by-pitch. The North Platte, Neb., native extended her season-high hitting streak to 10 games.
Mitchell went four innings striking out three, allowing just one hit and walking just one batter. It was her third win of the weekend series.
MT's lone hit of the game came on a bloop single to right field by Leah Grothause in the third inning. Senior Stayc Preator suffered her second loss of the weekend as she allowed seven runs (all earned) on eight hits in 2 2/3 innings of work.
In game two, Louisiana-Lafayette jumped out to a 5-0 lead after four innings before the Blue Raiders made a comeback attempt in the fifth inning with three runs.
The Cajuns struck for two in the first inning on a 2-RBI double by Danyele Gomez. UL Lafayette would push across two more in the third inning aided by two MT errors. Bryant had a sacrifice fly and Lauren Castle reached base on a throwing error by MT pitcher Muriel Ledbetter allowing another run to score.
MT threatened in the fifth as Cajuns starter Afton Thoms began to lose control.
The Raiders loaded the bases with no outs as pinch hitter Brandy Davis single to right, Kip Phillips reached on a bunt single and Ledbetter drew a walk.
Cortney Mitchell lifted a sacrifice fly to right field that plated Davis with the first run and cut the lead to 5-1. UL Lafayette had shutout the Raiders for 16 consecutive innings before Mitchell's sacrifice.
Two more runs would cross the plate as Phillips scored on a wild pitch and Megan Cherinka drilled a double off of the center field wall to bring home Ledbetter and cut the lead to 5-3.
The Cajuns made the pitching switch immediately, pulling Thoms in favor of Brooke Mitchell. She would earn the save, her second of the season, as she finished the final 2 2/3 innings of the game allowing just one hit.
UL Lafayette added an insurance run in the sixth inning on a sacrifice bunt
RBI by Summar Lapeyrouse that scored Brittany Bryant with her third run of the doubleheader.
Thoms collected her seventh win of the season and improved to 7-1 while earning her first-ever Sun Belt Conference victory.
Becky McMurtry had an RBI single in the fourth inning for her only hit of game two – extending her season-high hitting streak to 11 games. Her career best was a 15-game streak set last season during the month of April. McMurtry's current streak began against then-No. 16 Florida State on March 14 at the KIA Klassic.
LAST TIME VS. NEW MEXICO STATE...April 21, 2002
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The script could not have been written any better. It was the perfect fit.
With Louisiana's Lady Cajuns one home run away from setting a new school record for home runs in a season, senior and All-American shortstop Alana Addison, the school's career home run leader, stepped up to the plate.
A couple of pitches later, Addison homered, her 15th of the season, and gave the Lady Cajuns their 62nd home run of the season to eclipse the previous record of 61 set in 1999. The 15 home runs by Addison ties the single-season record which she set last season.
No. 19 Louisiana-Lafayette (39-10, 11-1 Sun Belt Conference) went on to sweep the doubleheader by scores of 9-5 and 6-0, completing the four-game SBC sweep of host New Mexico State (18-34, 1-7 SBC) Sunday afternoon at the Presley Askew Softball Complex.
The Lady Cajuns extended their season-high overall winning streak to 12 games and SBC win streak to 10. UL Lafayette is now just two wins away from its second straight SBC regular season championship.
In game one, Missy Martin notched her 10th home run of the season in third inning, a two-run shot that tied the school record for home runs (61) and gave Louisiana-Lafayette a 5-0 lead.
The Lady Cajuns got on the board in the first inning when Becky McMurtry scored on a failed pickoff attempt at third by NMSU catcher Christine Stephens. McMurtry picked up the Lady Cajuns first hit of the day with a double to center field and advanced to third on an Addison groundout to Aggie shortstop Heather Nobbe.
Addison hit a two-out, two-RBI double in the third just before Martin's home run. Martin's two-run shot gave the Lady Cajuns a four-spot in the third inning.
The Aggies first run of the game came on a Stephens RBI single in the fourth inning.
UL Lafayette would tack on another four-spot in the sixth inning. Jill Robertson led off and was hit by a pitch from NMSU starter Anita Knight. Summar Lapeyrouse followed with her 11th double of the season, scoring Robertson and giving the Lady Cajuns a 6-1 lead.
Tiffany Grayson would score Lapeyrouse with a single to left field. Louisiana-Lafayette added two more runs on an RBI single from McMurtry and a wild pitch by Knight, putting the Lady Cajuns on top 9-1.
The Aggies would add two more in both the sixth and seventh on home runs from Nobbe and Shayne Gipson.
Michael Parrott (13-4) went the distance for the win allowing five runs on eight hits and striking out five. Anita Knight (6-23) took the loss for the Aggies.
In game two, Addison's historic shot came in the first inning and gave Louisiana-Lafayette the early 2-0 lead.
Martin hit her second home of the day and 11th of the season, a solo shot in the top of the third to give the Lady Cajuns a 4-0 lead. She added another in the seventh for her third of the day and 12th this season.
Robertson capped off the scoring with a solo shot right after Martin, her sixth of the season, to provide the final 6-0 margin.
Brooke Mitchell made the lead stand, going the distance allowing just three hits and striking out four. She successfully averted the lone Aggie threat of the game in the bottom of the fifth, stranding two baserunners after NMSU had two runners on with no outs. McMurtry made a diving snag at third and rifled a perfect throw to first to keep the shutout alive.
The Lady Cajuns finished the weekend with 12 home runs over four games pushing their season and school record total to 65. Louisiana-Lafayette has hit 23 home runs over its last seven games. The Lady Cajuns have hit 26 home runs in conference play.
SCOUTING NEW MEXICO STATE
The 2003 season has been a struggle for New Mexico State. The Aggies enter this weekend with a 7-40 record and were swept in their conference opener last weekend at home against Florida International.
NMSU opened the season on an eight-game losing streak and were 2-26 at one point following a season-high 16-game losing streak from Feb. 19-March9.
The Aggies have struggled producing runs this season as well. NMSU has scored just 90 runs through 47 games - an average of 1.9 runs per game. Opponents have shutout the Aggies 20 times.
Batting-wise, the Aggies have been cold. NMSU is hitting a paltry .193 as a collective unit and averages only four hits an outing.
Defensively, the Aggies have had a rough time going. NMSU has committed 115 errors and has a Sun Belt-worst .920 fielding percentage. Five players have committed double-digit errors.
The Aggies are led at the plate by Christine Stephens. Stephens is hitting .341. She has hit 11 home runs and drive in 29 runs.
The rest of the Aggies have had a rough time at the plate. The next best batting average behind Stephens is a .222 clip held by Jennie Bride. In fact, only four players are batting above .200.
In the circle, Bride leads the way with six of the seven NMSU victories. Bride is 6-18 on the season with a 4.64 ERA in 22 starts and 38 appearances. She has logged 188 2/3 innings for NMSU and has a team-best 151 strikeouts.
The Aggies also rely on the services of Anita Knight (1-17, 7.38 ERA) in 20 starts and 22 appearances.
Opponents are averaging nine hits per game against Aggies pitching which bodes well for the high-octane offense of the Ragin' Cajuns.
CAJUNS GAIN GROUND IN THE NFCA POLL, JOIN ESPN.COM POLL
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team is picking up steam on the playing field. They're also making strides in the rankings.
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team gained significant ground in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 poll and joined the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25, as both polls were released Tuesday afternoon.
The Cajuns (24-5, 4-0 Sun Belt) jumped four spots to No. 21 from the previous week in the NFCA poll in which they were ranked 25th. UL Lafayette earned 106 votes compared to 39 last week – a 67 point gain. It is the highest ranking for the Cajuns this season.
The Cajuns, who had been receiving votes throughout the season, entered the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll at No. 22. The Cajuns are tied with South Florida in the weekly poll which debuted this season. This week's ranking marks Louisiana-Lafayette's first in the newly formed poll.
Last week Louisiana-Lafayette went 6-0 with doubleheader sweeps of Louisiana-Monroe and Middle Tennessee. The Cajuns opened Sun Belt play over the weekend, sweeping MT in four games to extend their season-high win streak to nine games and home win streak to 16.
UL Lafayette owns two wins over teams ranked in the Top 25. The Cajuns defeated No. 14 Florida State (30-9) 3-0 at the KIA Klassic and No. 17 Alabama (32-13) 2-0 at home on March 27. Louisiana-Lafayette also hung tough with No. 4 Oklahoma, limiting the Sooners to one hit and falling 1-0 on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.
McMURTRY NAMED SUN BELT HITTER OF THE WEEK
For the second time this season, 25th-ranked Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball All-American third baseman Becky McMurtry was named the Sun Belt Conference Hitter of the Week, announced by the league office Monday afternoon.
McMurtry was 7-for-12 with nine runs scored, two doubles, one home run and six RBI last week as the Cajuns swept doubleheaders from La.-Monroe April 2 and Middle Tennessee on April 5 and April 6 giving UL Lafayette a 6-0 mark.
The North Platte, Neb., native picked up at least one hit in each game last week, extending her season-high hitting streak to 11 games.
McMurtry has collected at least one hit in every game since the March 14 Florida State game in which she hit the game-winning home run. During the streak, she is batting 15-for-26 (.577 avg.) with five doubles, three home runs, 11 runs scored and 11 RBI.
She is currently the Cajuns leading hitter with a .421 average through 29 games. McMurtry leads the Cajuns in runs scored with 32 and is tied for tops in the Sun Belt in that category. Her batting average ranks second in the Sun Belt and her 11 doubles are second to Middle Tennessee's Cortney Mitchell.
McMurtry has recorded astronomical numbers in terms of slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Her slugging percentage is .882 while her on-base percentage climbed to .554 after this past week's action. She has walked 17 times and struck out just nine times in 101 plate appearances this season.
Last week her slugging percentage was 1.000 and her on-base percentage was .714. For the week she drew five walks and did not strike out once in 21 plate appearances.
McMurtry also played errorless ball allowing her to extend her streak of games without an error to 19 straight – a span of 59 chances. She has committed only four errors all season long in 100 chances for a .960 fielding percentage.
McMurtry was 5-for-9 over the weekend against Middle Tennessee with seven runs scored in the four-game set. She was 2-for-4 with four runs scored in Sunday's sweep of the Blue Raiders. She was 2-for-3 with three RBI, a home run and two runs scored in the ULM doubleheader.
Since joining the Cajuns softball program in 2002, McMurtry is hitting .410 (112-for-273) which would stand as a school record for career batting average if the season were to end today. She is chasing Tiffany Clark's .391 career mark. Last season McMurtry hit .406.
Her 32 runs scored this season give her 90 as a Ragin' Cajun and 146 for her four-year career (scored 56 runs in two seasons at Illinois State).
CAJUNS RECORD 400TH WIN AT LADY CAJUN PARK
UL Lafayette recently moved over the 400-win plateau at Lady Cajun Park with last Saturday's 12-4 (6 inning) win over Middle Tennessee in game one of the doubleheader.
The win was No. 400 at the park since it opened in 1985.
Entering Saturday's game one of the twinbill with New Mexico State, UL Lafayette owns a 403-69 (.854) record all-time in 18-plus seasons at Lady Cajun Park.
The first-ever win at the park came on Feb. 26, 1985 when UL Lafayette downed Ball State 11-0 in the first game of a doubleheader.
LADY CAJUN PARK MILESTONE WINS
No. 350 - March 31, 2001 vs. Middle Tennessee W, 8-0 (Game 1 of DH)
No. 300 - March 25, 1999 vs. Northwestern St. W, 5-4 (Game 2 of DH)
No. 250 - March 12, 1997 vs. Nicholls State W, 6-1 (Game 1 of DH)
No. 200 - March 30, 1995 vs. SE Louisiana W, 5-0 (Game 1 of DH)
No. 150 - April 3, 1993 vs. SE Louisiana W, 8-0 (Game 1 of DH)
No. 100 - Feb. 23, 1991 vs. DePaul W, 2-0 (La. Classics)
No. 50 - April 8, 1988 vs. La. Tech W, 2-1 (game 2 of DH)
No. 1 - Feb. 26, 1985 vs. Ball State W, 11-0 (game 1 of DH)
HOME, SWEET HOME
There's no doubt that Lady Cajun Park has been the perfect home for Ragin' Cajuns softball.
Now in its 19th season of service to the nationally recognized program, UL Lafayette has posted a 403-69 (.854) record all-time at the park.
Under head coach Stefni Lotief, the Ragin' Cajuns have posted a 67-8 mark (.893) in the friendly confines.
Dating back to 1999, Louisiana-Lafayette has gone 119-12 for a .908 winning percentage and has posted 20-plus wins for four straight seasons. UL Lafayette has never had a losing season at home in 18 seasons.
The Cajuns enter this weekend's series with New Mexico State riding a 16-game home win streak since a Feb. 28 loss to Notre Dame. The school record for consecutive wins at Lady Cajun Park is 53 set during the 1993 and 1994 seasons.
DOUBLEHEADER DELIGHT
Dating back to last season's spilt at UL Monroe on April 24, the Cajuns have swept 11 straight doubleheaders and 17 of the last 18.
UL Lafayette has swept 36 of 42 doubleheaders under Stefni Lotief since 2001.
UL Lafayette enters the NMSU weekend having swept nine straight Sun Belt twinbills and all eight against the Aggies.
STREAKIN'
Senior All-American third baseman Becky McMurtry is riding a season-high 11-game hitting streak heading into this weekend's four-game set with the Aggies.
The North Platte, Neb., native has hit safely in every contest since March 14 at the KIA Klassic versus Florida State.
Her career-best hitting streak is a 15-game one experienced last season from April 6-April 27.
During the streak, she is batting 15-for-26 (.577 avg.) with five doubles, three home runs, 11 runs scored and 11 RBI.
FULL STEAM AHEAD!!
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team has been gathering steam as of late.
Since a 1-0 loss to Oklahoma on March 14 at the KIA Klassic, the Cajuns have won nine straight games - a season best streak which has vaulted their record to 24-5.
UL Lafayette's longest win streak under head coach Stefni Lotief is 15 straight set during the 2001 season. After beginning the season 0-2, the Cajuns reeled off 15 consecutive wins.
The school record for most consecutive wins is 24 set during the 1994 season. The record streak was accomplished from March 19-April 22, 1994. The streak came to an end on April 23 in a 5-4 loss to Louisiana Tech.
Should the Cajuns win out the rest of the season, they would extend their current winning streak to 28 games which would set the school record.
Below is a look at the double-digit winning streaks in Cajuns history (1981-2003):
1. W24 - March 19-April 22, 1994
2. W19 - March 6-March 25, 1990
3. W18 - March 24-April 20, 1999
4. W17 - March 30-April 16, 1995
5. W16 - March 2-March 17, 1996
W16 - March 28-April 23, 1996
7. W15 - Feb. 17-March 10, 2001
8. W14 - Feb. 20-March 7, 1993
9. W13 - March 3-March 21, 1995
10. W12 - April 7-April 24, 2002
W12 - April 13-May 5, 2001
W12 - March 8-March 18, 1994
W12 - Feb. 20-March 5, 1994
W12 - April 23-May 29, 1993
W12 - March 28-April 19, 1989
16. W11 - April 10-April 21, 1993
W11 - March 9-March 21, 1993
W11 - March 20-April 1, 1992
19. W10 - March 23-April 6, 1991
W10 - March 19-April 6, 1988
W10 - April 5-April 14, 1985
W10 - March 19-April 2, 1985
--------
TBD W9 - March 27-April 6, 2003
GOOD-BYE MR. GLOWBALL!!!!
The Cajuns once again are the cream of the crop when it comes to power numbers both in the NCAA and Sun Belt Conference.
Louisiana-Lafayette has slugged 44 home runs this season through 29 games played for an average of 1.5 home runs per game. At this current pace the Cajuns would tally 29 more home runs which would put them on pace for 73 homers, which would be three shy of the school record.
Last season the Cajuns had just 26 home runs through 29 games.
The Cajuns pace has slowed as of late though. Entering the KIA Klassic, UL Lafayette had hit 33 home runs in 16 games and was on pace for well over 100 home runs. However, the Cajuns could only muster two home runs at the KIA Klassic and have hit just six homers in the last eight outings.
In fact, since the Cajuns last homestand in which they crushed 26 home runs they have hit just 11 home runs in 13 games for an average of 0.85 per contest. At this pace UL Lafayette would only hit 16 more home runs.
The good news: New Mexico State pitching is in town. Last season against NMSU the Cajuns belted 12 home runs after entering the series in a scenario as the one this season.
The Cajuns recieved a boost on its last homestand prior to the current 16-game stretch. UL Lafayette collected 26 home runs over a span of nine games. In the 17th Annual Louisiana Classics, UL Lafayette smashed 15 home runs in five games. The Cajuns then left the park seven times in a twinbill with Southern Mississippi on March 9 - hitting five alone in the second game of the doubleheader.
UL Lafayette has hit nine home runs through nine games so far on the 16-game homestand.
The Cajuns have hit 39 home runs at Lady Cajun Park this season which is one shy of the park record of 40 set in 2001. Since 2001, UL Lafayette has gone yard 113 times at Lady Cajun Park.
MORE IS BETTER
Senior All-American Becky McMurtry continues to perfect the art of the extra-base hit.
Last season, McMurtry racked up a school-record 40 extra-baggers en route to a .406 batting average. This season McMurtry has continued to lead the squad in extra-base hits.
The North Platte, Neb., native has 19 extra base hits through 29 games this season. She has hit 11 doubles and eight (8) home runs.
McMurtry has eight home runs and 10 doubles in the last 21 games.
She has benefited from the two-hole spot in the lineup and the fact that Tiffany Grayson and Danyele Gomez are hitting the ball well forcing pitchers to pitch to her unlike earlier in the season when she was batting third and being pitched around.
SHUTTING THEM DOWN
In her last seven appearances in the circle, sophomore All-American candidate Brooke Mitchell has tossed a one-hitter. Wednesday against UL Monroe, Mitchell surrendered an infield single in the first inning and cruised from there.
Her previous two one-hitters prior to the ULM one, came against then-No. 6 Oklahoma and then-No. 16 Alabama.
Then over the weekend against Middle Tennessee, Mitchell threw three innings and six innings of one-hit ball on Saturday while picking up both wins and then came back on Sunday to toss four innings of one-hit ball in game one and then 2 2/3 innings of one-hit ball in game two for the save.
Mitchell has impressed as of late. Since getting touched up against Notre Dame in the Louisiana Classics, Mitchell has clamped down.
In her last nine outings since the loss to Notre Dame, Mitchell has allowed just 13 hits in 58 2/3 innings of work and struck out 71 batters. Her ERA during that time span is 0.48 which has lowered her season ERA to 0.88. Opponents are hitting a mere .072 against her since the ND outing.
On the Cajuns current homestand Mitchell is 5-0 in five starts and six appearances with one save. She has posted a 0.24 ERA during the stretch and has given up just six hits in 29 2/3 innings while allowing only one earned run and striking out 33. Opponents are hitting .066 against her during the homestand.
MOWIN' 'EM DOWN
Sophomore pitcher Brooke Mitchell is fanning opposing batters at an alarming rate this season.
Mitchell has 125 strikeouts this season in 19 appearances and 15 starts after collecting 164 all of last season in 27 appearances and 24 starts.
She needs just 11 more strikeouts to reach 300 in her brief career. With her first strikeout last Wednesday vs. ULM, Mitchell reached 100 for the season.
The Pasadena, Texas, native is averaging 9.21 strikeouts per game while walking just 2.43 batters per game. Her strikeout-to-walk ratio is an impressive 3.8 (3.8K/1BB).
She has tallied at least five strikeouts in 14 of her 19 appearances and tied her career-high of 15 in game one at Nicholls State on Feb. 19.
NO SOUP FOR YOU
Afton Thoms' no-hitter of UL Monroe last Wednesday was the Cajuns third no-hitter of the season. It was also Thoms' first career no-no.
Sophomore pitcher Brooke Mitchell has tossed two no-hitters so far this season.
The Pasadena, Texas, native tossed her first career no-no in the season opener against Louisiana Tech. To go a step further, Mitchell ended that game with a perfect one in UL Lafayette's 8-0 five-inning win over the Techsters.
Mitchell's second no-hitter of the season came in the first game of the Ragin' Cajuns twinbill with Southern Mississippi on Sunday, March 9. This time, Mitchell went the complete seven innings without allowing a hit as she notched her first career seven-inning no-hitter.
CATCH 'EM WHILE YOU CAN
Opposing teams have often times found themselves behind the Cajuns on the scoreboard this season.
Louisiana-Lafayette has outscored its opponents 99-17 in the first three innings with 43 of those runs coming in the third inning. UL Lafayette enjoys a 43-6 bulge in the third inning this season.
UL Lafayette is 21-1 when it scores first and has scored at least one run in the first inning of a game 13 times this season and crossed home plate in the first inning in each of the four games with Middle Tennessee last weekend.
Last season the Cajuns outscored their opponents 172-59 in the first three innings.
Under head coach Stefni Lotief, the Cajuns are 104-6 (.945) when lighting up the scoreboard before the opponent does so.
UL Lafayette is 21-1 this season when leading after five innings. The lone loss after leading after five complete came against Long Beach State at the KIA Klassic.
DID YOU KNOW???
Each one of the Cajuns nine starters have hit at least one home run this season.
Danyele Gomez leads the way with 10 dingers followed by Becky McMurtry's eight, Jill Robertson has climbed into third with seven home runs, Brittany Bryant has six, Tiffany Grayson and Joy Webre each have four, Lauren Castle has three and Crystal George and Summar Lapeyrouse each have clubbed one.
Last season, eight players combined to give the Cajuns their school-record 76 home runs.
BUSY TIMES IN APRIL
The month of April will be a busy time for the Cajuns. After playing just 23 total games in the first two months of the season, UL Lafayette will face a slate of 21 games in the month of April alone over 27 days.
Louisiana-Lafayette was 20-2 in April last season and 17-2 in 2001 for a mark of 37-4 in April under head coach Stefni Lotief. The Cajuns are 6-0 in April so far this season.
FINDING A WAY ON BASE
Senior All-American Becky McMurtry leads the team with a .554 on-base percentage.
McMurtry leads the team with 17 walks and has been hit by a pitch seven times. She has struck out just nine times.
If you throw in her 32 base hits, McMurtry has been aboard the basepath 56 times this season in 101 plate appearances - a team high. She leads the team with 32 runs scored and has crossed home plate 90 times as a Ragin' Cajun. Last week she scored nine runs in six games.
HOLDING 'EM DOWN
Senior pitcher Michael Parrott finds herself unbeaten in seven starts this season and to find the reason why all one has to do is look at runs and earned runs allowed.
Parrott has made a 360-turn from last season. Although she will not strikeout many opposing batters, Parrott will keep the ball in the park and not allow many runs.
Through her first 42 1/3 innings of work this season, the Houston native has allowed just 10 runs (seven earned). She has tossed two solo shutouts and three combined shutouts. She combined with sophomore Brooke Mitchell for the shutout win over No. 16 Florida State at the KIA Klassic.
Parrott began the season without allowing a single earned run through 24 1/3 innings. Her impressive streak was ended when Southern Mississippi's Sarah Boyd hit a three-run home run in the first inning of game two on March 9 - the only three earned runs Parrott has allowed all season.
Parrott fanned a season-high eight versus Prairie View on March 28.
CAJUNS FAVORED TO WIN THE SUN BELT...AGAIN
The Ragin' Cajuns softball team was selected to win its third straight Sun Belt Conference regular season championship, according to a poll conducted by the league's coaches and released on Jan. 23.
The Lady Cajuns, led by third-year head coach Stefni Lotief, picked up 25 points and all five of the first place votes in the poll. Florida International was second with 17 points followed by Western Kentucky (15 points), 2002 SBC Tournament runner-up Middle Tennessee (13 points) and New Mexico State (five points).
Louisiana-Lafayette returns six position starters, three pitchers and a total of 11 letterwinners from last season's 50-13 campaign, which featured the Lady Cajuns second straight SBC regular season crown, third consecutive SBC Tournament championship and fourth straight NCAA Regional appearance.
In its third season of regular season play in 2003, Louisiana-Lafayette has been the only champion - regular season and tournmanet - that the SBC has ever known. The Cajuns are 34-2 all-time in regular season play and have swept through the three previous postseason tournaments held.
2003 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Poll
Rank, Team, Points, (1st-place votes)
1. Louisiana-Lafayette, 25 (5)
2. Florida International, 17
3. Western Kentucky, 15
4. Middle Tennessee, 13
5. New Mexico State, 5
CAJUNS IN THE SUN BELT RANKINGS
In a change from last season, the Cajuns lead the Sun Belt in pitching with a 1.24 ERA. UL Lafayette has the top two pitchers in Brooke Mitchell and Michael Parrott. Afton Thoms is three spots away from giving the Cajuns the top three pitchers in the Sun Belt.
On the hiting side, senior All-American third baseman Becky McMurtry is second in the conference with a .421 clip. She is second in the league in doubles with 11 and is tied for the lead in runs scored with 32. Her home run total of eigth also ranks third.
True freshman Danyele Gomez is second in the SBC for home runs with her team-leading 10. She needs just two home runs to pass New Mexico State's Christine Stephens for the conference home run lead. Her 33 RBI ranks her first in the league.
As a team the Cajuns have the Sun Belt's most home runs (44) and pitching-wise they have surrendered the fewest hits in 111. UL Lafayette's .974 fielding percentage is also tops.
UP NEXT
The Cajuns have a pair of midweek dates with Nicholls State (April 16) and Texas-San Antonio (April 17) before heading to Miami for a showdown with Florida International for the Sun Belt regular season title.
Nicholls State visits Lady Cajun Park on Wednesday, April 16 for a 5 p.m. doubleheader. The two teams met earlier this season in Thibodaux with the Cajuns posting a 1-0, 6-3 sweep. Brooke Mitchell tossed 11 1/3 innings combined over the two games striking out 24 batters.
Then on Thursday, the Cajuns will wrap up their 2003 home season with a single game at 7 p.m. against Texas-San Antonio. It will mark the final home appearance for seniors Summar Lapeyrouse, Becky McMurtry, Michael Parrott and Rachel Reese.
Following the UTSA game, the Cajuns will embark on a season-long 12-game road trip to end the regular season. The first stop will be a four-game showdown with Florida International in Miami for the right to claim hold to a third straight Sun Belt title.
DIAMOND NOTES
The Cajuns extended their season-high win streak to nine games and Sun Belt Conference win streak to 18 straight games with a four-game series sweep of Middle Tennessee this past weekend in the Sun Belt opening weekend for both teams...Louisiana-Lafayette outscored the Blue Raiders 33-7, posted two shutouts and two mercy-rule wins...Before MT scored three runs in the top of the fifth of game two Sunday, the Cajuns had shut out the Raiders for 16 straight innings dating back to game one on Saturday...UL Lafayette improved to 16-0 all-time versus MT and 38-2 in Sun Belt regular season play since the league began play in 2001...With the MT weekend sweep and the midweek sweep of UL Monroe, the Cajuns extended their home win streak to 16 straight games...Sophomore pitcher Brooke Mitchell tossed 22 2/3 innings last week and allowed just one earned run and five hits; opponents hit a mere .071 against Mitchell and her ERA was a miniscule 0.311...With her first strikeout in game one of the ULM twinbill, Mitchell recorded her 100th strikeout of the season...Mitchell has allowed just one hit in each of her last seven appearances and allowed just one extra-base hit...Saturday's 12-4 win over MT in game one was the 400th win all-time in Lady Cajun Park history...With the sweeps of MT over the weekend the Cajuns swept their 10th and 11th straight doubleheaders dating back to last season's split at ULM on April 24; the Cajuns have swept nine straight Sun Belt twinbills...Senior All-American Becky McMurtry went 7-for-12 last week (.583 avg.) to raise her season batting average to a season-best .421; McMurtry enters this weekend's New Mexico State series riding an 11-game hitting streak which dates back to the March 14 game against then-No. 16 Florida State at the KIA Klassic...McMurtry is batting 15-for-26 during her current hitting streak (.577 avg.) with five doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI; Her on-base percentage for the streak is .667 - she has walked six times and been hit by a pitch three times while racking up 15 hits in 26 at bats...Freshman Brittany Bryant drove in a career-high five runs in Sunday's game one 10-0 win over MT...Junior shortstop Jill Robertson hit two home runs in Saturday's game two win; it marked the first time in her career that she has hit two home runs in a single game...Becky McMurtry has not made an error in 19 straight games entering this weekend's NSMU tilts; since committing an error against Northwestern State on March 1, McMurtry has not made a single error in a game since then - a span of 59 consecutive chances...Freshman Danyele Gomez hit four doubles and one home run this past week to increase her season totals to seven doubles and a team-best 10 home runs...The Cajuns will continue their current 16-game homestand this weekend as they host New Mexico State Saturday-Sunday, April 12-13 in a pair of 1 p.m. doubleheaders...The Cajuns are 9-0 all-time versus the Aggies (4-0 at Lady Cajun Park)...The NMSU series will be the Cajuns final home weekend series of the season.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
