Cajuns Move Up One Spot In NFCA Top 25 Poll

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

LAFAYETTE – A 13-game win streak has paid off for Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team.

After spending the previous three weeks as No. 8 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's Top 25 poll, Louisiana-Lafayette was rewarded this week with its highest ranking of the season in the poll – No. 7.

The ranking is a one-spot jump for the Cajuns and comes off the heels of a crucial four-game Sun Belt sweep of Florida International this past weekend.

For the fourth straight week the Ragin' Cajuns (41-4) are the highest ranked team in the NCAA Midwest Region and are eight spots higher than their nearest competition in No. 15 Nebraska.

The Ragin' Cajuns garnered 382 points and finished 34 points behind No. 6 and in-state rival LSU and 40 points ahead of No. 8 Michigan. In the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll the Cajuns are also ranked No. 7.

UL Lafayette is ranked ahead of Michigan, Georgia, Stanford, Tennessee and Alabama to name a few of the teams from larger conferences.

The ranking assured the Cajuns of being a member of the Top 10 for the seventh straight week.

The USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I Top 25 is voted on by 20 NCAA Division I head coaches representing different conferences.

Louisiana-Lafayette returns to action today in a 4 p.m. doubleheader at Ragin' Cajuns Softball Park against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (32-19).

USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll

-- Ragin' Cajuns --