University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Ragin’ Cajuns Set to Open 2006 Baseball Season
2/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Ragin' Cajuns
Set to Open 2006 Baseball Season
The Cajuns will
host in-state rival Louisiana-Monroe at 6:30 p.m. at M.L.
“Tigue” Moore Field
LAFAYETTE-Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns baseball team is set to open the 2006 season against Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday, Feb. 14, at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
The game with ULM will mark the 72nd time in school history the two teams will face each other. The Cajuns hold the all-time series lead 40-31. The Cajuns and Indians last met on April 6, 2005 in Monroe when the Cajuns downed ULM 11-4. In the game, shortstop Jameson Parker led the way going 3-for-3 on the day with three runs scored and a pair of RBI.
The Cajuns are 22-6 (.786) in home openers at the Tigue. The Ragin' Cajuns are 635-241-1 (.725) at Moore Field and 243-86 (.739) under head coach Tony Robichaux at home.
The Cajuns are looking to continue the success they had in 2005. Last season, the Ragin' Cajuns won the Sun Belt Conference regular season earning a spot in the nation's top-ranked NCAA regional.
UL will have to rely on some new faces in 2006 if they want to duplicate last season's success. Of the 35 names on the Cajuns' roster, only 13 players (five pitchers and eight position players) saw action in 2005.
Offensively, the Cajuns will be led by senior outfielder Josh Landry. The Jeanerette, La., native is on the Brooks Wallace National Player of the Year watch list after earning all-conference honors in 2005. Landry was the only Cajuns player to be tabbed preseason all-Sun Belt Conference for 2006.
The senior is in the midst of a streak. Not just any streak, but a consecutive games played streak. Entering the 2006 season, Landry has played in 130 consecutive games, dating back to the 2003 Sun Belt Conference Tournament. He was the only Cajun to play all 57 games in 2004 and was one of only two Cajuns this season to have played in all 67 games in the 2005 season.
Joining Landry in the outfield will be fellow seniors John McCarthy and Alex Preciado.
McCarthy made 58 starts for the Cajuns, playing in 65-of-67 games in 2005. The senior boasted a .333 batting average, collecting 80 hits including 16 doubles, two triples and a pair of homeruns.
Preciado saw limited time in the outfield due to a senior laden outfield in 2005, but made the most of his opportunities batting .410 with three doubles and a pair of homeruns.
The infield will be led by Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Jonathan Lucroy. The Umatilla, Fla., native led the team with a .379 batting average and earned all-Sun Belt Conference honors as a freshman. He collected 69 hits on the season, including 15 doubles and five homeruns. Lucroy drove in 48 runs and scored 33 runs.
Veterans Parker and Jefferies Tatford will join Lucroy in the infield.
Parker played in 42 games in 2005, starting in all but 11 of those games. He batted .277 collecting 33 hits on the season, scoring 25 runs and driving in 18 runs on the year.
Tatford will take over the first base duties left vacant by all-Sun Belt Conference honoree Phillip Hawke. The junior from Lafayette boasted a .336 batting average on the season, playing in 52 games (38 starts). Tatford collected 48 hits in 2005, scoring 31 runs with 32 RBI.
The Cajuns will see a pair of new faces in the infield against Louisiana-Monroe. Freshmen Matt Hicks and Grant Derouen will get their first collegiate starts on Tuesday. Hicks will start at second base with Derouen assuming the duties at third base. Hicks was a member of the 2005 Cajuns squad earning a redshirt. Derouen is a true freshman out of Barbe High School in Lake Charles, La.
On the mound for the Cajuns will be sophomore Hunter Moody. The left-handed hurler from Clinton, La., earned a 2-0 record in 2005 appearing in 18 games. Moody allowed 28 runs (26 earned runs) in 57.1 innings for the Cajuns for a 4.08 earned run average.
Following Tuesday's game, the Cajuns will travel to Ruston, La., to take on in-state rival Louisiana Tech in the first weekend series of the season. The Cajuns and Bulldogs will play Friday-Sunday, Feb. 17-19 at J.C. Love Field.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
