University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Cajuns Win Awards, Prep for Nicholls
4/18/2011 9:40:00 PM | Softball
For the third time this season, the Ragin' Cajuns have swept the Sun Belt Conference's weekly honors. Christi Orgeron has been named the Player of the Week while Ashley Brignac has earned Pitcher of the Week honors.
Last weekend, Orgeron posted 11 RBI in a three-game sweep of Middle Tennessee. The weekend raised her season total to 71, which is just nine short of breaking the Sun Belt and UL record set by Alana Addison. In game one of the series she recorded six RBI including her second grand slam of the season.
Brignac posted a 4-0 record on the week, picking up the win in all three games of the Middle Tennessee series plus a win in the Centenary game. She threw 16.0 scoreless innings including 13.0 in the Middle Tennessee series. She has thrown 20.2 scoreless innings dating back to the South Alabama series.
The award is the second for Orgeron from the Sun Belt this season and the fifth for Brignac. The Cajuns as a team have now won 17 weekly awards through the first 10 weeks of the season.
The 18th ranked Cajuns (36-6) return to action tomorrow when they host Nicholls State (9-28) in a doubleheader at Lamson Park. The two games will close out a six-game homestand in which the Cajuns are 4-0 thus far.
The Cajuns and Colonels are set for a 5:00 p.m. first pitch. Both games can be followed through live stats via RaginCajuns.com at the link above.
Gameday Storylines
- The Cajuns are seeking their ninth and tenth straight wins. A tenth would tie the season-high win streak set to begin the year.
- One win in the doubleheader will mark the 600th victory at Lamson Park for the Cajuns. UL is 599-93 (.866) at the park all-time and 20-1 in 2011.
- UL is 85-24 all-time against Nicholls State, including a 49-8 mark in Lafayette.
- The Cajuns have scored in the first inning in six consecutive games. In those six games they are 6-0 and have outscored their opponents 15-2 in the first inning.
- Christi Orgeron has become just the third player in Sun Belt and UL history to surpass 70 RBI in a single season. She currently sits at 71 and is nine away from breaking Alana Addison's Sun Belt and UL single-season record.
- Ashley Brignac enters Tuesday's contests with a streak of 20.2 consecutive scoreless innings pitched. Those innings span five appearances in which Brignac has a perfect 5-0 record.
Scouting the Opposition
Nicholls State (9-28)
- The Colonels enter going in the opposite direction as the Cajuns, having lost eight in a row. Nicholls last won at La.-Monroe on March 31, 2011. The Colonels most recently were swept by Southland foe Texas State in a three-game series.
- The Colonels are led offensively by Megan Gaspard and Ashley Ray who are each hitting .320. Ray leads the squad with eight home runs and 28 RBI. The Cajuns' Megan Granger's twin sister Mandy plays first base for the Colonels and is currently hitting .283 with 11 RBI. Nicholls hits .249 as a team.
- Nicholls ace Ashton Bennett has recorded a 2.75 ERA in 102.0 innings pitched with nine complete games. The Colonels as a staff have a 4.06 ERA.
- The Cajuns are 85-24 all-time against the Colonels including a 49-8 mark in Lafayette. The Cajuns have won the last six contests between the two teams which did not meet last season.
Last Time Out
Middle Tennessee (3-0)
- The Cajuns posted their third Sun Belt sweep of the season in five series. UL has now swept 39 of their 65 all-time Sun Belt series, or 60.0%. The Cajuns defeated the Blue Raiders by a combined score of 28-1while Ashley Brignac threw 13.0 scoreless innings and Christi Orgeron posted 11 RBI.
- Game 1: Brignac and Shelbee Rodgers combined for the shutout while Orgeron hit a grand slam and had six RBI in an 11-0 five-inning win.
- Game 2: This time Brignac and Christina Hamilton combined to hole MT to one run in a 9-1 six-inning win. Orgeron posted three more RBI and another home run while Gabriele Bridges also hit a homer.
- Game 3: Brignac threw a complete-game shutout as the Cajuns won 8-0 in six innings in the Sun Belt Network's featured game. Orgeron hit her third home run of the weekend and posted her 70 and 71 RBI.
Centenary (1-0)
- The Cajuns began their six-game homestand with a 7-0 win over Centenary on Wednesday night. UL scored six runs in the first inning to take control while Ashley Brignac, Christina Hamilton and Shelbee Rodgers all combined to pitch the shutout.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
