Louisiana Set for Rematch With Southeastern on Tuesday

Contact: Matt Hebert

Game Notes

THE MIDWEEK GAME
Date: Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Location: Lafayette, La.
Site: M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field (3,755)
Time: 6 p.m
Opponent: Southeastern Louisiana (20-9)
Radio: SportsRadio ESPN 1420 AM (KPEL)
Internet Broadcast Link: www.espn1420.com
Live Stats/Video: www.RaginCajuns.com

PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
RHP Austin Robichaux (UL) vs. LHP Buck Bernard (SLU)

Home, Sweet Home: Louisiana opens a stretch in which seven of the next eight contests will be played at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field, starting on Tuesday, April 3 against Southeastern Louisiana. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

Cajuns-Lions Round 2: Tuesday's contest completes a midweek, home-and-home between UL and SLU. The two squads met back on Feb. 22 in Hammond with the Lions benefitting from five unearned runs to sneak out a 6-5 victory. The Cajuns committed four errors in the game, three of which came in a five-run fourth inning which have the Lions the lead.

Time to End This Streak: The Ragin' Cajuns are seeking to end an eight-game losing streak to Southeastern Louisiana – the longest losing streak to the Lions in the all-time series. The Cajuns last win over SLU came on March 5, 2008 at “The Tigue” (W, 3-1).

Employee Appreciation: As part of Employee Appreciation Week at the University of Louisiana, an Employee Tailgating Party is being held from 5-6 p.m., prior to Tuesday's game with SLU. Faculty and staff members (with I.D.) and one guest get in free and additional tickets for family members are $5 each.

Quick Reset: The Cajuns are coming off a 0-4 road trip that featured games at LSU and Florida Atlantic. LSU used a pair of home runs to help build a 5-0 advantage before a one hour, 17 minute rain delay. In the opener at FAU, the Cajuns grabbed an early 2-0 lead for Jordan Nicholson. The Owls used the home run ball in the third inning to pull ahead 3-2 and starter Ryan Garton recovered from averaging 21 pitches over the first two innings to pitch into the seventh inning. The middle game was suspended until Sunday morning and when resumed Chris Griffitt returned to the mound to hold FAU scoreless until two outs in the sixth inning. The first four Owls to face Cord Cockrell in the seventh inning reached base capped off by RBI singles from Mark Nelson and Corey Keller which pulled the Owls in front for good, 3-2. In the series finale, a pair of two-out home runs in the first inning gave Florida Atlantic the lead and the pitching staff held Louisiana to one hit through the first seven innings on the way to an 8-3 win that completed the series sweep.

The SLU Series (UL leads 57-45): The two programs meet for the 103rd time. The 100th meeting took place back on March 9, 2011 at Alumni Field in Hammond. UL is 13-10 vs. SLU under Tony Robichaux. SLU has won eight of the last 12 meetings. Series resumed in 1999 after a 10-season hiatus from 1989-1998.

Relief in Sight: Chris Sinclair, who has started every game at catcher due to Michael Strentz's season-ending surgery, is starting to get some relief. Adam Todd, a catcher by trade, rejoined the squad on Thursday. Todd was a member of the 2010 squad, but chose to focus on academics and sat out the 2011 season. UL's roster featured only 34 players, allowing head coach Tony Robichaux to add an additional player. Todd replaced Sinclair on Friday and Sunday at FAU, marking the first time this season that Sinclair was lifted from a game.

Run Producing Machine: True freshman Dylan Butler has posted at least one RBI in 11 of the last 15 games he's played. He sports a team-high 29 RBI, which ranks third in the Sun Belt Conference trailing only UALR's Sean Bignall (40) and Troy's Boone Shear (33).

Bowman Bagging Bases: Brian Bowman needs one (1) stolen base to tie his personal, single-season best of 17 set in 2010. Bowman ranks second in the Sun Belt with 16 swipes in 18 attempts.

Conrad Covers Ground: Freshman Jace Conrad has played 22 consecutive error-free games at second base dating back to Feb. 25. He's fielded the past 93 chances he's encountered flawlessly.

Pitching Prowess: Louisiana pitching has held the opposition to single digits in runs in 26 of 27 games.

Prime Time Performers: Night and day games have provided a stark contrast for the Ragin' Cajuns – UL is 10-3 in night games and only 3-11 in day games.

The Countdown Continues: Head coach Tony Robichaux is 16 wins shy of 900 career wins (presently 884-600-1 in his 26th season as a Division I head coach).

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Louisiana Set for Rematch With Southeastern on Tuesday

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