Cajuns to Celebrate Senior Weekend, Battle for SBC Tourney Bid

Contact: Matt Hebert

Game Notes | UL Season Stats | La.-Monroe Season Stats | Sun Belt Standings

THE WEEKEND SERIES
Dates: Thursday-Saturday, May 17-19, 2012
Location: Lafayette, La.
Site: M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field (3,755)
Times: 6:00 p.m. (Thurs) | 6:00 p.m. (Fri) | 6:00 p.m. (Sat)
Opponent: La.-Monroe (25-27, 12-15 Sun Belt)
Radio: Sports Radio ESPN 1420 AM (Thursday) & News Talk 96.5 KPEL-FM (Thursday, Friday, Saturday)
Television: MyKLAF (Saturday)
Internet Broadcast Links: ESPN 1420-AM and 96.5 KPEL-FM
Live Stats/Video: www.RaginCajuns.com

STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: RHP Jordan Nicholson (UL) vs. LHP Randy Zeigler (LA-MONROE)
Saturday: LHP Chris Griffitt (UL) vs. RHP Cale Wine (LA-MONROE)
Sunday: RHP Austin Robichaux (UL) vs. TBA (LA-MONROE)

Adding Spice to the Rivalry: Louisiana and La.-Monroe have more than just bragging rights at stake when the two teams meet in the regular season finale at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field Thursday-Saturday, May 17-19. Both teams will be battling for a spot in the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The Cajuns are currently tied for ninth place in the SBC standings, one game behind the Warhawks who are in a three-way tie for sixth place. The top eight teams will advance to the league's tournament.

Curtain Call: The series with the Warhawks marks the final games at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field in 2012. UL puts the finishing touches on the 35^th season at “The Tigue”, one in which the squad secured a winning mark at the facility for the 17^th straight season.

Seniors Say Goodbye: Playing their final games at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field will be a group of seven (7) seniors that is comprised of: Brian Bowman, Jordan Bourque, Ethan Hebert, Daniel Nichols, Jordan Nicholson, Chris Sinclair and Joe Zimmermann.

Putting the “Student” in Athlete: Spring 2012 commencement was held at UL last Saturday and six current Cajuns received their bachelor's degrees – Brian Bowman (Finance), Tyler Frederick (Finance), Daniel Nichols (General Studies), Jordan Nicholson (General Studies), Chris Sinclair (General Studies) and Joe Zimmermann (General Studies). Two former Cajuns, Alex Fuselier (biology) and Michael Cook (civil engineering), also received their degrees on Saturday.

Timely Explosion: With the season on the line following the series-opening loss to Middle Tennessee, the Cajuns bats delivered a knockout performance that has kept the 2012 season alive. The Cajuns piled up 24 runs on 33 hits during last Saturday's doubleheader sweep, with eight different players posting multiple-hit efforts.

Moving in on a Legend: Freshman Dylan Butler picked up four RBI last Saturday, increasing his season total to 45 RBI which is the most by a Cajuns freshman since current Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy tallied 48 in 2005.

A Mere Formality: Dylan Butler is a lock to become the first true freshman to lead the Ragin' Cajuns in RBI since the program moved to Division I status in 1972. His 45 RBI are well ahead of the next nearest tally of 25 (Chase Compton).

Nearing 900: Head coach Tony Robichaux is six wins shy of 900 career wins (presently 894-613-1 in his 26th season as a Division I head coach).

Series Streak Snapped: Louisiana collected its first Sun Belt series victory since Easter weekend (April 6-8) with the doubleheader sweep of Middle Tennessee last Saturday. UL ended a string of four consecutive series losses (FIU, USA, UALR, Troy).

The La.-Monroe Series (UL leads 66-49): The Cajuns are 12-9 in Sun Belt Conference play against the Warhawks and 23-15 vs. La.-Monroe in the Robichaux Era. The Cajuns have won the past two series, winning the 2011 finale at Warhawk Field and the Sun Belt-opening series this season. Louisiana is 2-4 at “The Tigue” vs. La.-Monroe in SBC play. This will be the eighth SBC series, overall, with the Cajuns having claimed four of the previous seven series.

Former Teammates Set for Rematch: Series opener starting pitchers Jordan Nicholson (UL) and Randy Zeigler (La.-Monroe) were both teammates at LSU in 2009. Both transferred following the 2009 season - Nicholson to UL and Zeigler to Bossier Parish CC. They squared off in the Sun Belt Conference opener in Monroe back on March 16 with Nicholson tossing a complete game shutout to outlast Zeigler in a 5-0 Cajuns win.

Making Dad Proud: Freshman Austin Robichaux picked up his first career Sun Belt victory in the series clincher over MT, tossing a complete game, three-hit shutout. Robichaux retired 13 of the final 14 Blue Raiders he faced. Austin, the youngest son of head coach Tony Robichaux, made his first career road start in Sun Belt play. For his efforts, Austin was named Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Cajuns to Celebrate Senior Weekend, Battle for SBC Tourney Bid

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