Louisiana Set For Third Straight Weekend at "The Tigue"

Contact: Matt Hebert

Game Notes (PDF)

THE WEEKEND SERIES
Dates: Friday-Sunday, March 1-3, 2013
Location: Lafayette, La.
Site: M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field (3,755)
Times: 6:00 p.m. (Fri) | 2:00 p.m. (Sat) | 1:00 p.m. (Sun)
Opponent: Sacred Heart University (0-0)
Radio: News Talk 96.5 KPEL-FM (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and SportsRadio ESPN 1420 KPEL-AM (Friday and Sunday)
Television: None
Internet Broadcast Link: 96.5 KPEL-FM and 1420 KPEL-AM
Live Stats/Video: www.RaginCajuns.com

STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: RHP Chase Traffica (UL) vs. RHP Troy Scribner (SHU)
Saturday: LHP Cody Boutte (UL) vs. LHP Nick Leiningen (SHU)
Sunday: RHP Austin Robicahaux (UL) vs. RHP Kody Kerski (SHU)

PLAY BALL
For the third straight weekend since the collegiate baseball season began, the Ragin' Cajuns baseball team is at home at “The Tigue”. Louisiana welcomes two-time defending Northeast Conference tournament champion Sacred Heart University for a three-game series Friday-Sunday, March 1-3.

HOMESTAND STRETCH RUN HAS BEGUN
Louisiana is currently in the final week of a season-opening homestand that's scheduled to be 14 games long and wrap up next Tuesday vs. UNO. The Cajuns are off to an 8-2 start through 10 games. The series with Sacred Heart this weekend (March 1-3) marks the last of three consecutive weekend series at home to begin the 2013 season.

PLEASED TO MEET YOU
Louisiana and Sacred Heart face off on the diamond for the first time in school history.

ABOUT SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY
Sacred Heart University is a Roman Catholic university located in Fairfield, Conn. The school's nickname is Pioneers and its athletic teams play in the Northeast Conference. The Pioneers baseball program has appeared in the NCAA Tournament each of the past two seasons (2011 Clemson Regional & 2012 Raleigh Regional).

QUICK RESET
The Cajuns split a pair of midweek games earlier this week. Fourth-ranked LSU used seven extra base hits and seven shutout innings from Cody Glenn to defeat UL 11-2 in front a sold out crowd of 3,790 at “The Tigue” on Tuesday. Louisiana bounced back on Wednesday as Ryan Wilson threw seven innings and Cajuns broke through in the eighth inning with four runs to break a tie and capture a 5-1 victory over Nicholls State. Dex Kjerstad delivered the game-winning hit with a bases-loaded single.

MR. DEPENDABLE
Matt Hicks made his fifth appearance of the 2013 season on Wednesday vs. Nicholls. For the fifth time, he left with either a win or a save. Hicks collected win No. 2 posting zeros while the Cajuns broke a 1-1 tie. The junior pitcher also has three saves.

ROCK SOLID INFIELD
The Cajuns infield defense has been a strong point and was impressive in Tuesday's LSU contest, turing four double plays. The infield combination of Chase Compton (1B), Jace Conrad (2B), Blake Trahan (SS) and Sam Carriere (3B) has committed only six errors in a combined 192 chances. Trahan has shored up the shortstop position, fielding all but one of 44 chances successfully (18 PO, 25 A, 1 E).

FINDING A GROOVE
After a 1-for-9 start to his Cajuns career, former Texas Longhorn Dex Kjerstad has turned in to one of the Cajuns hottest hitters. Kjerstad is hitting 9-for-21 (.429) since opening weekend.

“AUT”OMATIC
Dating back to his final start of the 2012 season (three-hit shutout at Middle Tennessee), sophomore pitcher Austin Robichaux has held the opposition to four hits or less in his last three weekend series starts.

WHAT A WEEK
Louisiana hit .356, pounded out 53 hits and produced 41 runs during the 4-0 run last week. The performance brought the season batting average to .322 and the runs per game average to 8.1 runs per game. A year ago, the Cajuns scored just 4.7 runs per game and hit .263 in 53 games

STIRRING THE OFFENSE
Seth Harrison was the key catalyst for the Ragin' Cajuns' 4-0 week posting a .765 on-base percentage and leading the team with nine runs scored. Harrison ended the UTSA series sweep 7-for-10 at the plate (.700) with a team-high seven runs scored. He reached base in his last nine plate appearances and was 6-for-7 at the plate in opportunities in which he could advance a baserunner.

EARLY RETURNS ARE UP
Louisiana has scored five runs or more seven times through the season's first 10 games. Last season, the Cajuns reached the five-run plateau 27 times in 53 games (51%).

INSTANT OFFENSE, SWIFT BLOW
Three times already the Cajuns batting order has flexed its muscle to put away an opponent. In the season opener, a seven-run sixth inning stretched the lead to 12-3 over CMU. Last Wednesday, UL turned the lineup over and registered nine runs in turning a 3-2 lead over Northwestern State into a double digit lead in the fourth inning. In the UTSA series opener, the Cajuns scored seven runs off of six innings to stretch out a 3-2 lead over the Roadrunners.

STRETCHING THE BENCH
A total of 16 Cajuns made at least one plate appearance in the CMU series, once again in last Wednesday's win over Northwestern State and a third time in the UTSA series opener.

THIS 'N THAT

Jace Conrad has made 43 plate appearances and an opposing pitcher has yet to record a strikeout.
Sacred Heart is one of two opponents that Louisiana was scheduled to meet for the first time this season (the other was Central Michigan).
Michael Strentz doubled in the first inning of Wednesday night's Nicholls game to extend his current hitting streak to six games, the longest active streak for the Cajuns.
Head coach Tony Robichaux is one of 22 active Division I head coaches with 900 career victories (902-618-1).
Louisiana has produced 35 runs in the middle innings of the first nine games and has outscored the opposition 35-16.
Michael Strentz who has seen eight of his 14 hits go for extra bases. Strentz leads the Cajuns with a .400 average (14-for-35).
Seth Harrison has hit either leadoff (3) or second (5) in eight of 10 starts. He tops team with 13 runs scored.
Blake Trahan is the only true freshman in the starting lineup. The Kinder, La., native ranks third with 12 hits. He hit .533 during UL's 4-0 run last week.
Dylan Butler, a starter in right field last season, has made five of six starts at designated hitter. His six RBI in UTSA opener were most by a Cajun since 2008
Jace Conrad has scored 11 runs (2nd highest on team), despite .216 batting average. He has reached base all 10 games.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Louisiana Set For Third Straight Weekend at "The Tigue"

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Louisiana Set For Third Straight Weekend at "The Tigue"

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