Cajuns Open Five-Game Homestand Hosting McNeese on Tuesday

Contact: Matt Hebert

Game Notes (PDF)

THE MIDWEEK GAME
Date: Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Location: Lafayette, La.
Site: M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field (3,755)
Time: 6 p.m
Opponent: McNeese State (17-9)
Radio: SportsRadio ESPN 1420-AM
TV: None
Internet Broadcast Link: ESPN 1420-AM
Live Stats/Video: www.RaginCajuns.com
Social Media: Twitter = @ULRaginCajuns, Facebook = facebook.com/ragincajunsathletics

PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
RHP Chase Traffica (UL) vs. LHP Jason Gibson (MCN)

PLAY BALL
After closing out a seven-game road trip that included back-to-back flights to Nashville for weekend series at Middle Tennessee and WKU, the Ragin' Cajuns are set to begin a five-game homestand at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field that runs April 2-9. First up is a midweek matchup with I-10 rival McNeese State on Tuesday, April 2 at 6 p.m.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Louisiana carries an eight-game win streak at “The Tigue” into the five-game homestand and sports a 15-2 record in the friendly confines this season.

HALFWAY THERE
The WKU series brought an end to the first half of the season with Louisiana compiling a 19-8 record. The second half begins Tuesday evening vs. McNeese State.

STILL GOING STRONG
Tyler Girouard continues to pace the Cajuns and Sun Belt Conference in batting average at a .434 clip and is riding a career-best 12-game hitting streak. Girouard is hitting .500 (24-of-48) during the hit streak which has spanned the last three week's of action.

THE McNEESE STATE SERIES (Louisiana leads 57-46)
Series has been an annual recurrence since 1988. In fact, 1973, 1985 and 1987 are the only three seasons that programs didn't meet since 1972 (span of 42 seasons).UL holds a 23-16 edge during the Tony Robichaux era. UL has won 11 of the last 13 meetings, overall. Wednesday's contest marks the 20th meeting in Lafayette in the Tony Robichaux Era with Louisiana holding a 15-4 edge.

HOME STREAK VS. McNEESE
The Ragin' Cajuns have won the last eight meetings with McNeese at “The Tigue”. The last loss to MSU at home came on March 9, 2005.

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
Cajuns head coach Tony Robichaux has special ties with McNeese. He's a former player and 1986 graduate of McNeese and began his coaching career there in 1987. Robichaux spent eight seasons as the Cowboys' skipper compiling a 263-177 record. Robichaux is the all-time winningest coach at McNeese and is also the all-time winningest coach in UL history.

HICKS CAN STAND ALONE
Matt Hicks' next save will make him the Ragin' Cajuns' all-time leader. The junior from Bridge City, Texas, tied the school career record with his 12th career save on Tuesday at SLU. He's in a three-way tie with Kraig Schambough who set the standard from 2002-05 and Justin Robichaux who equaled the mark from 2007-10.

BASES NOTED
Chase Traffica gets the midweek start for the third straight week...Traffica threw 5 1/3 innings and held SLU to five hits in a 9-6 win last Tuesday...In the first half the season, the Cajuns had seven players hit above .300, nine players register 20-plus hits and eight players with double digits in RBI...Tyler Girouard has nine multiple-hit games during his current 12-game hitting streak...Girouard has rapped out 16 hits through the first nine Sun Belt contests...Michael Strentz was the Cajuns top hitter at WKU with a .600 average (6-of-10) ending a slump that had him 5-for-27 (.185) since returning from the hand injury suffered in the Sacred Heart finale...Matt Hicks' eight saves has him one shy of the single season record nine set by Justin Robichaux in 2008...Outfielder Seth Harrison made his pitching debut in game two Saturday at WKU and posted a save closing out the game with a strikeout with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth...It was Harrison's first appearance on the mound against outside competition since pitching for Hill College in the 2012 season...Blake Trahan's batting average has been above .300 since Feb. 20 and his longest stretch of at bats without a base hit has been seven…Trahan has picked up at least one base hit in 20 of 26 appearances...Tony Robichaux is one of 22 active Division I head coaches with 900 career victories at the Division I level (913-624-1)…Robichaux coached in his 500th career Sun Belt game on Friday at WKU.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Cajuns Open Five-Game Homestand Hosting McNeese on Tuesday

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