University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Illinois State
Softball Opens Road Schedule at NFCA Leadoff Classic
2/20/2014 7:47:00 PM | Softball
Date:Â Feb. 21-23
Location:Â Clearwater, Fla.
Radio:Â ESPN 1420
Live Stats:Â Â www.RaginCajuns.com
Times
Friday
12 p.m. (EST) vs Illinois State
2:30 p.m. (EST) vs James Madison
Saturday
2:30 p.m. (EST) vs Hofstra
5:00 p.m. (EST) vs South Florida
Sunday
11 a.m. (EST) vs Rutgers
Contact:Â Nick Ross
WHAT'S ON TAP? The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball team makes their first trip away from Lafayette, traveling to Clearwater, Fla., to partake in the 2014 NFCA Leadoff Classic. The Cajuns won the NFCA Leadoff Classic last season, defeating Illinois State, James Madison, Hofstra and South Florida, all teams that they will play again this year. The Cajuns will take on Illinois State (12 p.m. EST) and JMU (2:30 p.m. EST) on Friday. They return to the field on Saturday to face Hofstra (2:30 p.m. EST) and USF (5:00 p.m. EST), before taking on Rutgers (11 a.m. EST) on Sunday. Â
Ragin' Cajuns Invitational Rundown: The Ragin' Cajuns went 4-1 over the weekend, defeating Michigan once as well as Valparaiso, Memphis and Central Arkansas, with their lone loss coming in the second game against Michigan. The Cajuns defeated Michigan in the opener (8-6), Valparaiso (3-2) Memphis (13-2), and Central Arkansas (5-0), and lost to Michigan (15-1). Freshman Haley Hayden was named tournament MVP after driving in 10 runs with four home runs and a .375 batting average. Junior pitching duo Jordan Wallace and Christina Hamilton combined for four complete game victories with a 0.78 ERA and 29 strikeouts.
Allow Me To Introduce Myself: Freshman Haley Hayden introduced herself to the Ragin' Cajuns fans, earning tournament MVP after hitting four home runs and driving in 10 runs while batting .375. The freshman hit her second career home run against No. 4 Michigan in the Cajuns' 8-6 win and added her third home run later that night against Valparaiso. Her best game of the weekend came against Memphis when she went 2-for-4 at the plate with two home runs and five RBI. The West Monroe native is batting .324 on the season with five home runs and 12 RBI, leading the conference in homers.
Not A Slapper Anymore: Despite standing at five-feet even, freshman infielder Corin Voinché launched two home runs over the weekend. She started against Michigan but did not see her first plate appearance until the sixth inning, and made the best of it, sending a 1-and-1 pitch just over the left field wall. She repeated that feat just hours later in the second game of the day against Valparaiso, this time sending a 1-and-0 pitch six rows into the bleachers in center field. Before Saturday, she had never hit a home run in her life.
One-Two Punch in the Circle: Juniors Jordan Wallace and Christina Hamilton formed a solid pitching staff this past weekend in the 2014 Ragin' Cajuns Invitational. The duo combined to go 4-0 with a 0.78 ERA, 29 strikeouts and four complete games. Wallace was 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA with 15 strikeouts, and Hamilton went 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA and 14 strikeouts.
How Do they Rank? The Cajuns fell to 20th in both the NFCA/USA Today rankings and the ESPN rankings, in polls released on Feb. 11th. The Cajuns will take on 6th ranked Michigan this weekend and are 0-2 against ranked teams and 1-2 against teams either ranked or receiving votes in the poll, defeating North Carolina. The Cajuns also defeated Northern Iowa, who received 21 votes in the NFCA/USA Today poll and six in the ESPN poll after defeating Texas and North Carolina at the Louisiana Classic.
All the Single Ladies: Natalie Fernandez is currently riding a 128 game starting streak, dating back to her sophomore season. As the only four-year senior on the Ragin' Cajuns roster she has the most experience on the team, playing in 186 career games with 156 career starts.  Her 128 starting streak isn't her only streak, she also has 185 career hits and just one extra base hit, singling with her last 183 career hits, dating back to her fourth career game on Feb. 12, 2011 against Prairie View A&M. Her singles-only streak has spanned four seasons.
I've Got the Power: The Cajuns hold a commanding lead in the Sun Belt home run chase, slugging 21 home runs in 10 games and holding a 10-home run lead over ULM. The Cajuns have almost one-third of the conference's home runs, with the other seven teams combining for 48 homers. The Cajuns also hold down the top three spots in the conference for home runs. Haley Hayden leads the way with five homers, and Lexie Elkins and Shelbi Redfearn are tied for second with four. The highest non-Cajun on the list comes in a six-way tie, consisting of Ragin' Cajuns designated player Sara Corbello, for fourth with three homers.
Welcome To Cajun Country, Lexie: Sophomore catcher Lexie Elkins stormed onto the Ragin' Cajuns softball scene over the weekend and earned Sun Belt Player of the Week honors along with being named the tournament MVP. The Victoria, Texas native batted .474 with three home runs and nine RBI, leading the team in RBI, hits, home runs and total bases through the first five games. Elkins is a transfer from Texas Tech, playing with the Red Raiders as last season.
Coming Through In the Clutch: Sophomore Gabby Felps came through in her only at bat of the weekend, driving a two-out double off the top of the wall in the seventh inning against Purdue to help send the game into extra innings. Felps also had a plate appearance against Texas in a pinch hitting effort and walked. Â
A Great Relief: Junior pitcher Christina Hamilton picked up her first win of the season against North Carolina, coming in relief of Macey Smith. Hamilton tossed six no-hit innings, while striking out four batters and walking one. She set down the side in order in her final three innings, all coming in extra innings.
Not a Walk in the Park: The Ragin' Cajuns don't have an easy schedule in 2014, with 21 games against teams that were either ranked or received votes in the initial USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll. The Cajuns faced No. 7 Texas and North Carolina (RV) opening weekend in the 28th Annual Louisiana Classics, before taking on No. 5 Michigan in the Ragin' Cajuns Invite. The Cajuns will follow that up with a trip to Clearwater, Florida and the NFCA Leadoff Classic from Feb. 28-March 23, where they will take on No. 25 South Florida and Hofstra, another team who received votes.  They will also take on No. 18 three times throughout the season, and defending National Champion #2 Oklahoma in a three-game series at Lamson Park, March 14 & 15. The Cajuns are the top ranked Sun Belt team, with South Alabama coming in at No. 20 and WKU receiving votes in both major polls.
Our Very Own Bo Jackson: Freshman outfielder Kassidy Zeringue made her Ragin' Cajuns softball debut over the past weekend, but it was not her Ragin' Cajuns debut. The Lutcher native played in 16 games for the Ragin' Cajuns soccer team this fall, scoring one goal while taking five shots on goal. She was an all-Louisiana selection in both sports at Lutcher High School.Â
Family Affair: This year's freshman class features two younger sisters of former Ragin' Cajuns All-Americans in outfielder Kendall Smith and infielder Ciarra Cherry. Smith is the sister of outfielder Katie Smith (2008-12), and Cherry is the younger sister of outfielder Brianna Cherry (2009-13) and cousin of infielder Nerissa Myers (2009-13). Current Ragin' Cajuns outfielder Shellie Landry also has incoming family ties in her younger sister Jaime, a member of the 2014-15 Ragin' Cajuns freshman class that signed in the fall.
What's Next? The Cajuns will travel to Gulfport, Miss., to take part in the first-ever Gulfport College Classic, hosted by the city of Gulfport. The Cajuns will take on UTSA, Baylor, Chattanooga, Ohio and Memphis from Feb. 28-March 2. They will return home for a stretch of seven-of-eight games with single midweek games against McNeese State (March 5) and Lamar (March 6), before taking on defending national champion Oklahoma in a three-game series, March 14-15. Â
