University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Georgia State
Cajuns Begin Sun Belt Play at Georgia State
3/21/2014 1:07:00 PM | Softball
Date:Â March 19
Location:Â Lafayette, La.
Radio:Â ESPN 1420Â (Steve Peloquin & Bobby Neveaux)
Live Stats/Stream:Â Â www.GeorgiaStateSports.com
Time: Saturday:Â 1 p.m. (EST), Sunday: Noon (EST)
Game Notes
What's On Tap? The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns have won 11 of their last 12 games heading into Sun Belt Conference play, which they will open in Atlanta, Ga., this weekend when they take on SBC newcomer, Georgia State at the Heck Softball Complex. The Cajuns and Panthers will play a Saturday doubleheader, with first pitch in game one scheduled or 1 p.m. (EST). They will finish up the weekend on Sunday with a single game starting at noon (EST).
About the Opponents: The Georgia State Panthers come into their inaugural Sun Belt games after splitting a pair of midweek games, defeating Kennesaw State, 7-5, in a home game, and falling to No. 6 Alabama in Tuscaloosa, 3-1, on Wednesday. The Panthers are led by Taylor Anderson and Lauren Coleman. The duo have each been named Sun Belt Player of the Week this season with Anderson leading the team with a .397 batting average, and Coleman leading with five homers and 26 RBI. The Panthers are 0-4 against ranked teams in 2014, falling to Tulsa, 8-2, Stanford, 7-1, Minnesota, 7-0, and Alabama. Â
Last Time Out: Natalie Fernandez picked up six hits and Kelsey Vincent drove in four runs, to team up with the pitching tandem of Christina Hamilton and Jordan Wallace leading the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns to a doubleheader sweep of the Sam Houston Bearkats, 7-0, and 4-2, on Wednesday at Lamson Park. Fernandez finished the day 6-for-6 with two runs scored and Vincent combined for 4-for-6 with four RBI to help lead the Cajuns. Â
Leading Off With Fernandez: With a 6-for-6 performance in the Sam Houston State doubleheader on March 19, Natalie Fernandez raised her season batting average to .506 (41-for-81), through 25 games. The senior took over the conference lead and broke into the national top-10 in batting average. The senior from Denham Springs is currently riding a 144-game starting streak and has played in 202 career games, accumulating 212 career hits. She is also on a 12-game hitting streak, dating back to Feb. 23. During her hitting streak, the Cajuns have gone 11-1.
Fernandez Among Actives: Here is where Cajuns senior, Natalie Fernandez's career stats rank among active players, as of stats reported on March 16:
| ## | D-I | Overall | D-I Leader | ## | |
| Games Played | 200 | 21st | 23rd | Madison Shipman, Tennessee | 215 |
| Batting Average | .396 | 16th | -- | Haylie McCleney, Alabama | .492 |
| Runs Scored | 160 | 7th | 13th | Lauren Chamberlian, Oklahoma | 186 |
| Hits | 206 | 17th | 30th | Jill Barrett, Tulsa | 263 |
Leading off Strong: The Cajuns have a strong 1-2 punch at the front of their batting order in senior Natalie Fernandez and freshman Haley Hayden. Fernandez leads the Cajuns with a .506 batting average (41-for-81) and 35 runs scored, and Hayden is batting .360 with a team-high 31 RBI and nine home runs. Three times this season Fernandez has led the game off by reaching base and Hayden has homered in the next at-bat to give the Cajuns an early 2-0 lead (Lamar/March 6, Texas/Feb. 8, Rutgers/Feb. 23). The early-game success from Fernandez and Hayden have led to 23 runs for the Cajuns in the first inning. As a team, the Cajuns have gone 7-0 when scoring in the first inning, and have outscored opponents 23-9 in the opening frame of games.
Wallace Among Actives: Here is where Cajuns junior, Jordan Wallace's career stats rank among active players, as of stats reported on March 16:
| ## | D-I | Overall | D-I Leader | ## | |
| Victories | 66 | 17t | 19th | Hannah Rodgers, Florida | 108 |
| Strikeouts | 624 | 17th | 21st | Whitney Canion, Baylor | 1,272 |
| Strikeouts/7 inn. | 8.7 | 6th | 8th | Miranda Kramer, IPFW | 9.68 |
| Shutouts | 16 | 33rd | 38th | Sara Moulton, Minnesota | 43 |
Getting Offensive: The Cajuns boast the 25th-most potent offense in the NCAA this season, averaging 6.13 runs per game. That ranks second among all Sun Belt teams, behind only ULM (6.56). The Cajuns run output can be credited to their nations-best 1.63 home runs per game and their 13th-ranked slugging percentage (.519).
Say Hey! Haley Hayden: Freshman Haley Hayden has put together a strong start to her college career, batting .360 with 31 RBI on nine home runs, including a pair of multi-home run games against Memphis (2/15) and Rutgers (2/23). She currently ranks 12th in the country in home runs per game (0.38) and has the second-most home runs among freshmen, trailing Milly Martin of Campbell (11).
We've Got the Power: With two home runs against Oklahoma on March 14, the Cajuns were able to hold on to their national lead in home runs per game, averaging 1.63 homers a game, leading runner-up North Carolina by 0.15 home runs a game. The Cajuns' 40-homers lead the Sun Belt by 14 home runs and hold down the top four spots in the Sun Belt individual home run chase with Haley Hayden (9), Lexie Elkins (8), Sara Corbello (7) and Shelbi Redfearn (7).
Grabbing LSWA Honors: The Ragin' Cajuns picked up two of three LSWA honors for the past week, with senior Natalie Fernandez picking up co-Player of the Week Honors and Christina Hamilton was named the LSWA Pitcher of the Week after the Cajuns' series victory over Oklahoma. It was the second and third LSWA awards for the Cajuns this season, with freshman Haley Hayden earning Player of the Month honors for February.
The Cajuns Not-So WIld Thing: Despite the resemblance to Rick "WIld Thing" Vaughn from the movie Major League with the black thick-rimmed glasses, Christina Hamilton has been the Cajuns most consistent pitcher thus far in 2014. The junior has compiled a 9-1 record with a 1.23 ERA while holding a 6.25 strikeout/walk ratio, and holding opponents to a .161 batting average. Hamilton put in her best weekend of the season against Oklahoma, bringing a no-hitter into the seventh inning in Saturday's opener and finishing with a one-hit shutout, and holding the Sooners scoreless for five innings in the second game of the day, picking up the win and going 2-0, and winning the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week award for March 17.
Elkins Tops Lamar: Sophomore catcher Lexie Elkins posted the Cajuns' second seven-RBI game of the season, hitting two homers in a 3-for-4 effort against Lamar on March 6 at Lamson Park. The Victoria, Texas native came to the plate with the bases loaded in the sixth with the Cajuns just one run away from a mercy rule victory and did the most damage possible, hitting her first career grand slam, giving the Cajuns an 11-run lead and a 14-3 win over the Lady Cardinals.
Redfearn's Big Day: Senior Shelbi Redfearn put in the best single-game performance of her career when the Cajuns took on nationally ranked Baylor, also her former team. The native of Stillwater, Okla., drove in seven runs in the game with a three-run home run and a grand slam, to help lead the Cajuns past Baylor, 12-11. Redfearn gave the Cajuns an early 3-0 lead with her three-run shot in the first inning, and added to the lead in the fourth with her first career grand slam to make it 8-2. The Cajuns would need all seven runs she produced, defeating the Bears 11-10, holding off a late four-run charge.
What's Next? The Cajuns will break from conference play for a mid-week doubleheader when they travel to Houston, Texas, to take on Houston on Wednesday, March 26. The Cajuns will then return home to continue Sun Belt play, taking on another SBC newcomer, Texas State for a classic conference series, with a doubleheader on Saturday and the series finale on Sunday.
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