University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
WKU
Cajuns Continue Conference Action with Trip to WKU
4/3/2014 2:34:00 PM | Softball
Date: April 5-6
Location: Bowling Green, Ky.
Radio: ESPN 1420 (Steve Peloquin)
Live Stats: www.RaginCajuns.com
Time: 1 p.m. Saturday (DH), 12 p.m. Sunday
Game Notes
What's On Tap? The Cajuns look to continue their winning ways in their third conference series of the season with a trip to Bowling Green, Ky. to take on the WKU Lady Toppers. The Cajuns and Lady Toppers will play a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. and finish up the series on Sunday at noon with a single game. The Cajuns have won their last 10 games including a 6-0 mark in conference action.
About the Opponents: WKU came into the season looking to defend their regular season Sun Belt crown and have done so thus far, owning a 24-10-1 record and a 6-0 clip in Sun Belt games with sweeps against Troy and UT Arlington. The Lady Toppers are led by a returning cast of Olivia Watkins (.471, 35 R, 57 H), the Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year, along with Preslie Cruce (.314, 18 RBI, 23 R) and Kelsie Mattox (.317, 28 RBI, 32 H) and last season's SBC Pitcher of the Year, Emily Rousseau (13-7, 2.17, 115 K). The Lady Toppers defeated the nations second-ranked (at the time) Tennessee Volunteers earlier this season, 3-2, behind 10 K's from Rousseau.
The Week That Was: The Ragin' Cajuns picked up their second-straight Sun Belt Conference sweep, defeating Texas State with a pair of 5-2 wins in Saturday's doubleheader and a 8-3 win on Sunday. Samantha Walsh continued her offensive emergence for the Cajuns, hitting two home runs and driving in five runs, batting .400 on the weekend (4-for-10). Jordan Wallace picked up two wins to improve to 11-2 on the season, tossing a complete game in game two on Saturday, before throwing 2.2 no-hit innings of relief on Sunday to pick up her second win.
Adding to the Win Column: The Ragin' Cajuns have won a season-high 10 consecutive games, and 17 of their last 18 games, with their lone loss coming to the defending National Champions, the Oklahoma Sooners on March 14. In the last 18 games, senior Natalie Fernandez is batting .596 (34-for-57) with 24 runs scored, and junior pitcher Christina Hamilton has gone 9-0 with a 0.79 ERA and 74 strikeouts. The Cajuns have had a few notable streaks in the past few seasons. In 2013 they put together a 23 game winning streak, and in 2012 they opened the season with a 28-game winning streak.
Walsh's Emergence: After batting .135 (7-for-52) in the first 21 games this season, sophomore Samantha Walsh has hit .367(11-for-30) in the past 11 games, including a seven-game hitting streak, with three home runs and eight RBI. She has also been one of the Cajuns' most reliable defenders making one error on 29 chances at third base. A career .236 hitter with nine home runs, Walsh holds a .940 fielding percentage between second base, third base and shortstop.
Lineup Shuffle: With Kelsey Vincent likely out for the time being with a knee injury, the Ragin' Cajuns will have to shuffle a lineup that has been fairly consistent throughout the year. The new lineup will more than likely move Shelbi Redfearn back to first base, where she started the season, and insert true-freshman Kendall Smith into the everyday starting lineup to play either left field or center field, with Haley Hayden playing the other.
Still Seeking the Long Ball: After hitting 15 home runs as a true freshman, Shellie Landry is still searching for her first home run of the 2014 campaign, batting .250 with 14 RBI and a team-high six doubles on the season. In her freshman season she batted .284 with 15 homers and 61 RBI, both highs for returning players.
Two For Ten: Both Christina Hamilton and Jordan Wallace have won double-digit games, achieving a feat the Cajuns did not get to last season, with Wallace winning 32 games and Victoria Brown winning the second most with nine. Prior to last season, the Cajuns only failed to have two double-digit winners in a season twice since 2000, coming in 2012 and 2007. The Cajuns had three double-digit winners in 2002 and 2000.
Where do they Rank? Despite going 3-0 over the past weekend, the Ragin' Cajuns lost ground in the NFCA/USA Today Poll, dropping to 21st, and stood pat in the ESPN/USA Softball Poll at 21st for consecutive weeks. The Cajuns did more up in the second RPI rankings of the season, ranking 17th. The Cajuns started the season as the 13th ranked team in the nation in the NFCA poll, their highest ranking of the season and 15th in the ESPN poll.
Going for the Record: If the season were to end today, Natalie Fernandez would break the Ragin' Cajuns record for batting average in a career and a season. She is currently hitting at a .510 clip for the season, improving her career batting average to .407, which is four points ahead of Becky McMurtry's .402, from 2002-03. The highest average for a four-year player is .392, set by Katie Smith (2008-12), the sister of current Cajuns outfielder, Kendall Smith. The Ragin' Cajuns single season record his held by Smith in 2012, a .447 clip.
Fernandez Among Actives: Here is where Cajuns senior, Natalie Fernandez's career stats rank among active players:
| ## | D-I | Overall | D-I Leader | ## | |
| Games Played | 208 | 19th | 25th | Madison Shipman, Tennessee | 222 |
| Batting Average | .407 | 15th | -- | Haylie McCleney, Alabama | .481 |
| Runs Scored | 167 | 5th | 13th | Jennifer Gilbert, Ball State | 191 |
| Hits | 222 | 14th | 25th | Jill Barrett, Tulsa | 284 |
Wallace Among Actives: Here is where Cajuns junior, Jordan Wallace's career stats rank among active players:
| ## | D-I | Overall | D-I Leader | ## | |
| Victories | 69 | 17th | 21st | Hannah Rodgers, Florida | 111 |
| Strikeouts | 660 | 15th | 23rd | Whitney Canion, Baylor | 1,311 |
| Strikeouts/7 inn. | 8.86 | 6th | 12th | Miranda Kramer, IPFW | 9.92 |
| Shutouts | 16 | 36th | - - | Sara Moulton, Minnesota | 44 |
Getting Offensive: The Cajuns boast the 20th-most potent offense in the NCAA this season, averaging 6.25 runs per game. That mark tops the Sun Belt, with ULM coming in second with 5.89 runs per game. The Cajuns run output can be credited to their nations-best 1.56 home runs per game and their 13th-ranked slugging percentage (.523).
We've Got the Power: The Ragin' Cajuns have put on an impressive power display at Lamson Park this season, hitting 32 of their 50 home runs at Lamson Park. The Cajuns are joined by Arizona, Georgia and Auburn as the only teams in the NCAA to hit 50-or-more home runs and have done so in the fewest amount of games. The Cajuns have 20 more home runs than the next-highest in the Sun Belt, Georgia State, and hold down the top four individual spots in the conference lead, with Haley Hayden leading the way with 11, Shelbi Redfearn in second with nine, while Sara Corbello and Lexie Elkins sit tied in third with eight each. Lauren Coleman and Taylor Anderson of Georgia State are tied in fifth with seven a piece.
What's Next? The Cajuns will stay on the road for a single midweek contest on April 9, taking on Northwestern State in a rematch of last season's NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, in which the Cajuns won, 3-0. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Natchitoches. The Cajuns will then return home and to Sun Belt action, taking on South Alabama on April 12-13 at Lamson Park. The Cajuns and Jaguars will open the series on Saturday with a 2 p.m. doubleheader, and finish the series on Sunday with a 1 p.m. stand alone game.
-- www.RaginCajuns.com --
