University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
WKU
Cajuns to Face WKU in First Sun Belt Championships Contest
5/7/2014 8:31:00 PM | Softball
Date:Â May 8
Location:Â Lafayette, La. (Lamson Park)
Radio:Â ESPN 1420Â (Steve Peloquin & Bobby Neveaux)
Live Stats:Â Â www.SunBeltSports.org
Stream:Â www.SunBeltSports.org
Time:Â 5 p.m.
Game Notes
What's On Tap? The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball team will have to wait their first opponent for the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Championships, while enjoying a bye for the first two rounds of the tournament. The Cajuns will face either Western Kentucky (4th Seed), Texas State (5th Seed) or UT Arlington (8th Seed). Texas State and UT Arlington will play a first-round game at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, with the winner taking on WKU at 5:30 p.m. that night, for a chance to play the Cajuns and reach double-elimination play. Â
About the Opponent: The Ragin' Cajuns will face No. 4 WKU in their first game of the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Championship run, at 5 p.m. on Thursday. The Lady Toppers advanced to the third round with a 6-1 defeat of No. 8 UT Arlington, who upset No. 5 Texas State in the opening round. The Cajuns swept the Lady Toppers in Bowling Green this season, winning by scores of 8-4, 5-1 and 5-4. Louisiana and WKU also faced each other twice in the 2013 SBC Championships, with the Cajuns winning the first game 3-2, before falling to the Lady Tops in the semifinals, 7-4.
In The Sun Belt Tournament: The Cajuns hold an all-time record of 44-5 in the Sun Belt Conference Championships, winning their first 21 games in first seven seasons, en route to seven-straight tournament championships from 2000-07. The Cajuns also won 17-straight games in the SBC Championships from 2008-2011, winning four straight championships in that time. They are currently in a two-year drought without a tournament championship, their longest since entering the Sun Belt in 2000, going 3-1 in 2012 and losing to South Alabama in the championship game, and 3-2 in 2013, losing to South Alabama in the second round, and WKU in the semifinals. Â
Compiling the Accolades: On top of their conference-best seven selections to the All-Sun Belt team, the Ragin' Cajuns won three of the four major awards at the Annual Family Night, with Christina Hamilton winning Pitcher of the Year, Lexie Elkins winning Player of the Year and head coach Michael Lotief winning coach of the year. Elkins and Hamilton were joined by Natalie Fernandez, Haley Hayden, and Shellie Landry on the All-SBC First Team, and Shelbi Redfearn and Kelsey Vincent earned All-SBC Second Team honors. Â
The Week That Was: The Ragin' Cajuns went 3-0 in the past week, sweeping in-state foe ULM by scores of 8-6, 7-0 and 9-3 at Lamson Park to finish the Sun Belt slate, 19-1, their best record since 2005. The Cajuns had a little scare in the first game of the series, needing the bottom of the seventh inning to win it, doing so with a walk-off homer by Samantha Walsh. Early offense helped the Cajuns in the next two games, scoring six runs in the first inning of game two, and two in the first inning of the Sunday finale, to help sweep the series. Sophomore Lexie Elkins drove in five of the Cajuns' nine runs on Sunday, doing so with a homer and a pair of singles for a three-hit day.
Another 40-Win Season for Lotief: The Cajuns won their 40th game of the season against ULM in game two of the doubleheader on May 3, marking the 12th straight season that head coach Michael Lotief has guided the Cajuns to 40-or-more wins, a feat he has never failed to achieve. Lotief has also led the Cajuns to four 50-win seasons in 2005, 2008, 2011 & 2012, and a 60-win season in 2004. The last time the Cajuns failed to win 40-or-more games was the 1991 season, when they went 33-10, but were still selected to the NCAA Regional Field.Â
Clinching the Sun Belt: The Ragin' Cajuns went swept their Sun Belt series against UT Arlington, effectively clinching the Sun Belt Conference for their 12th Sun Belt Regular Season title in school history, and their 16th Conference Championship between the Sun Belt (2000-present) and the Southland (1983-1988). The Cajuns have failed to win the regular season title in just two seasons since joining the Sun Belt, 2007 and 2013, advancing to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid each season. Â
Walsh Walking Off Samantha Walsh hit her second walk-off home run in as many home games against ULM on Saturday's doubleheader opener, leading the Cajuns to an 8-6 win. She performed the same feat 17 days earlier, sending the Cajuns home happy in their last game before an eight-game road trip, hitting a lead-off homer in the bottom of the seventh to defeat McNeese State 5-4. They were the first two walk-off home runs of her career. She has now hit nine home runs this season and 15 in her career.
Getting Offensive: The Cajuns boast the 16th-most potent offense in the NCAA this season, averaging 6.5 runs per game. That mark tops the Sun Belt, with Georgia State coming in second with 5.12 runs per game. The Cajuns run output can be credited to the nations second-best 1.52 home runs per game and their 15th-ranked slugging percentage (.521).
We've Got the Power: The Ragin' Cajuns have put on an impressive power display at Lamson Park this season, hitting 43 of their 74 home runs in 26 games at Lamson Park.  The Cajuns have played the fewest amount of games among all teams with 70-or-more home runs and lead the Sun Belt in home runs by 15, with Georgia State coming in second with 59 on the season. Individually, the Cajuns hold down three of the top four spots in the conference with Lexie Elkins leading with 14, Haley Hayden with 13 and Shelbi Redfearn in third with 12 on the season.
Triple-Double of Homers: The Ragin' Cajuns already have three players with 10-or-more homers in Lexie Elkins (17), Haley Hayden (14) and Shelbi Redfearn (12), marking the fourth time in the last ten seasons that the Cajuns have had three-or-more players with double-digits in the home run column. Last season the Cajuns had four players go deep more than ten times, a feat that the Cajuns look likely to achieve in 2014 with Samantha Walsh at nine, Sara Corbello with eight home runs, and Kelsey Vincent at six.
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 | 225 | 27th | 38th | Destinee Martinez, Oklahoma | 240 |
| Batting Average | .403 | 21st | -- | Karley Wester, Notre Dame | .462 |
| Runs Scored | 186 | 5th | 14th | Jennifer Gilbert, Ball State | 215 |
| Hits | 244 | 14th | 25th | Jill Barrett, Tulsa | 308 |
Wallace Among Actives: Here is where Cajuns junior,  Jordan Wallace 's career stats rank among active players:
| ## | D-I | Overall | D-I Leader | ## | |
| Victories | 73 | 23rd | 28th | Hannah Rodgers, Florida | 120 |
| Strikeouts | 685 | 24th | 35th | Whitney Canion, Baylor | 1,405 |
| Strikeouts/7 inn. | 8.83 | 6th | 19th | Miranda Kramer, IPFW | 10.13 |
| Shutouts | 16 | 44th | - - | Sara Moulton, Minnesota | 46 |
What's Next? The Cajuns will await their bid for the 2014 NCAA Tournament, with the selection show at 9 p.m. on Sunday, May 11. The Cajuns have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in every season under head coach Michael Lotief and have been a regional host once, in 2012. They have advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals in three of the past four years, including back-to-back years in 2012 and 2013 when they went to the Tempe and Ann Arbor Regionals, respectively. Â
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