Softball Preview: at South Alabama

Games 18-20: #7 Louisiana (15-2, 0-0 SBC) at #24 South Alabama (15-3, 0-0 SBC)
Saturday, March 7 (DH) • 12 p.m. (CST) • Jaguar Field (1,050) • Mobile, Ala.
Sunday, March 8 • 1 p.m. (CST) • Jaguar Field (1,050) • Mobile, Ala.

Game Notes: Louisiana
Radio: ESPN 1420-AM
Live Stats
Live Video (purchase necessary)
Rosters: Louisiana | South Alabama
Statistics: Louisiana | South Alabama
Ragin' Cajuns Twitter: @ULRaginCajuns | @RaginCajunSB
Opponents Twitter: @USAJagsSoftball

THE COACHES
Louisiana: Michael Lotief (Louisiana, 1985)
Career Record: 611-149-1 (13th season)   Record at Louisiana: Same

South Alabama: Becky Clark (Mobile, 1995)
Career Record: 445-199-2 (12th season)   Record at USA: 289-166-1 (9th season)

RIVALS COLLIDE IN SUN BELT OPENER
No. 7 Louisiana and No. 24 South Alabama open Sun Belt Conference play with a three-game series at Jaguar Field in Mobile, Ala., Saturday-Sunday, March 7-8. The two programs have split the last 12 meetings and met for the Sun Belt's automatic bid twice in the last three seasons (2012, 2014).

ANOTHER TOP 25 WEEKEND IN ALABAMA
For the second straight weekend the Ragin' Cajuns find themselves in the state of Alabama (visited Tuscaloosa Feb. 28-Mar. 1). And, for the second straight weekend a ranked foe resides in the opposing dugout (met No. 4 Alabama Feb. 28-Mar. 1).

ARMS RACE
Three of the Sun Belt Conference's premiere pitchers will be in the circle for the Cajuns-Jaguars series. In the circle for Louisiana are reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year Christina Hamilton and 2012 and 2013 first team All-Sun Belt choice Jordan Wallace. South Alabama counters with 2014 first team All-Sun Belt selection Farish Beard.

RUNS AT A PREMIUM
Cajuns pitching has held opponents to a .147 average and 16 runs over 106-2/3 innings. The Jaguars opponents are hitting .176 and scored 41 runs in 120 innings.

GETTING A HEADSTART
The winner of the Cajuns-Jaguars series will claim an early lead in the race for the Sun Belt Conference regular season crown.

JORDAN IS BACK
After the first three weekends of play it was evidently clear that Jordan Wallace had regained the ace-like qualities of her freshman (2012) and sophomore (2013) seasons, after an abnormal junior campaign a year ago. She began the year with 38-1/3 scoreless innings pitched. She tossed a no-hitter and three seven-inning, one-hit shutouts.

COMBO POWER
They have taken turns leading the team in home runs frequently. Shellie Landry (8) and Haley Hayden (7) are also the driving force behind the Cajuns power surge, combining for 15 of the team's 30 home runs.

CHART YOUR COURSE CAREFULLY
The No. 1-6 hitters in the Cajuns lineup pose a stern test for opposing pitchers. Four of the six are hitting above .300. Five have launched at least four home runs. The first third (Hayden, Landry, Elkins) have combined for 21 home runs. The latter third (Walsh, Vincent, Craighton) features the second-highest on base percentage and top average.

SAM'S BIG DAY
Samantha Walsh was directly responsible for all three of the Cajuns runs in last Saturday's action vs. No. 4 Alabama including both runs that provided the Cajuns with a win in the second game of the doubleheader. Walsh completed the doubleheader 3-for-7 with a double, home run and all three of the Ragin' Cajuns RBI.

FINDING A WAY
While teams work carefully around All-American catcher Lexie Elkins, she is still finding ways to get on base. Last weekend at No. 4 Alabama she reached base a team-high seven times (four walks, three singles). Elkins has patiently drawn a team-high 16 walks and tops the Cajuns with a .492 on base percentage.

AMAZING ALEAH
Redshirt freshman Aleah Craighton has hit the ground running in her debut season. She leads the squad in hits (23) and average (.418) after four weeks. Craighton topped the team in hits during the Louisiana Classics (7) and Mardi Gras Classic (10), then cranked two triples during the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational.

WALLACE ENTERING ELITE COMPANY
Jordan Wallace's win vs. Alabama marked her 79th career victory and moved her past former co-head coach Stefni Lotief into sole possession of fifth (5th) place for career victories in program history. Wallace needs 34 more strikeouts to become only the fifth (5th) pitcher in program history to amass 800 career strikeouts.

CHRISTINA MAKING HER WAY
After battling offseason shoulder ailments, All-American and reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year Christina Hamilton is beginning to return to form. Hamilton turned in her heaviest workload of the season during the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational (Feb. 20-22). She pitched a total of 14-2/3 innings which featured key relief appearances against Iowa (5-2/3 IP, 3 H) and McNeese (4.0 IP, 1 H) plus her first start of the season (5.0 IP vs. Hofstra).

UP NEXT
No. 7 Louisiana closes out a seven-game road trip with a single game against Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La., on Wednesday, March 11. The Cajuns then return to Lamson Park and begin a nine-game, Sun Belt Conference homestand starting with a three-game series against UT Arlington that opens on Friday, March 13.

LOUISIANA-SOUTH ALABAMA SERIES
Series Record: Louisiana leads 19-9
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads 13-2
In Mobile, Ala.: Louisiana leads 6-5
Neutral: South Alabama leads 2-0
Last Meeting: 5/10/14 at Lamson Park
(Louisiana 4, South Alabama 1)

Last Meeting (May 10, 2014 - Sun Belt Tournament Championship)
Shelbi Redfearn snapped a 1-all tie in the sixth inning with a three-run home run leading Louisiana to its 12th Sun Belt Tournament crown with a 4-1 victory over South Alabama at Lamson Park. Christina Hamilton (24-2) earned the win for the Cajuns, allowing one run on six hits and one walk. Both teams scored in the first inning, Louisiana on a Haley Hayden home run off Farish Beard and South Alabama with back-to-back doubles from Blair Johnson and Chloe Rathburn to scratch a run. Hamilton and Beard swapped scoreless frames the next four innings prior to Readfearn's winning shot.

Series Notes
Series began when South Alabama launched its program in 2007...Louisiana has won five of the last seven games in Mobile (dates back to 2009 series finale)...Jaguars' doubleheader sweep in 2013 series ended Cajuns five-game win streak in Mobile...USA has won six of the last 10 meeting dating back to 2012 SBC Tournament title game in Boca Raton, Fla...Normally the top two pitching staffs in Sun Belt, there has been only one shutout in the last 10 matchups...Louisiana holds a 17-6 edge in regular season contests...This is the ninth Sun Belt series between the two programs.

DIAMOND NOTES

• #FantasticStart: At 14-0, Louisiana got off to its best undefeated start since beginning the 2012 season a program-record 29-0.

• #FirstTimeForEverything: Louisiana and South Alabama are meeting in a Sun Belt-opening series for the first time.

• #AroundTheHorn: The Cajuns have homered in 16 of 17 games and hit multiple home runs nine times. Louisiana has cranked 30 home runs, with six different players combining for the total.

• #MoreIsBetter: Of her 18 hits, Shellie Landry has seen 12 go for extra bases (four doubles, eight home runs). Her .868 slugging percentage tops the squad.

• #StartMeUp: The Ragin' Cajuns have scored in the first inning eight times (8-0). Louisiana holds a 24-4 advantage in runs in the opening frame.

• #MightySwings: With 30 home runs after four weekends of play, Louisiana is already one-third of the way toward reaching last season's total (90). The Cajuns are on pace to equal last season's total by the end of the regular season.

• #GettingStarted: After being held without a home run during opening weekend, Lexie Elkins ripped off six home runs the next two weekends.

• #DepthOnDisplay: Louisiana has utilized four pitchers in the circle. Alex Stewart and Kylee Jo Trahan have stepped up while Jordan Wallace and Christina Hamilton (shoulder ailments) began the season working on pitch counts.

• #SameFaceNewPlace: Haley Hayden, last season's center fielder, has moved to second base. Shellie Landry, in right field a year ago, is back in left field where she starred as a freshman.

• #SteppingInAtShort: A knee injury has 2014 starting shortstop Corin Voinche sidelined indefinitely. Freshman DJ Sanders, recently selected to the U.S. Junior National Team, is handling shortstop duties in Voinche's absence.

#GeauxCajuns

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Players Mentioned

Aleah Craighton

Lexie Elkins

Christina Hamilton

Haley Hayden

Shellie Landry

Shelbi Redfearn

DJ Sanders

Alex Stewart

Kylee Jo Trahan

Jordan Wallace

Samantha Walsh

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