Softball Preview: NCAA Auburn Super Regional

NCAA AUBURN SUPER REGIONAL: #11/11 Louisiana (42-10) at #4/4 Auburn (52-9)
Friday, May 22 • 1 p.m. (CDT) • Jane B. Moore Field (1,500) • Auburn, Ala.
Saturday, May 23 • 11 a.m. (CDT) • Jane B. Moore Field (1,500) • Auburn, Ala.
Saturday, May 23 (if necessary) • 2 p.m. (CDT) • Jane B. Moore Field (1,500) • Auburn, Ala.

Auburn Super Regional Central
Game Notes (PDF): Louisiana | Auburn
Radio: ESPN 1420-AM • Talent: Steve Peloquin, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, color
TV: ESPNU (Friday) • ESPN (Saturday) • Talent: Cara Capuano, PxP; Leah Amico, color
WatchESPN Links: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 (if necessary)
Rosters: Louisiana | Auburn
Schedule/Results: Louisiana | Auburn
Statistics: Louisiana | Auburn
Ragin' Cajuns Twitter: @ULRaginCajuns | @RaginCajunSB
Opponents Twitter: @Auburn_Softball

THE COACHES
Louisiana: Michael Lotief (Louisiana, 1985)
Career Record: 638-157-1 (13th season) Record at Louisiana: Same

Auburn: Clint Myers (Arizona State, 1976)
Career Record (Division I): 523-130-1 (10th season) Record at AU: 94-28-1 (2nd season)

CAJUNS SUPER REGIONAL BOUND FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT SEASON
After claiming a 9-1 (6 inn.) win over Baylor last Sunday in the winner-take-all NCAA Lafayette Regional championship game, the 11th-ranked and No. 13 national seed Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns advanced to the NCAA Super Regional round for the fourth straight season (2012-15) and sixth time in the past eight seasons (since 2008).

THE ROAD TO OKC CONTINUES IN AUBURN
No. 13 seed Louisiana (42-10) heads to the NCAA Auburn Super Regional set for Friday-Saturday, May 22-23 in Auburn, Ala., against No. 4 seed Auburn (52-9). The super regional begins Friday at 1 p.m. on ESPNU. Game two is set for 11 a.m. (CDT), on Saturday with the "if necessary" game at 2 p.m. Saturday's games are on ESPN.

WHAT'S AT STAKE
Michael Lotief's squad is in search of a return trip to Oklahoma City. A year ago, the Cajuns swept Arizona in the NCAA Lafayette Super Regional to advance to the 2014 WCWS, the program's sixth appearance.

CAJUNS IN THE SUPER REGIONAL ROUND
Appearing in their sixth Super Regional since 2008, the Cajuns are 2-3 in picking up the series win and advancing to the WCWS in Oklahoma City. Louisiana's two Super Regional wins came in 2008 at Houston and 2014 against Arizona at Lamson Park.

WE MEET AGAIN
The Auburn Super Regional marks the second super regional against a Clint Myers-coached team. Myers was the head coach at Arizona State when Michael Lotief's squad visited for the Tempe (Ariz.) Super Regional.

KEEP AN EYE ON THE SCOREBOARD
The Auburn Super Regional features two of the nation's Top 5 scoring teams. Louisiana (3rd, 8.19 rpg) and Auburn (4th, 8.03 rpg) both average over eight runs per game.

ELKINS SETS A NEW STANDARD
Lexie Elkins unseated Danyele Gomez as the program's single-season home run record holder with a solo home run in the third inning of the winner-take-all Lafayette Regional title game with Baylor. The home run was Elkins' nation-leading 31st of 2015. Gomez, who hit 30 home runs in 2006, held the record from 2007-14.

SINGLE-SEASON HOME RUNS
1. Lexie Elkins (2015) 31
2. Danyele Gomez (2006) 30
3. Lexie Elkins (2014) 24
4. Christi Orgeron (2011) 23
Holly Tankersley (2008) 23

FIRST OF A KIND
The Auburn Super Regional marks the first meeting with an SEC school in the super regional round. Previous super regional matchups were against: 2008-Houston (then C-USA), 2010-UCLA (Pac 12), 2012-Arizona State (Pac 12), 2013-Michigan (Big 10) and 2014-Arizona (Pac 12).

POPULAR DESTINATION
The Ragin' Cajuns travel to the State of Alabama for the third time in the 2015 season. Louisiana visited Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a three-game series with then-No. 4 Alabama (Feb. 28-Mar. 1) and Mobile, Ala., for a Sun Belt Conference series with then-No. 24 South Alabama (Mar. 7-8)

COUNTDOWN TO 1,500
The Ragin' Cajuns enter the NCAA Auburn Super Regional with 1,497 wins in program history. That leaves the storied program three wins shy of 1,500. Now in the program's 35th season, the current all-time record is 1,497-441-1 (.772).

EXPERIENCE FACTOR
The Cajuns pitching duo of Jordan Wallace and Christina Hamilton has three Super Regional appearances between them. Wallace started twice in 2012 at Arizona State, posting a shutout in the opener. She started all three games of the Ann Arbor Super Regional in 2013 holding Michigan to 14 hits over 20 innings. Hamilton posted both wins against Arizona in the 2014 Lafayette Super Regional at Lamson Park.

EXPERIENCE FACTOR (Part 2)
The Cajuns have five starters making their third Super Regional appearance: Shellie Landry, Leandra Maly, Kelsey Vincent, Samantha Walsh and Jordan Wallace. It's the second Super Regional appearance for three other starters: Lexie Elkins, Christina Hamilton and Haley Hayden.

ANOTHER FEATHER IN HER CAP
Jordan Wallace earned her 90th career win in last Saturday's winner's bracket final game against Baylor becoming only the fourth pitcher in program history to reach 90 career wins joining Brooke Mitchell (119), Kyla Hall (104) and Ashley Brignac (94). Her career record stands at 91-19 over 138 career appearances (114 starts).

ADDING TO HER LEGEND STATUS
Lexie Elkins has become one of just eight players in NCAA Division I history with 30 or more homers in a season (Laura Espinoza of Arizona and Lauren Chamberlain of Oklahoma did it twice), and only Espinoza hit more than 32 homers in one season (she had 37 in 1995).

RECORD-SETTING OFFENSE
At 112 home runs and counting, the 2015 team has established a new school record for home runs. The tally bests the previous record of 102 hit by the 2006 team. The current Cajuns squad upped their season total to the new record with five home runs on Friday, May 8 against South Alabama in the Sun Belt Tournament winner's bracket final. The team entered that game one shy of the 2006 team's total.

LEAVING A MARK IN THE NCAA RECORD BOOK
The 112 home runs is already the sixth-most in NCAA Division I history with the Cajuns still in NCAA postseason play. The Cajuns' current 2.15 home runs per game rate, which leads the nation by a wide margin, currently ranks second on the NCAA all-time list, behind only the 2.39 mark of Hawaii in 2010.

LEXIE JOINS PROGRAM'S GREAT SLUGGERS
With 31 home runs, Lexie Elkins has eclipsed 20 home runs for the second straight season (hit 24 in 2014). She joins Danyele Gomez, Christi Orgeron and Holly Tankersley as the only players in school history to reach 20 home runs twice in a career.

SPARKLING SEASON FOR SHELLIE
Shellie Landry has posted career-highs in home runs (20) and extra base hits (36). She's registered a hit in 39 of 52 games played and has 18 multi-hit and 17 multi-RBI games.

CONSISTENT RESULTS
Haley Hayden has reached 60 hits, 60 runs scored and 50 RBI for the second straight season. The West Monroe, La., native is tied for the team lead with 18 multi-hit games.

SOLID DEFENSE
Louisiana has played error-free in 28 of 52 games and has committed only 34 errors through 1,254 chances (954 PO, 266 A, 34 E) for a .973 FLD%. Much credit goes to Haley Hayden (2B), DJ Sanders (SS) and Kelli Martinez (CF) who, each debuting at their position, have solidified the "spine" of the defense.

BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS
The Ragin' Cajuns have combined strong offense with strong pitching and defense to generate success. Louisiana ranks Top 10 nationally in home runs per game (1st), slugging percentage (2nd), scoring (3th) and batting average (10th). The squad is Top 20 nationally earned run average (16th) and Top 25 in fielding percentage (25th).

ELKINS ON NEAR-RECORD PACE
Lexie Elkins tops the nation in home runs per game, averaging 0.60 per game (31 in 52 games).If Elkins maintains her current homers-per-game pace, she would tie the NCAA Division I record, matching the 0.60 standard set by Camilla Carrera of UTEP in 2012.

JORDAN DELIVERS
Jordan Wallace has posted five wins over ranked foes this season, registering a 5-4 mark. She has wins over #4 Alabama (Feb. 28), #24 South Alabama (Mar. 7) and #14/18 Baylor (Apr. 11, May 16, May 17).

LOUISIANA-AUBURN SERIES
Series Record: Louisiana leads 1-0
In Lafayette: 0-0
In Auburn, Ala.: 0-0
Neutral: Louisiana leads 1-0
Current Streak: Louisiana won 1
Last Meeting: 2/16/03 in Monroe, La.
(Louisiana 9, Auburn 1)
In NCAA Tournament: First Meeting

Last Meeting (Feb. 16, 2003 in Monroe, La.)
Louisiana ended play at the 2003 ULM Mardi Gras Classic by posting a 9-1 win over Auburn in six innings. It was the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Auburn scored in the bottom of the first inning off Cajuns starter Brooke Mitchell. Mitchell settled down afterward, holding the Tigers scoreless the remaining five innings and striking out eight. The Cajuns offense backed Mitchell up with four runs, all unearned, over the next two innings, pushing across a pair in the both second and third innings. Becky McMurtry plated Jill Robertson in the fourth inning and Brittany Bryant hit her third home run of the season, a solo shot in the fifth, which increased the lead to 6-1. Three more runs in the sixth inning enforced the mercy rule.

Series Notes
The Auburn Super Regional matchups mark the first meeting on either school's campus...It's also the first time the Cajuns and Tigers meet in the NCAA postseason...Only prior meeting took place in Feb. 2003 when the Cajuns and Tigers faced off in the ULM Mardi Gras Classic in Monroe, La. (UL won 9-1 in six innings)...The 2003 meeting came during the opening weekend of Michael Lotief's first season as head coach of the Ragin' Cajuns (was co-head coach with wife, Stefni)...In 2003, Auburn was led by former head coach Tina Deese.

DIAMOND NOTES

• #AmongTheNationsElite: Michael Lotief's squad earned a national seed for the second straight season and third time in the past four seasons. The Cajuns were seeded No. 6 a year ago, and No. 14 back in 2012.

• #InTheMix: The Ragin' Cajuns are part of the NCAA Tournament field for the 17th consecutive season, a streak which dates back to the 1999 season.

• #Mainstay: Louisiana is in its 25th appearance overall in the NCAA Tournament, all coming in the past 26 years. Since 1990, the Cajuns have missed the NCAA's postseason event only once (1998). The Ragin' Cajuns' 25 NCAA Tournament appearances ranks 8th in NCAA history (tied with Cal State Fullerton).

• #TheSelectFew: Louisiana is just one of nine schools to play in the NCAA Tournament every year since 2000. The list also includes: Alabama, Arizona, Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, UCLA and Washington.

• #CajunHospitality: Louisiana hosted an NCAA Regional at Lamson Park for the 11th time. The complete list of NCAA Regionals at Lamson Park includes: 1990-92, 1994-97, 2002, 2012, 2014-15.

• #TheFirstStep: The Cajuns are 56-32 all-time in NCAA Regional play, including a 22-5 mark in claiming regional championships and advancing to the super regional round in six of the last eight appearances (2008-15).

• #ProvenResults: The Ragin' Cajuns' all-time overall record in the NCAA Tournament stands at 68-51, representing the 11th-most wins in NCAA history.

• #FourInARow: Louisiana has claimed an NCAA Regional championship and advanced to the Super Regional round for four straight years (2012-15).

• #SuperCajuns: Since 2008 the Ragin' Cajuns have appeared in the NCAA Super Regionals in six of eight seasons (2008, 2010, 2012-15).

• #NoFoolingHer: Lexie Elkins has struck out only once since March 14 vs. UTA. She posted a string 104 consecutive plate appearances without being struck out - from March 14-May 15 - prior to striking out in her first appearance of the Lafayette Regional winner's bracket final vs. Baylor.

• #SweepingUpAtShort: True freshman DJ Sanders has shined at shortstop this season after taking over for last season's starter Corin Voinche who is injured. She's made just eight errors through the 149 chances that have come her way (74 PO, 67 A, 8 E) for a .946 fielding percentage.

• #HerTimeToShine: Since the start of postseason play at the Sun Belt Tournament, DJ Sanders is hitting .438 (7-for-16) with two home runs and eight runs scored. Add in five walks and she's been on base 12 times in 21 postseason plate appearances.

• #NotAnEasyOut: Opponents have found it tough to keep Haley Hayden, Shellie Landry and Lexie Elkins off the base path. The Cajuns' 1-2-3 hitters have combined for 189 hits and 96 walks. Add in a combined 13 times being hit by a pitch, they've been on base a combined 298 times in a combined 612 plate appearances (48.7 percent).

• #SettledOnTheLineup: No. 1-5 in the batting order has remained the same since opening day. No. 6-9 in the order was the same Feb. 7-Mar. 17. Position-wise, the starters at each spot in the field have started all 52 games.

• #MightyInMarch: Lexie Elkins' ascent to the top of the nation's home run charts began in March. Elkins hit .532 (25-of-47) with three doubles, 11 home runs and 27 RBI in the month of March. She struck out only twice in 62 plate appearances.

#GeauxCajuns

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Players Mentioned

Lexie Elkins

Christina Hamilton

Haley Hayden

Shellie Landry

Leandra Maly

Kelli Martinez

DJ Sanders

Kelsey Vincent

Jordan Wallace

Samantha Walsh