Baseball Opens 2016 Campaign Against Sam Houston State

THE WEEKEND SERIES
Dates: Friday-Sunday, Feb. 19-21, 2016
Location: Lafayette, La.
Site: M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field (3,755)
Times: 6:00 p.m. (Fri) | 2:00 p.m. (Sat) | 1:00 p.m. (Sun)
Opponent: Sam Houston State (0-0)
Radio: News Talk 96.5 KPEL-FM
Television: myAcadiana-TV (Sunday)
Live Stats/Video: www.RaginCajuns.com

STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: LHP Gunner Leger (UL) vs. RHP Sam Odom (SHSU)
Saturday: RHP Wyatt Marks (UL) vs. LHP Hayden Nixon (SHSU)
Sunday: RHP Nick Lee (UL) vs. RHP Cody Brown (SHSU)

LAFAYETTE, La. – The sixth-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team is set to open the 2016 season this weekend as the Cajuns host Sam Houston State in a three-game series at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field.

Game one of the series gets underway Friday at 6 p.m. at "The Tigue". The two teams meet again on Saturday at 2 p.m. before closing out the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.

All three games can be heard live on News Talk 96.5 KPEL-FM with Scott Prather making the call Friday and Saturday and Jay Walker calling the action Sunday.

Sunday's contest can also be seen live on MyAcadianaTV, channel 13 on Cox and LUS, with Dan McDonald and Sean Trcalek providing play-by-play and color. The broadcast can also be seen live on ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app.

Louisiana is coming off of its third straight 40-win season going 42-23 with a trip to the NCAA Super Regionals in 2015. The Cajuns are one of only three teams in the nation (LSU and Vanderbilt) to post 100-plus wins in the last two seasons and one of only four teams to reach the Super Regionals in each of the last two years.

The Ragin' Cajuns will send sophomore left-hander Gunner Leger to the bump on Friday night to open the season. Sophomore right-hander Wyatt Marks is slated to make the start Saturday, while freshman right-hander will make his debut for the Cajuns on Sunday.

Leger, a Preseason All-Sun Belt selection, posted a 6-5 record with a 2.99 ERA in 18 starts a year ago. The Lake Charles, La., native led the squad with 87 strikeouts in 114.1 innings. Marks also posted six victories in 2015 making ten starts with a 3.24 ERA.

The Cajuns return their top two hitters from the 2015 season in seniors Kyle Clement and Stefan Trosclair. Trosclair, an All-American a year ago, led the squad with 16 home runs and 53 RBI. Clement had a team-best .346 average and four triples.

Louisiana is 11-3 all-time against Sam Houston State including an 8-2 mark under head coach Tony Robichaux. The Ragin' Cajuns last meeting against the Bearkats came in 2013 at the Baton Rouge Regional where the Cajuns defeated SHSU 7-5 in an elimination game. The last weekend series between the two teams came in 2000 when the Ragin' Cajuns swept Sam Houston State winning the three games by a combined score of 31-7.

Since 1972, the Cajuns are 29-15 in season openers including a 15-6 record with Robichaux at the helm. Louisiana is also 34-10 in home openers since 1972 with a 17-4 mark under Robichaux.

Sam Houston State went 31-28 a season ago, coming one victory short of a berth into the NCAA Tournament after falling 6-0 to Houston Baptist in the Southland Conference championship game. The Bearkats are coached by former Cajuns assistant coach Matt Deggs, who was with the program from 2012-14.

The Kats have a completely different roster in 2016 with the addition of 29 newcomers including 19 freshmen.

Junior right-hander Sam Odom will take the mound for Sam Houston State on Friday night. Odom went 4-5 in 12 starts with a 4.45 ERA in 2015. The Bearkats will turn to two newcomers on the mound to close out the series with left-hander Hayden Nixon getting the start on Saturday and right-hander Cody Brown taking the bump in the series finale.

Offensively, sophomore outfielder Bryce Johnson is the team's top returning hitter from a year ago. Johnson hit .310 with five doubles, a triple, a home run and 24 RBI. Senior infielder Spence Rham led the Kats with six of the team's 18 home runs in 2015.

Live stats are available for all three games on RaginCajuns.com, while Friday and Saturday's contests will be streamed live on Ragin' Cajuns All-Access.

For updates an info on Ragin' Cajuns baseball, follow the squad on twitter @CajunsBaseball or check RaginCajuns.com.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Baseball Opens 2016 Campaign Against Sam Houston State

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Players Mentioned

Kyle Clement

Nick Lee

Gunner Leger

Wyatt Marks

Stefan Trosclair

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