Softball Preview: South Alabama

Games 19-21: No. 5 Louisiana (17-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) vs. South Alabama (10-8, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Saturday, Mar. 12 (DH) • 2 p.m. (CST) • South Alabama • Lamson Park (2,790) • Lafayette, La.
Sunday, Mar. 13 • 1 p.m. (CDT) • South Alabama • Lamson Park (2,790) • Lafayette, La.

Game Notes (PDF): Louisiana | South Alabama
Radio: ESPN 1420-AM • Talent: Steve Peloquin, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, color
TV (Mar. 12 only): MyAcadianaTV/ESPN3 • Talent: Cavan Bordelon, PxP; Chris Kovatch, color
WatchESPN Links (Mar. 12 only): Game 1 | Game 2
Live Stats
Live Video (Mar. 13 only)
Rosters: Louisiana | South Alabama
Schedules: Louisiana | South Alabama
2016 Stats: Louisiana | South Alabama
Ragin' Cajuns Twitter: @ULRaginCajuns | @RaginCajunSB
Opponents' Twitter: @USAJagsSoftball

THE COACHES
Louisiana: Michael Lotief (Louisiana, 1985)
Record at Louisiana: 655-160-1 (14th season) Career Record: Same

South Alabama: Becky Clark (Mobile, 1995)
Record at USA: 324-184-1 (10th season) Career Record: 480-217-2 (13th season)

HOMESTAND BEGINS WITH SUN BELT OPENER
No. 5 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball returns to Lamson Park carrying an 11-game win streak after a three-game sweep last weekend at Southern Miss. Delayed by weather on Wednesday, the squad now begins a homestand that features four games, with the first three games coming in the Sun Belt Conference opening series vs. South Alabama Saturday-Sunday, March 12-13.

POSTSEASON PRIMER
South Alabama was a participant in the 2015 Auburn Regional of the NCAA Tournament, the program's fourth straight season in the postseason event (2012-15), giving a NCAA Regional-like feel to this weekend's Sun Belt-opening matchup. The Ragin' Cajuns and Jaguars have met for the Sun Belt's automatic bid the past two seasons and three times over the last four (2012, 2014-15).

LANDMARK ACCOMPLISHMENT
Lexie Elkins homered three times at Southern Miss, increasing her career home run total to 70. She became only the fourth player in Ragin' Cajuns softball history to reach 70 career home runs, joining Danyele Gomez (83), Holly Tankersley (71) and Christi Orgeron (70).

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Lexie Elkins moved into a tie for third place in school history with Christi Orgeron (2009-12) at 70 career home runs on Saturday at Southern Miss. The senior catcher needs two more home runs to pass Holly Tankersley (71 HR from 2004, 2006-08) for sole possession of second place, leaving only Danyele Gomez's 83 left to top.

RAGIN' CAJUNS SOFTBALL CAREER HOME RUNS CHART
1.    83    Danyele Gomez (2003-06)
2.    71    Holly Tankersley (2004, 2006-08)
3.    70    Lexie Elkins (2014-present)
70    Christi Orgeron (2009-12)
5.    66    Gabriele Bridges (2008-11)

SIZZLING SANDERS
Columbus, Miss., native DJ Sanders had quite the Homecoming last weekend at Southern Miss. Sanders finished 5-for-8 in the series, with four of the five hits being home runs. She scored multiple runs all three games, accounting for eight, and posted three multiple-RBI games in reaching a series-high seven RBI. The production earned her Sun Belt Conference Student-Athlete of the Week honors, the first of her career.

SIZZLING SANDERS (Part 2)
DJ Sanders has recorded multiple RBI in each of the past five games. During the streak, which dates back to Feb. 27 vs. Alcorn, she is hitting 10-for-14 (.714) with five home runs and 13 RBI.

IN A GROOVE
Kelsey Vincent brings a 10-game hitting streak into this week's play, the longest of her career. It's also tied with Lexie Elkins (Feb. 14-27) for the longest this season by a Cajuns hitter. During the streak, Vincent is batting 14-for-28 (.500) with four doubles, three home runs and 15 RBI.

MAKING THEM EARN IT
Louisiana's pitching staff has hurled eight shutouts and allowed only 29 runs and 84 hits over 106 innings. Ragin' Cajuns pitchers have yielded only 19 walks over the 106 innings worked.

MIGHTY BATS
Louisiana tied a season-high with five home runs in the Southern Miss series opener last Saturday, then bested the mark with six home runs in the nightcap. The Ragin' Cajuns ended the three-game USM series with 12 home runs (4.0 per game).

MIGHTY BATS (Part 2)
The Ragin' Cajuns have homered multiple times in 10 of 18 games, and hit at least one home run in 14 of the 18 games. The season-high tying five home runs and current season-high six home runs hit last Saturday at Southern Miss marked the second and third time this season reaching five home runs (2/12 vs. UAB; 3/5 Gm. 1 at USM; 3/5 Gm. 2 at USM).

THE GOLD STANDARD
The Ragin' Cajuns have belted 40 home runs in 18 contests for an average of 2.22 per game, which leads the nation. In 2015, UL produced a nation-best 2.15 home runs per game.

TOP-TO-BOTTOM PRODUCTION
All nine of the starters in the Cajuns batting order have produced at least 12 base hits. While the top four in the lineup (Hayden, Landry, Elkins, Vincent) have combined for 87 RBI, the remaining four non-slap hitters (Craighton, Sanders, Corbello, Gremillion) have generated 57 RBI.

A TOUGH OUT
Ragin' Cajuns hitters have struck out only 48 times - and drawn 86 walks - in 570 plate appearances.

CHART YOUR COURSE CAREFULLY
The No. 1-6 hitters in the Cajuns lineup pose a stern test for opposing pitchers. Three of the six are hitting above .400 (Hayden, Elkins, Vincent). Five of the six have posted at least four home runs, led by the nation-leading 14 from Lexie Elkins. While Elkins (14 HR, 31 RBI) and Kelsey Vincent (5 HR, 20 RBI) pack a punch at No. 3-4, six-hole hitter DJ Sanders (7 HR, 22 RBI) is coming off a red-hot weekend at Southern Miss (four of her five hits in 11 plate appearances were home runs).

ARMS RACE
Once again the Ragin' Cajuns and Jaguars rank near the top in the Sun Belt Conference pitching categories. Louisiana (1.65 ERA) and South Alabama (2.72 ERA) rank second and fourth, respectively, in earned run average. Both staffs have been stingy, with the Cajuns holding opponents to a SBC-leading .213 average followed by USA's .222 opposing average. USA's Devin Brown leads the conference with 108 strikeouts in 66 innings. UL's Kylee Jo Trahan has an SBC-high four complete-game shutouts, while Alex Stewart ranks second in victories with eight (8-0).

ANSWERING THE CALL
The Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff, spearheaded by Alex Stewart and Kylee Jo Trahan, has left little doubt they are ready to carry the torch after the graduation of Jordan Wallace and Christina Hamilton. The group - which also includes Victoria Brown, Alison Deville and Macey Smith - has combined for eight shutouts and surrendered two runs of fewer in 14 of 18 games thus far. Of the 84 hits allowed in 106 innings, only 17 have gone for extra bases.

HAPPY HOMECOMING FOR SANDERS AT SOUTHERN MISS
Columbus, Miss., native and New Hope High School product DJ Sanders belted four home runs, posted a series-high seven RBI and slugged 2.125 in the first collegiate games she played in her home state during a three-game series sweep of Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Miss. (March 5-6). Sanders finished 5-for-8 (.625 avg.) at the plate in the series with the Golden Eagles, with four of the five hits being home runs. She scored multiple runs all three games, accounting for eight total, and posted three multiple-RBI games in reaching seven RBI in the series.

"DJ had a special weekend, and that's a product of her working extremely hard," Louisiana softball head coach Michael Lotief said. "Everyone knows what she's capable of defensively – her range, arm strength and the way she solidifies the middle of the infield – but what really was her coming out party last weekend, was the offense."

PITCHING STAFF TAKES CHARGE
The Ragin' Cajuns pitchers not only tossed four shutouts in the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational (Feb. 26-28), but threw three no-hitters. Kylee Jo Trahan recorded a pair of no-hitters, including a perfect game vs. Alcorn State, and Victoria Brown capped off the weekend with her first career no-hitter. Brown, Macey Smith and Trahan combined for 32 strikeouts and held opponents to three hits over 21 innings pitched during the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational.

TOP 10 TRIUMPH
The Louisiana Classics at Lamson Park (Feb. 19-21) was highlighted by the Ragin' Cajuns claiming two of the three matchups with No. 5 Oregon. Alex Stewart pitched complete games in both of Louisiana's wins over the Ducks, Lexie Elkins homered twice off of All-American pitcher Cherdian Hawkins and Kara Gremillion (two-run double in Game 1) and Haley Hayden (three-run double in Game 3) provided key at bats in the three-game set.

LAMSON COMES ALIVE
Boosted by a new season ticket record (909 as of Mar. 3), the Ragin' Cajuns drew an average of 2,060 fans during the Louisiana Classics weekend (Feb. 19-21). Friday's doubleheader vs. No. 5 Oregon drew 2,273 and Saturday's matchup had 2,315 in attendance. Since the current configuration of Lamson Park debuted in 2012, the Cajuns have ranked Top 20 nationally in attendance the past four seasons which includes Top 10 finishes the last two seasons (2014-15).

SWEEPSTAKES FOR ELKINS
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball senior catcher Lexie Elkins' season-opening display of power in Gulf Shores resulted in national notoriety – in addition to Sun Belt Conference Student-Athlete of the Week honors – as she was named Louisville/Slugger NFCA Division I National Player of the Week and USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week. Elkins finished 10-for-15 (.667) at the plate with five home runs and 14 RBI in Gulf Shores.

MILESTONE MOMENT
The 8-0 (5 inn.) win over Southeast Missouri on Saturday, Feb. 13 at the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores marked the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball program's 1,500th all-time victory. The present all-time record, for the program which was launched in 1981, is 1,514-434-1 (.777).

LOUISIANA-SOUTH ALABAMA SERIES
Series Record: Louisiana leads 22-11
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads 13-2
In Mobile, Ala.: Louisiana leads 8-6
Neutral: South Alabama leads 3-1
Current Streak: South Alabama won 1
Last Meeting: 5/9/15 in San Marcos, Texas
(South Alabama 2, Louisiana 0 - SBC Tournament championship game)

Series Notes
Series began when South Alabama launched its program in 2007 and joined the Sun Belt...Teams have met 10 times over the past two seasons (2014-15)...The Cajuns and Jaguars have met in the Sun Belt Tournament winner's bracket final and championship game the last two seasons...Louisiana won the 2014 SBC Tournament title matchup at Lamson Park, while South Alabama claimed the 2015 contest in San Marcos, Texas...South Alabama has won eight of the last 15 meetings, after the Cajuns held a commanding 15-3 series lead following the 2012 series...Louisiana swept three of the previous four series held at Lamson Park (2008, 2010, 2012)...The Cajuns are 13-2 all-time at Lamson Park vs. USA...Louisiana holds a 19-7 edge in regular season Sun Belt contests...This is the 10th Sun Belt series between the two programs...UL won six of the previous nine series (split in 2007, USA won in 2009 and 2013).

Last Season's Series (March 7-8 in Mobile, Ala.)
A Saturday doubleheader sweep clinched the series victory for Louisiana in Mobile in 2015. USA avoided the sweep with an 8-5 win on Sunday. In the series opener, Leandra Maly paced the Cajuns going 3-for-3 at the plate and Kelsey Vincent posted two RBI in a 3-2 victory. Jordan Wallace held the Jaguars to one hit over the first five innings. In Saturday's nightcap, Vincent went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and Christina Hamilton tossed a complete game in a 9-3 win. On Sunday, Kaitlyn Griffith hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning to give USA a 7-3 lead and the hosts held off a seventh-inning rally by the Cajuns to avoid the sweep.

Last Meeting (May 9, 2015 in San Marcos, Texas)
South Alabama scored two unearned runs on a two-out rally in the seventh inning to break a scoreless tie and post a 2-0 win in the 2015 Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship game. Pinch hitter Haleigh Lowe hit a grounder to Kelsey Vincent, but a misplay of the ball prevented Vincent from stepping over to first base for the final out and as a result, Amanda Minahan scored the game's first and eventual winning run. Devin Brown earned the win after posting a five-hit shutout in seven innings of relief (Farish Beard pulled after five illegal pitches).

DIAMOND NOTES
#KsForKylee: Kylee Jo Trahan has posted at least eight strikeouts in four of her six starts. In her last Lamson Park appearances, she struck out a career-high 10 in a no-hitter of Rutgers on Feb. 26, then followed up with nine in a perfect game vs. Alcorn State on Feb. 27.

#SteadyAlex: Alex Stewart began the season with 35 2/3 consecutive walk-free innings. She's yielded only three walks in 47 innings pitched through her first nine starts.

#GrowingUpFast: Freshman Kara Gremillion has displayed poise at the plate and the results have backed that up. Gremillion ranks second on the squad with five doubles (out of 12 hits total), one of which broke open a scoreless game vs. No. 5 Oregon on Feb. 19. She's shined on defense as well, fielding all but two of 46 chances cleanly (24 PO, 20 A, 2 E, .957 FLD%).

#CatchMeIfYouCan: Louisiana is 16-0 when scoring first. In those 16 wins, the Ragin' Cajuns have relinquished the lead only once (4th inning of Game 1 vs. Texas Tech).

#FabulousFive: Louisiana is now ranked inside the Top 5 of both national polls following the release of the latest rankings on Tuesday. The Cajuns moved up one spot to No. 5 and entered the Top 5 of the NFCA Top 25 poll this week. The No. 5 billing in the NFCA poll now mirrors the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 ranking which listed Louisiana at No. 5 on March 1.

#EliteCompany: Dating back to the start of the 2015 season, Louisiana has been in the Top 10 of the NFCA rankings in 16 of the past 19 polls and Top 10 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll in 15 of the past 19 polls.

#DefenseBacksThemUp: The Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff doesn't have to pile up impressive strikeout numbers as a veteran defense plays behind them. Seven of the nine starters in the field have at least two years experience at their respective position. The defense has committed only 12 errors in 431 chances and had multiple errors only twice in 18 games.

#FamilyTies: Being members of the Ragin' Cajuns softball team has added meaning for three families. Sisters Shellie Landry and Jaime Landry are competing together collegiately for the first time (Jaime redshirted in 2015). Kara Gremillion is following in the footsteps of her aunts, Stacie Gremillion and Sandy Percle, who donned the Cajuns uniform in the mid-1980s. And, Chelsea Lotief joins her father, head coach Michael Lotief, in the dugout while suiting up for the Ragin' Cajuns like her mother, Stefni (Whitton) Lotief, did from 1987-90.

#GeauxCajuns

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Players Mentioned

Victoria Brown

Alison Deville

Lexie Elkins

Kara Gremillion

Christina Hamilton

Haley Hayden

Jaime Landry

Shellie Landry

Chelsea Lotief

Leandra Maly

DJ Sanders

Macey Smith

Alex Stewart

Kylee Jo Trahan

Kelsey Vincent

Jordan Wallace

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