Softball Preview: at Georgia State

Games 33-35: No. 5 Louisiana (29-3, 10-1 Sun Belt) at Georgia State (19-19, 4-5 Sun Belt)
Saturday, Apr. 9 (DH) • 12 p.m. (CDT) • Bob Heck Softball Complex (496) • Atlanta, Ga.
Sunday, Apr. 10 • 11 a.m. (CDT) • Bob Heck Softball Complex (496) • Atlanta, Ga.

Game Notes (PDF): Louisiana
Radio: ESPN 1420-AM • Talent: Steve Peloquin, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, color
TV: None
Live Stats
Rosters: Louisiana | Georgia State
Schedules: Louisiana | Georgia State
2016 Stats: Louisiana | Georgia State
Ragin' Cajuns Twitter: @ULRaginCajuns | @RaginCajunSB
Opponents' Twitter: @GSU_Softball

THE COACHES
Louisiana: Michael Lotief (Louisiana, 1985)
Record at Louisiana: 667-162-1 (14th season) Career Record: Same

Georgia State: Roger Kincaid (Georgia, 1987)
Record at GSU: 197-129 (6th season) Career Record: Same

CAJUNS CONTINUE SUN BELT PLAY IN ATLANTA
No. 5-ranked Ragin' Cajuns softball (29-3, 10-1 Sun Belt) takes its first-place standing in the Sun Belt Conference to Atlanta for a three-game series with Georgia State (19-19, 4-5 Sun Belt) scheduled for Saturday-Sunday, April 9-10. The Ragin' Cajuns have won six straight SBC games and hold a one-game lead over South Alabama (9-2 Sun Belt) for the league lead. Louisiana swept Georgia State in the previous two SBC series (2014, 2015) and has won the last 11 meetings with the Panthers (all three wins in 2015 at Lamson Park were by the run rule).

STEWART SHUTS 'EM DOWN
Alex Stewart has pitched a shutout in five straight Sun Belt Conference starts (streak began March 19 at UTA) after a pair of blankings of Texas State last weekend at Lamson Park. She tossed 14 innings of scoreless softball against the Bobcats, limiting them to four hits. Five of Stewart's six wins in SBC play are via shutout and she's allowed only five runs and 25 hits over 45 innings of work in league play.

SIZZLING SARA
For the second consecutive weekend, Sara Corbello hit a home run in each game of a Sun Belt Conference series. The Cajuns designated player hit one in each game of the Texas State series, giving her a streak of at least one home run in each of the last six Sun Belt Conference games.

WINNING THE WEEKEND
No. 4 Louisiana is 4-for-4 in claiming Sun Belt series victories (USA, UTA, TROY, TXST). The Texas State series win extended the Ragin' Cajuns string of consecutive SBC series wins to 25, a streak which began with a sweep of FIU in March 2013.

PACK YOUR BAGS (AGAIN)
Last weekend's series with Texas State at Lamson Park marked a brief rest from travel between an eight-game road trip prior to the series, and a seven-game trip that lies behind. The Cajuns went 6-2 on trips to UT Arlington, Troy and Baylor from March 19-29. Starting this weekend in Atlanta, the Cajuns play seven straight games away from home. The much-anticipated series at No. 2 Florida (April 16-17) follows the GSU games and the road trip closes April 20 at McNeese State.

MIGHTY BATS
Just how powerful is the Ragin' Cajuns offense as a collective unit? The team has hit at least one home run in 25 of 32 games, tallying multiple home runs 19 times (had multiple HR all three games at Troy and vs. Texas State). Seven different players have hit at least six home runs. Louisiana leads the nation with 2.19 home runs per game (70 HR in 32 games).

RAGIN' ON OFFENSE
All 15 runs the Ragin' Cajuns scored in the Texas State series were produced with home runs. Louisiana homered 10 times over the three games against the Bobcats.

ELKINS SIDELINED
Lexie Elkins, the Cajuns senior catcher who tops the nation with 17 home runs, is out approximately 4-6 weeks with a thumb injury. Freshman Brittany Nollkamper is filling in for Elkins during her absence. Nollkamper's substitute work began last weekend vs. Texas State.

COACH LOTIEF ON ELKINS' INJURY
"Everybody knows how good that kid is, we're going to find a way to overcome. We're going to keep fighting. You've got to remain hopeful. It's going to be OK."

COACH LOTIEF ON NOLLKAMPER'S DEBUT AT CATCHER
"She didn't blink. She said, 'I'm ready to go,' right away. No hesitation whatsoever. She just lit up. As a coach, you want to see that. That shows you what kind of a competitor she is."

A BAND OF HEROES
Lexie Elkins hit five home runs in the season-opening weekend in Gulf Shores. Kelsey Vincent tallied 12 RBI the weekend of Feb. 25-28. DJ Sanders hit four home runs and posted a series-high seven RBI at Southern Miss. Aleah Craighton hit key home runs in the South Alabama sweep, the second straight weekend she homered twice in both games of a doubleheader. Shellie Landry had a game-winning RBI and momentum-shifting single vs. South Alabama. Taylor Terrio slapped a walk-off single into left field to secure a 5-4 win in nine innings over McNeese State. Craighton (at UTA) and Landry (at Troy) both recently homered three times in a doubleheader. Sara Corbello homered each game of the Troy and Texas State series. All proof that the Ragin' Cajuns batting lineup can have any one given player deliver key performances.

THE GOLD STANDARD
The Ragin' Cajuns have belted 70 home runs in 32 contests for an average of 2.19 per game, which leads the nation. In 2015, UL produced a nation-best 2.15 home runs per game.

DOUBLE THE TROUBLE
Louisiana's offense has been problematic for opposing pitching staffs in doubleheaders. On March 5 at Southern Miss, the Cajuns belted 11 home runs and 25 hits total in outscoring USM 30-1. On March 19 at UT Arlington, the squad piled up eight home runs (three grand slams) and 26 hits in outscoring UTA 29-0. At Troy (March 25), the Cajuns clubbed six home runs and posted 22 hits in the twinbill, topping the Trojans by a combined score of 19-1. And, in last weekend's twinbill sweep of Texas State on April 2 the Ragin' Cajuns clubbed seven home runs.

STOPPING 'EM IN THEIR TRACKS
The Cajuns' pitching staff has held foes to two runs or less in 24 of 32 games (23-1 record). In each of the last two Sun Belt series (Troy, Texas State) the staff has yielded no more than two runs. Opponents have scored five-plus runs only twice (Feb. 19 vs. Oregon; March 13 vs. South Alabama).

STOPPING 'EM IN THEIR TRACKS (Part 2)
Kylee Jo Trahan has held the opposition to just 32 hits in 63-2/3 innings pitched in her 14 appearances (11 starts). Foes are hitting a meager .147 off of the sophomore hurler. She's tossed two perfect games (2/27 vs. Alcorn; 3/19 at UTA) and a total of three no-hitters. The Burkburnett, Texas, product ranks No. 4 nationally in fewest hits allowed per seven innings.

MILESTONE MOMENTS
Shellie Landry collected the 200th base hit of her career with a two-run homer in the second inning of the Texas State series opener. Sara Corbello picked up career hit No. 100 with her two-run homer in the sixth inning of Game 2 on Saturday, upping the Cajuns lead to 5-2.

CHART YOUR COURSE CAREFULLY
Despite the absence of Lexie Elkins (thumb injury) the No. 1-6 hitters in the Cajuns lineup pose a stern test for opposing pitchers. All six hitters (Hayden, Landry, Vincent, Craighton, Sanders, Corbello) are hitting above .299. Five of the six have posted at least eight home runs, led by 11 apiece from Aleah Craighton and DJ Sanders. While Kelsey Vincent (8 HR, 32 RBI) and Craighton (11 HR, 34 RBI) pack a punch at No. 3-4, five-hole hitter DJ Sanders (11 HR, 32 RBI) and six-hole hitter Sara Corbello (8 HR, 18 RBI) provide a solid backup.

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 12 shutouts and surrendered two runs or fewer in 21 of 29 games thus far. Of the 137 hits allowed in 177 innings, only 28 have gone for extra bases.

RECORD RUN IN TOP 5 CONTINUES
The Ragin' Cajuns remained at No. 5 in the USA Today/NFCA poll for the fifth consecutive week (dates back to March 8) with the release of the polls on Tuesday, April 5. Five straight weeks in the Top 5 of the NFCA poll bests the previous record of four straight weeks first established March 31-April 21 of 1999. Louisiana's run in the Top 5 of the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, which began on March 1, also continued was stretched to six weeks as the squad came in at No. 5.

STEWART GETTING STRONGER
Alex Stewart offered a glimpse of just how tough she might be once the NCAA's postseason tournament comes around as the Ragin' Cajuns closed out March at No. 19 Baylor and began April with a Sun Belt series against Texas State. In 13 innings pitched in the March 29 twinbill at Baylor, she shutout the 19th-ranked Bears in 10 of those frames. Stewart pitched 14 innings of scoreless softball and held Texas State to just four hits in collecting two shutouts of the Bobcats in the Sun Belt series at Lamson Park.

UP NEXT
The much-anticipated three-game series at No. 2 Florida (April 16-17) takes place next weekend as the Ragin' Cajuns have a bye in Sun Belt Conference play. Louisiana and Florida will play a 12 p.m. (CDT) doubleheader on Saturday (April 16) and 12 p.m. (CDT) single game on Sunday (April 17) at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. All three games of the series are being broadcast on SEC Network+ and streamed on WatchESPN.com (ESPN3).

LOUISIANA-GEORGIA STATE SERIES
Series Record: Louisiana leads 15-2
Sun Belt Games: Louisiana leads 6-0
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads 3-0
In Atlanta: Louisiana leads 3-0
Neutral: Louisiana leads 9-2
Current Streak: Louisiana won 11
Last Meeting: 4/4/15 at Lamson Park
(Louisiana 8, Texas State 0 - 5 inn.)

Series Notes
Third Sun Belt series, overall, and second in Atlanta...Cajuns swept the initial Sun Belt series, held in Atlanta in 2014, and swept again last season in the first SBC meetings at Lamson Park...Previous two Sun Belt series marked the first meetings on either school's campus...Cajuns have won the last five meetings by the run rule, including all three regular season games and a SBC Tournament meeting in 2015...Louisiana brings an 11-game series win streak into this weekend's series in Atlanta...First 10 meetings took place in tournaments at neutral sites...First meeting was in April 1988 in Chattanooga, Tenn. (GSU won 1-0)...Louisiana and GSU met in the prestigious PONY Invitational in Fullerton, Calif., from 1995-97, paired in pool play the last two years.

Last Season's Series (April 3-4, 2015 at Lamson Park)
All three Ragin' Cajuns win were by the run rule. Shellie Landry doubled twice driving home a pair of runs and DJ Sanders hit her first career home run (3-run HR in 6th) to end the game early as Louisiana took the series opener 10-1 (6 inn.). Lexie Elkins hit a three-run home run in the first inning of Game 1 of the Saturday doubleheader for a 3-0 lead. After a two-run home run by Georgia State's Megan Litumbe in the second inning trimmed the lead to 3-2, the Cajuns added runs in each at bat afterwards to pull away for the series clincher. A grand slam by Kelsey Vincent in the first inning of Game 2 pushed the Cajuns lead to 5-0. Jordan Wallace struck out the first four hitters she faced and combined with Christina Hamilton for the three-hit shutout.

Last Time in Atlanta (March 22-23, 2014)
Louisiana won Game 1 of the Saturday doubleheader by scoring eight runs through the first five innings. Georgia State used a three-run home run by Taylor Anderson in the bottom of the fifth to avoid the run-rule as the Cajuns won 8-3. In Game 2, Georgia State carried a 2-1 lead into the fifth inning. Meagan Thomas scored on a passed ball in the inning to tie the game. The Cajuns scored the winning run in the sixth inning on a Sara Corbello sacrifice fly and went to post a 4-2 victory. Louisiana launched four home runs and scored 13 runs off 13 hits, while Christina Hamilton and Jordan Wallace teamed up to shutout the Panthers in the series finale on Sunday.

DIAMOND NOTES
#CatchMeIfYouCan: Louisiana is 24-0 when scoring first. In those 24 wins, the Ragin' Cajuns have relinquished the lead only once (4th inning of Game 1 vs. Texas Tech).

#DefenseBacksThemUp: The Ragin' Cajuns defense has committed only 18 errors in 790 chances and had multiple errors only twice through 32 games this season. The unit played error-free in 10 of the 14 games played in March (only four errors in 346 chances, .988 FLD%).

#HeyItsHaley: With 37 runs, 38 hits and 34 RBI, Haley Hayden is on pace to reach 60 runs, 60 hits and 50 RBI for the third straight season.

#SendThemInSanders: DJ Sanders has posted three-plus RBI five times, piling up 32 RBI (personal single-season best).

#KsForKylee: Kylee Jo Trahan has posted at least eight strikeouts in six of her nine starts that she pitched at least five innings. She tied her career-high of 10 vs. Rutgers (Feb. 26).

#SteadyAlex: Alex Stewart began the season with 35 2/3 consecutive walk-free innings. She's yielded only 17 walks in 111 innings pitched through her first 20 appearances (18 starts).

#GrowingUpFast: Freshman Kara Gremillion has displayed poise at the plate and the results have backed that up. Gremillion posted five doubles through her first seven collegiate hits, 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 81 chances cleanly (39 PO, 40 A, 2 E, .975 FLD%) and carries a string of 21 straight error-free games into the Georgia State series.

#FabulousFive: Louisiana remained inside the Top 5 of both national polls (No. 5 ESPN/USA Softball; No. 5 NFCA) this week - the fifth straight week ranked Top 5 in both of the rankings.

#NationalPower: Dating back to the start of the 2015 season, Louisiana has been in the Top 10 of the NFCA rankings in 20 of the past 23 polls and Top 10 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll in 19 of the past 23 polls.

#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

Sara Corbello

Aleah Craighton

Alison Deville

Lexie Elkins

Kara Gremillion

Christina Hamilton

Haley Hayden

Jaime Landry

Shellie Landry

Chelsea Lotief

Brittany Nollkamper

DJ Sanders

Macey Smith

Alex Stewart

Taylor Terrio

Meagan Thomas

Kylee Jo Trahan

Kelsey Vincent

Jordan Wallace

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