Softball Preview: NCAA Norman Super Regional

NCAA NORMAN SUPER REGIONAL: #9 Louisiana (46-7) at #3 Oklahoma (50-7)
Thursday, May 26 • 8 p.m. (CDT) • ESPN2 • Marita Hynes Field (1,378) • Norman, Okla.
Friday, May 27 • 6 p.m. (CDT) • ESPN2 • Marita Hynes Field (1,378) • Norman, Okla.
Friday, May 27 (if necessary) • 9 p.m. (CDT) • ESPNU • Marita Hynes Field (1,378) • Norman, Okla.

NCAA NORMAN SUPER REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS
Game Notes (PDF): Louisiana
Radio: ESPN 1420-AM • Talent: Steve Peloquin, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, Color
TV: ESPN2 (Games 1 &2) / ESPNU (Game 3) • Talent: Adam Amin, PxP; Amanda Scarborough, Color
WatchESPN Links: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Rosters: Louisiana | Oklahoma
Schedule/Results: Louisiana | Oklahoma
Statistics: Louisiana | Oklahoma
Ragin' Cajuns Twitter: @ULRaginCajuns | @RaginCajunSB
Opponents Twitter: @OU_Softball

THE COACHES
Louisiana: Michael Lotief (Louisiana, 1985)
Record at Louisiana: 684-166-1 (14th season) Career Record: Same

Oklahoma: Patty Gasso (Long Beach State, 1984)
Record at OU: 1,078-312-2 (22nd season) Career Record: 1,239-371-3 (26th season)

COMPLETE NCAA NORMAN SUPER REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Thursday, May 26, 2016
G1       Louisiana (46-7) vs. Oklahoma (50-7) - 8:00 PM CDT (ESPN2)

Friday, May 27, 2016
G2       Oklahoma vs. Louisiana - 6:00 PM CDT (ESPN2)
G3       Louisiana vs. Oklahoma (if necessary) - 9:00 PM CDT (ESPNU)

RAGIN' CAJUNS SET FOR FIFTH CONSECUTIVE SUPERS APPEARANCE
Late-inning home runs by DJ Sanders and Aleah Craighton plus four shutout innings from Alex Stewart rallied No. 9-ranked and national No. 14 seed Ragin' Cajuns Softball to a 9-8 (9 inn.) win over Texas A&M last Sunday in the NCAA Lafayette Regional championship game, advancing the program into the NCAA Super Regional round for the fifth straight season (2012-16) and seventh time in the past nine seasons (since 2008).

THE ROAD TO OKC CONTINUES IN NORMAN
No. 14 national seed Louisiana (46-7) heads to the NCAA Norman Super Regional set for Thursday-Friday, May 26-27 in Norman, Okla., against No. 3 national seed Oklahoma (50-7). The super regional begins Thursday at 8 p.m. (CDT) on ESPN2. Game two, also airing on ESPN2, is set for 6 p.m. (CDT) on Friday, with the "if necessary" game to follow at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.

WHAT'S AT STAKE
Michael Lotief's squad is in search of the program's seventh trip to Oklahoma City for the Women's College World Series (previous trips were in 1993, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2008 and 2014). The winner of the Norman Super Regional advances to the WCWS set for June 2-8 in Oklahoma City.

AT THE DOORSTEP...REALLY
Not only do the Ragin' Cajuns sit on the doorstep to their ultimate goal of reaching the Women's College World series...geographically, they couldn't be any closer. The Norman Super Regional, being held on the University of Oklahoma's campus, is a mere 20 miles away up Interstate 35.

RAGIN' CAJUNS IN THE SUPER REGIONAL ROUND
Appearing in their seventh Super Regional since 2008, the Ragin' Cajuns are 2-4 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. The Ragin' Cajuns all-time record in the NCAA Super Regional round is 6-9 (.400).

WE MEET AGAIN
The NCAA Norman Super Regional marks the second time that the Ragin' Cajuns and Sooners meet with a trip to OKC up for grabs. The last time came in 2004 in Tucson, Ariz., when Louisiana forced a winner-take-all contest with a 12-4 win, but fell to Oklahoma 15-0 (5) in the decisive game.

THE ONE AND ONLY RAGIN' CAJUNS
Louisiana is just one of nine schools to play in the NCAA Tournament every year since 2000. The list includes: Alabama, Arizona, Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, UCLA and Washington.

5 THINGS TO KNOW
1 - The Ragin' Cajuns appear in the NCAA Super Regional round for the 5th consecutive season (2012-16) and seventh time overall in the past nine seasons.

2 - The Ragin' Cajuns offense is riding its hottest streak of the season. The club is batting .382 with 68 hits since the Sun Belt Tournament (six games). During the stretch, all nine starters have posted at least five hits.

3 - Louisiana and Oklahoma meet in the Super Regional round for the first time. It's also the first time playing for a trip to OKC since the 2004 Tucson (AZ) Regional.

4 - In the circle in Norman you have two of the nation's Top 3 leaders in victories: OU's Paige Parker tied for first with 31, UL's Alex Stewart ranked third with 29.

5 - The Norman Super Regional also features two of the nation's top offenses. Oklahoma is No. 2 in average (.358) and Louisiana comes in at No. 9 (.341). The Ragin' Cajuns rank third in scoring (8.04), the Sooners are 11th (6.86).

NORMAN ON MY MIND
Visiting Norman is a familiar routine for head coach Michael Lotief. When he and his wife (former co-head coach Stefni Lotief) took charge of the Ragin' Cajuns the squad visited for in-season tournaments in 2001 and 2002. Then in 2005, the Ragin' Cajuns were sent to Norman for the regional round which was the first season of the current Super Regional era.

Visits to Norman in the Lotief Era (2001-present)
Season          Dates                  Event
2001               March 9-10        Oklahoma/Worth Invitational
2002               Feb. 15-17         Oklahoma/Nike Classic
2005               May 20-21          NCAA Norman Regional

FIRST OF A KIND
The Norman Super Regional marks the first meeting with a Big 12 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), 2014-Arizona (Pac 12) and 2015-Auburn (SEC).

FAMILIAR FOES
The Ragin' Cajuns and Sooners are just two seasons removed from splitting four matchups during the 2014 campaign. Louisiana claimed 2-of-3 contests in a weekend series at Lamson Park March 14-15. Oklahoma came out on top 3-1 in an elimination game later in the season at the Women's College World Series on May 31.

DID YOU KNOW?
The last time a Top 3 national seed was ousted in the Super Regional round was in 2014 – No. 14 seed Kentucky defeated No. 3 seed UCLA (same year No. 13 Baylor defeated No. 4 Georgia). The Ragin' Cajuns will take their shot at turning the trick as they face No. 3 seed Oklahoma this week in the Norman Super Regional.

REMEMBER AUBURN
The Ragin' Cajuns missed a chance at back-to-back WCWS appearances a year ago in Auburn as the Tigers rallied to steal Game 1 of the Super Regional and rode the momentum to the series win. Head coach Michael Lotief hinted in the NCAA Lafayette Regional championship game postgame press conference that the near miss is still on his team's mind: "This is something we've been working towards since August," Lotief said. "We had a bitter disappointment last year at Auburn, and we got to taste what it was like to be on the other side and come up short."

A STAR-STUDDED LINEUP
While Lexie Elkins (.505, 18 HR, 48 RBI) might be the most recognized name in the Ragin' Cajuns lineup, she isn't alone in driving the team's success. Haley Hayden (.374, 60 R, 7 HR, 46 RBI) has a hit in 43 of 53 games and has 19 multi-hit games; Shellie Landry (.321, 16 HR, 57 RBI) has reached three RBI 11 times; Kelsey Vincent (.293, 14 HR, 50 RBI) is batting .386 with runners in scoring position and nearly half her hits have come in that situation; Aleah Craighton (.392, 18 HR, 55 RBI) provides added power (32 extra base hits) and slugging percentage (.881); DJ Sanders (.331, 18 HR, 58 RBI) is second on the team in multiple-RBI games (17) and has fired 69 assists from shortstop; Sara Corbello (.320, 12 HR, 32 RBI) is one of the hottest hitters on the team, raising her average 59 points by hitting .354 since March 25 and has posted a career-high season home run total; Kara Gremillion has started every game at third base as a freshman and has only four errors over 146 chances while ranking second on the team with 10 hits vs. ranked teams; and Kelli Martinez covers significant ground in right field with her speed as has the ability to power slap to drive a ball out of the infield in key RBI situations.

IMPACT PLAYERS IN NORMAN
The NCAA Norman Super Regional features a total of 14 players who were named to the NFCA All-Central Region team. Oklahoma boasts eight All-Region performers (tops in the NFCA's Central Region) while Louisiana produced six (tied for second with Baylor). Louisiana's honorees include: Aleah Craighton (1st team), Lexie Elkins (1st team), Haley Hayden (3rd team), Shellie Landry (2nd team), DJ Sanders (2nd team) and Alex Stewart (1st team).

MACEY'S MAGIC
Macey Smith turned in her best performances in the pitching circle during the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. She tossed seven innings of scoreless, one-hit relief over two appearances against NCAA Tournament participant Texas State. Smith pitched the final two innings and held the Bobcats scoreless to preserve a 9-7 win in the winner's bracket final. Then in the championship game, she relieved Alex Stewart after one batter because of illegal pitch calls and proceeded to toss a no-hitter leading the Cajuns to the title.

PASS THE BAT
The Ragin' Cajuns have a term when the offense produces big innings..."pass the bat". That was clearly evident in the bottom of the second inning of the SBC Tournament opener vs. Georgia State as 14 batters stepped to the plate before and out was recorded and the Ragin' Cajuns finished with 11 runs in the inning. It didn't stop there. In the championship game vs. Texas State, a total of 10 batters stepped to the plate in the seven-run fourth inning that pushed the final margin over the run rule.

AMAZING ALEAH
Aleah Craighton stepped to the forefront in Lexie Elkins' absence to provide power, slugging percentage, on base percentage and RBI. During the timeframe (April 2-May 8), Craighton hit .395, slugged a team-best seven home runs, posted a .974 slugging percentage and .623 on base percentage. She's became the hitter in the Cajuns lineup pitchers worked around as evidenced by 15 walks and eight hit by pitch during Elkins' absence.

SPARKPLUG
Leadoff hitter Haley Hayden has posted a hit in 43 of 53 games and has gone the entire season without consecutive hitless games. She leads the Ragin' Cajuns with 19 multiple-hit games, 10 coming since April 1. She pieced together 10 different hit streaks during the season and enters the NCAA Norman Super Regional on a nine-game hit streak.

GREMILLION'S GOT THE GRIP
Freshman Kara Gremillion recently produced a string of 19 consecutive error-free games prior to committing an error in the NCAA Lafayette Regional championship game vs. Texas A&M. The streak, which ran Apr. 9-May 22, was her second double-digit streak of the season, adding to a string of 21 straight error-free games from Feb. 26-Apr. 3. For the season, Gremillion has committed only four errors over 146 chances (59 PO, 83 A, 4 E, .973 FLD%).

SEND 'EM IN SANDERS
DJ Sanders was the first Cajun to reach 50 RBI this season (currently has 58). She ranks second on the team in multiple-RBI games with 17, having reached at least three RBI in a game nine times. The production is a career-best figure and represents an increase of 31 RBI from her freshman season total (27).

WINNING THE CLOSE ONES
Louisiana owns an 8-0 record in one-run games in the 2016 season. The most recent was a 9-8 (9 inn.) win over Texas A&M in the NCAA Lafayette Regional final. The list of one-run wins includes: Feb. 13 vs. Samford (1-0); Feb. 19 vs. Oregon (3-2); Feb. 20 vs. Oregon (5-4); Mar. 13 vs. South Alabama (3-2); Mar. 16 vs. McNeese State (5-4); Mar. 29 at Baylor (4-3); Apr. 9 at Georgia State (6-5); May 22 vs. Texas A&M (9-8).

HOLDING HER OWN
Alex Stewart held ranked foes to three earned runs or less in her first seven matchups (Texas A&M netted four earned runs in regional final). Stewart claimed two victories over No. 5 Oregon in the Louisiana Classics at Lamson Park (Feb. 19-20). She never trailed in either start against the Ducks and limited them to six runs (five earned) in 14 innings pitched. In 13 innings pitched in a twinbill at Baylor on March 29, she shutout the 19th-ranked Bears in 10 of those frames. In two starts at No. 1 Florida (April 16-17), Stewart allowed no more than three earned runs in either start and surrendered six in 12 innings during the weekend. She shutout Texas for 6-2/3 innings in the Lafayette Regional winner's bracket final and followed up with 10 strikeouts and four scoreless frames down the stretch vs. Texas A&M in the regional final.

NOTHING IS FREE
Alex Stewart worked 8-1/3 innings before yielding a walk to ULM during the final weekend of the regular season, extending her most recent string of walk-free innings to 33-2/3 innings. She reached her second streak of 30-plus walk-free innings, adding to the 35-2/3 consecutive she pitched to start the season. Stewart has issued just 36 walks over 196 innings pitched.

EXPERIENCE FACTOR
Seven of the nine hitters in the Ragin' Cajuns starting unit have accrued 100-plus career starts. The list includes: Shellie Landry (228 starts), Lexie Elkins (190 starts), Sara Corbello (168 starts), Haley Hayden (167 starts), Kelsey Vincent (166 starts), Aleah Craighton (107 starts) and DJ Sanders (107 starts).

SARA'S SURGE
Sara Corbello (.320, 12 HR, 32 RBI) has strengthened the bottom of the Ragin' Cajuns order in the second half of the season. Since the Troy series (Mar. 25-26), she's raised her average 59 points (from .261 to .320), and is batting .354 (28-for-79) with 10 home runs and 24 RBI. Corbello posted a .339 batting average in Sun Belt play, a career-best mark.

ANSWERING THE CALL
Lexie Elkins missed the final five Sun Belt Conference series with her thumb injury. In her absence, starting April 2, the Ragin' Cajuns protected a one-game lead over South Alabama each of the first two weekends and would later clinch the outright conference championship at Georgia Southern on April 30. Coach Lotief commented at his press conference after claiming the championship: "This team has been solid without its best player – that gets lost on a lot of people's mind. This team has marched on. We've had some hiccups, but we've marched on quite admirably."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
1 - Alex Stewart needs one win to become the Cajuns' first 30-game winner since 2013 (Jordan Wallace finished 32-9 during the 2013 season)

8-0 - Record in one-run games

9 - Nine times the Ragin' Cajuns have reached four home runs in a game (last 5/22 vs. Texas A&M)

29 - Louisiana has hit multiple home runs 29 times (through 53 games). The team had a stretch of 12 consecutive Sun Belt Conference games with multiple home runs (March 25 at Troy through April 24 vs. App State)

.376 - Team batting average during last week's NCAA Lafayette Regional (38-for-101 at the plate)

39-0 - The Ragin' Cajuns record when scoring first

104 - The Ragin' Cajuns home run total, marking the second straight season and third time overall under Michael Lotief (102 in 2006; 116 in 2016) reaching the mark

LOUISIANA-OKLAHOMA SERIES
Series Record: Louisiana leads 15-11
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads 7-3
In Norman, Okla.: Oklahoma leads 3-2
Neutral Site: Louisiana leads 6-5
Current Streak: Oklahoma won 1
Last Meeting: 5/31/14 in Oklahoma City, Okla. (WCWS)
(Oklahoma 3, Louisiana 1)
In NCAA Tournament: Oklahoma leads 3-1

Series Notes
Series began in March 1990 at the Seminole Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla...Ragin' Cajuns visited Norman two weeks later on March 31 and swept a doubleheader...Sooners visited Lafayette for in-season tournaments in 1991 (USL Round Robin) and 1992 (Louisiana Classics)...Wouldn't meet again until 1995 at the Aggie Invitational in College Station, Texas...Teams opened the 1996 season at Lamson Park and split a twinbill...OU returned to Lafayette in 1997 which would mark the final visit until a 2014 weekend series at Lamson Park...Louisiana's trips to Norman for in-season tournaments in 2001 and 2002 marked the first trip since 1990...The 2005 NCAA Regional meeting at Marita Hynes Field is the lone prior postseason meeting in Norman (OU won 6-3 in winner's bracket final)...The first-ever NCAA postseason meetings took place in Tucson, Ariz., in 2004 with the Cajuns winning 12-4 to set up a winner-take-all finale that OU claimed 15-0 (5 inn.)...The two teams were frequently paired at the PONY Invitational/KIA Klassic/Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif. (1996, 2003, 2005, 2009)...Last NCAA postseason meeting came in 2014 WCWS.

Last Meeting (May 31, 2014 – Oklahoma City/Women's College World Series)
Oklahoma took a 2-0 lead in the first inning off a double by Brittany Williams. UL threatened in third (bases loaded) and in the fifth after the Natalie Fernandez and Haley Hayden singled. Both times, OU's Kelsey Stevens escaped.

Last Time in Norman (May 21, 2005 – NCAA Norman Regional)
Alison Horne's pinch-hit double with two outs in the sixth inning allowed Oklahoma to break a 3-3 tie and the host-Sooners went on to win 6-3 in the winner's bracket final. The Ragin' Cajuns had just tied the contest in the bottom of the fifth on a three-run home run by Jill Robertson. An error in the sixth inning extended the frame for OU and Horne capitialized. Louisiana's Heather Bobbitt, who entered the game 18-0, allowed all six runs and suffered her lone loss of the season.

DIAMOND NOTES
#HeatingUp: Lexie Elkins' home run in the first inning of the NCAA Regional final vs. Texas A&M was her first homer since March 25 at Troy and first since returning from her thumb injury. During the Regional, she produced three extra base hits (2 doubles, 1 home run).

#SelectCompany: Lexie Elkins picked up her 74th career home run in the NCAA Regional final vs. Texas A&M, moving within two of reaching the NCAA's all-time career Top 10 chart.

#CallingCard: The Ragin' Cajuns have hit at least one in 41 of 53 games this season.

#ConsistencyIsKey: Haley Hayden has reached 60 base hits for the third straight season. She needs four RBI for a third consecutive season of 60-plus hits, 60-plus runs and 50 RBI.

#ToughOut: In the month of April, Aleah Craighton was aboard the base path 30 times in 47 plate appearances (.638 OB%). She hit .414, with 12 hits (6 HR) plus 13 walks and five hit by pitch.

#ScoringInBunches: The Ragin' Cajuns have scored multiple runs in 99 out of 312 innings at the plate. The bulk of the team's production has been in the middle innings (third through fifth) where 213 out of 426 totals runs (50 percent) have crossed the plate.

#NationalPower: Dating back to the start of the 2015 season, Louisiana has been in the Top 10 of the NFCA rankings in 26 of the past 29 polls and Top 10 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll in 25 of the past 29 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.

#AmongTheNationsElite: Michael Lotief's squad earned a national seed (No. 14) for the third straight season and fourth time in the past five seasons. Previous times as a national seed: 2012 (No. 14), 2014 (No. 6), 2015 (No. 13).

#InTheMix: The Ragin' Cajuns are part of the NCAA Tournament field for the 18th consecutive season, a streak which dates back to the 1999 season.

#Mainstay: Louisiana is in its 26th appearance overall in the NCAA Tournament, all coming in the past 27 years. Since 1990, the Cajuns have missed the NCAA's postseason event only once (1998). The Ragin' Cajuns' 26 NCAA Tournament appearances ranks 8th in NCAA history (tied with Cal State Fullerton).

#CajunHospitality: Louisiana hosted an NCAA Regional at Lamson Park for the 12th time. The complete list of Regionals at Lamson Park includes: 1990-92, 1994-97, 2002, 2012, 2014-16.

#TheFirstStep: The Cajuns are 59-32 all-time in NCAA Regional play, including a 25-5 mark in claiming regional championships and advancing to the super regional round in seven of the last nine appearances (2008-16).

#TheSecondStep: The Ragin' Cajuns are in search of their seventh trip to Oklahoma City. The last of the program's six NCAA Women's College World Series appearances came in 2014.

#ProvenResults: The Ragin' Cajuns' all-time overall record in the NCAA Tournament stands at 71-53, representing the 12th-most wins in NCAA history.

#FiveAndAlive: The Ragin' Cajuns extended their streak of advancing to at least the NCAA Super Regional round to five consecutive years (2012-16) by claiming the 2016 NCAA Lafayette Regional title. During the stretch of five straight Supers, the Ragin' Cajuns have taken down Stanford (2012), LSU (2013), Texas (2014), Baylor (2015) and Texas A&M (2016).

#GeauxCajuns

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Players Mentioned

Sara Corbello

Aleah Craighton

Lexie Elkins

Kara Gremillion

Haley Hayden

Jaime Landry

Shellie Landry

Chelsea Lotief

Kelli Martinez

DJ Sanders

Macey Smith

Alex Stewart

Kelsey Vincent

Jordan Wallace