Cajuns Baseball Set To Open 2017 Season At Tangi Tourism Baseball Classic

THE WEEKEND SERIES
Dates: Friday-Sunday, Feb. 17-19, 2016
Location: Hammond, La.
Site: Pat Kenelly Diamond (2,000)
Times: 6:00 p.m. (Fri) | 1:00 p.m. (Sat) | 5:00 p.m. (Sun)
Opponent: Southeastern La. (Fri), Murray State (Sat), Hofstra (Sun)
Radio: News Talk 96.5 KPEL-FM
Television: None
Live Stats/Video: www.RaginCajuns.com

STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: LHP Gunner Leger (LA) vs. RHP Mac Sceroler (SLU)
Saturday: RHP Nick Lee (LA) vs. RHP Ryan Dills (MSU)
Sunday: TBA (LA) vs. LHP Teddy Cillis (HOFSTRA)

HAMMOND, La. – The 13th-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team is set to open the 2017 season at the Tangi Tourism Baseball Classic hosted by Southeastern Louisiana at Pat Kenelly Diamond this weekend.

Louisiana opens the weekend with a 6 p.m. contest Friday against the host Lions before facing Murray State on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Cajuns are slated to close out the weekend with a 5 p.m. game against Hofstra on Sunday. The three games are part of an eight-game road swing for the Ragin' Cajuns to open the season.

All three games can be heard live on News Talk 96.5 KPEL-FM with Jay Walker and Jeff Schneider making the call. Live stats and video are available on RaginCajuns.com.

The Cajuns are 16-6 in season openers since head coach Tony Robichaux took over the helm in 1995. Louisiana has opened the season on the road six times during that span with a 3-3 record including a 3-1 record in non-traditional series.

Junior left-hander Gunner Leger will take the mound for the Cajuns on Friday and will face preseason All-Southland conference selection Mac Sceroler. Leger went 7-3 a year ago with a 2.26 ERA in 16 starts, while Sceroler posted a 10-4 record with a 2.25 ERA in 16 starts.

Sophomore Nick Lee is tabbed to make the start on Saturday against Murray State after going 7-1 with a 3.31 ERA in 2016. The Racers will start right-hander Ryan Dills. Dills went 5-3 with a 5.20 ERA in 12 starts as a junior.

Louisiana has yet to announce a starter for Sunday's contest with Hofstra. The Pride will close out the weekend with left-hander Teddy Cillis on the bump. Cillis notched a 3-2 record in 15 appearances with a 5.59 ERA in his sophomore season.

The Ragin' Cajuns hold a 64-48 edge over Southeastern Louisiana in the all-time series. Louisiana is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings with the Lions going 4-1 in Hammond, La. during that stretch. The last time the Cajuns faced Southeastern Louisiana in a season opener was Feb. 6, 1999. The Ragin' Cajuns won that contest 8-1 at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field.

The Cajuns and Lions played three times a year ago with Louisiana taking the series 2-1 after coming from behind with a five-run sixth inning to win 5-4 in the series finale in Hammond, La. Head coach Tony Robichaux holds a 20-13 record against Southeastern Louisiana since 1995.

The Lions are coming off a 2016 campaign that saw them earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament after going 40-21 overall and 22-8 in conference play. Southeastern Louisiana returns two of its top three hitters from a year ago in Carson Crites (.298, 11 HR, 34 RBI) and Brennan Breaud (.293, 59 R, 26 RBI), but will have to replace All-American Jameson Fisher who hit .424 with 11 home runs and 66 RBI.

Louisiana will face both Murray State and Hofstra for the first time this weekend.

Murray State finished seventh in the Ohio Valley Conference a year ago after posting a 27-29 overall record and a 15-15 mark in league play. The Racers return five players who hit over .300 in 2016 led by Tyler Lawrence with a .355 average, 22 doubles, eight home runs and 58 RBI. First baseman Ramsey Scott hit .335 with a team-best 13 home runs and 63 RBI.

Hofstra notched a 15-37 record in 2016 while going 5-18 in the Colonial. The Pride hit just .250 as a team led by Brad Witkowski who posted a .289 average with 29 RBI.

Make sure to follow Ragin' Cajuns baseball on Facebook (RaginCajunsBaseball), Twitter (@RaginCajunsBSB) and Instagram (@RaginCajunsBSB) to get the latest updates.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Cajuns Baseball Set To Open 2017 Season At Tangi Tourism Baseball Classic

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Players Mentioned

Nick Lee

Gunner Leger

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