Softball Preview: Mardi Gras Invitational

Games 10-15: Mardi Gras Invitational presented by DoubleTree (Lamson Park)
Thursday, Feb. 23 • 4:30 p.m. (CST) • Drake • Lamson Park
Thursday, Feb. 23 • 6:45 p.m. (CST) • Bowling Green • Lamson Park
Friday, Feb. 24 • 3:45 p.m. (CST) • Dartmouth • Lamson Park
Saturday, Feb. 25 • 3 p.m. (CST) • Maryland • Lamson Park
Sunday, Feb. 26 • 11:15 a.m. (CST) • Bradley • Lamson Park
Sunday, Feb. 26 • 1:30 p.m. (CST) • Mississippi Valley • Lamson Park

WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Thursday (Game 1) – CODE RED Game (UL students wear red and bring posters to support the Cajuns)
Thursday (Game 2) – Battle of the Buildings (residence hall with most UL students in attendance wins a free pizza party)
Friday – Surprise Giveaway Day
Saturday – Mardi Gras at Lamson Park (traditional costume contest by age groups; donut decorating contest for children; face mask decorating station)
Sunday – Daddy/Daughter Day (free popcorn vouchers for first 100 daddy/daughter combos at each game; dads and daughters can go on field for national anthem prior to first Cajuns game and after the final game of the day)

Tournament Central
Notes: Louisiana | Bowling Green | Bradley | Maryland
Radio: ESPN 1420-AM | Live Stats
Rosters: Louisiana | Bowling Green | Bradley | Dartmouth | Drake | Maryland | Mississippi Valley
Schedules: Louisiana | Bowling Green | Bradley | Dartmouth | Drake | Maryland | Mississippi Valley
Stats: Louisiana | Bowling Green | Bradley | Dartmouth | Drake | Maryland | Mississippi Valley
Ragin' Cajuns Twitter: @ULRaginCajuns | @RaginCajunsSB
Opponents Twitter: @BGSUSoftball | @BradleySoftball | @DartmouthSBall | @DrakeSoftball | @TerpsSoftball | @MVSUDevilSports

THE COACHES
Louisiana: Michael Lotief (Louisiana, 1985)
Career Record: 690-171-1 (15th season)           Record at Louisiana: Same

Bowling Green: Sarah Willis (Texas Tech, 2008)
Career Record: 24-39 (2nd season)                     Record at Bowling Green: Same

Bradley: Amy Hayes (Evansville, 1992)
Career Record: 382-438 (16th season)               Record at Bradley: 169-262 (9th season)

Dartmouth: Shannon Doepking (Tennessee, 2008)
Career Record: 52-33 (3rd season)                      Record at Dartmouth: Same

Drake: Rich Calvert (Illinois State, 1988)
Career Record: 392-364 (15th season)               Record at Drake: Same

Maryland: Julie Wright (Ohio, 1995)
Career Record: 192-229 (9th season)                 Record at Maryland: 13-48 (2nd season)

Mississippi Valley: Lee Smith (Ohio, 1995)
Career Record: 370-411 (16th season)               Record at MVSU: Same

5 THINGS TO KNOW
1 - The weekend gets started a day early this week for the Ragin' Cajuns as the Mardi Gras Invitational opens on Thursday. Louisiana faces Drake at 4:30 p.m. and Bowling Green at 6:45 p.m.

2 - Louisiana plays six games in a tournament for the second time. On season-opening weekend, the Cajuns went 4-2 over six games in the Louisiana Classics.

3 - The Ragin' Cajuns seek to build on the momentum gained from claiming a Top 25 weekend series from then-No. 4 Alabama.

4 - The field of teams for the Mardi Gras Invitational includes ACC-member Maryland which last weekend knocked off then-No. 1 Florida.

5 - Senior second baseman Haley Hayden is five runs shy of her recording the 200th run scored of her career.

FOR STARTERS
No. 16 Louisiana (6-3) remains at Lamson Park this week for the Mardi Gras Invitational presented by DoubleTree scheduled for Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 23-26. The tournament, which continues a season-opening 23-game homestand for the Ragin' Cajuns, also includes Bowling Green, Bradley, Dartmouth, Drake, Maryland and Mississippi Valley. Louisiana will play six games, facing each participant once throughout the weekend.

REBOUNDING IN STYLE
The Ragin' Cajuns quickly put the disappointment of dropping the final two games of the Louisiana Classics to Southern Miss behind them by claiming a series victory over then-No. 4 Alabama at Lamson Park last weekend. Louisiana bounced back from a 3-0 loss in the series opener by claiming Game 2 of the Saturday doubleheader 11-2 (6 inn.) powered by Lexie Comeaux and Beth Ashley who combined to go 5-for-6 at the plate with 6 RBI. The Cajuns captured the series on Sunday with a 7-0 win led by two home runs from DJ Sanders and a complete game two-hit shutout from freshman Alyssa Denham.

THE DAWN OF DENHAM
Alyssa Denham worked 12 innings in the circle and held then-No. 4 Alabama to two runs (one earned) and five hits. The highlight was her two-hit shutout on Sunday that secured the series win. The Pearland (Texas) High product is quickly developing into a solid choice for the No. 2 spot in the pitching rotation behind Alex Stewart.

SUDDENLY SANDERS
DJ Sanders appears to be hitting her stride after a slow start on season-opening weekend. She posted team-highs of four runs, four hits and four RBI in last weekend's Alabama series. Sanders hit .444, had a 1.111 slugging percentage, struck out only once in 11 plate appearances and hit .500 with runners in scoring position. She finished the series with back-to-back multiple-hit games, going 4-for-7 at the plate with two home runs and four RBI in the two Ragin' Cajuns wins.

CLUTCH IN THE STRETCH
The Ragin' Cajuns have shown that they can come through with the clutch at bats in the late stages of the game. Of the 53 runs scored so far this season, a total of 29 have come over the final two innings. Louisiana holds a 29-9 advantage in runs over the sixth and seventh innings.

THE FORCE BEHIND "US"
In his weekly press conference, head coach Michael Lotief credited the Ragin' Cajuns fan base for energizing the team and being a driving force in the Alabama series win. Lamson Park has long been the site of large crowds making it a tough venue for the opposition – and this season has been no different. Louisiana has drawn above 2,000 in attendance at Lamson Park all five playing dates. The current total attendance is 10,903 and the average is 2,180.

A WORK IN PROGRESS
Head coach Michael Lotief also stressed in his weekly press conference that the 2017 squad is still in the developmental stages of its growth. While last weekend's series win over Alabama was a singificant accomplishment, the team is still forming its identity. There's a good chance that more than just two pitchers will receive starts in the circle during the Mardi Gras Invitational as the roles in the pitching staff continue to be defined.

SETTLING IN
The Alabama series showed that Lexie Comeaux is beginning to feel more comfortable as the Ragin' Cajuns starting catcher. She caught the vast majority of the innings and was moving quicker behind the plate defensively. At the plate, she produced a 3-for-3 showing with a homer and three RBI in Saturday's nightcap and followed up with a single and two walks on Sunday.

THE POWER OF "US"
So far in the young season, when all of the hitters in the Cajuns lineup are working together to produce results the dividends have been positive. The team has seemed to embrace that approach as all nine of the starters have posted at least five hits through the first two weekends.

FIT FOR THE JOB
The batting average can be a bit deceiving when judging Kara Gremillion's performance as the team's new leadoff hitter. She's done what you want a leadoff hitter to do: get on base and not strikeout. Gremillion has drawn 10 free passes, struck out only twice and made solid contact in just about every at bat.

HIGH PRODUCTIVITY
DJ Sanders and Aleah Craighton and have been passing up first base quite often as the majority of their hits have gone for extra bases. Of Sanders' eight hits, six have gone for extra bases (3 doubles, 3 home runs). Craighton has seen four of her six hits land for extra bases.

STOPPING 'EM IN THEIR TRACKS
The Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff has limited foes to just 43 hits through 59 innings pitched. Opponents are batting .202 off of the Cajuns' hurlers. Only twice (Feb. 11 vs. DePaul; Feb. 18 vs. Alabama) has the pitching staff yielded more than five hits.

COLLECTING HARDWARE
For their roles in the series win over Alabama, DJ Sanders and Alyssa Denham captured weekly awards from the Sun Belt Conference. Sanders was named SBC Player of the Week after her two home runs and three RBI powered the offense in Sunday's clincher. Denham was selected SBC Pitcher of the Week for her complete game two-hit shutout that secured the series.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Alyssa Denham's performance against Alabama caught the eyes of national outlookers as USA Softball awarded her Collegiate National Player of the Week honors.

THE CORE FOUR
Despite losing a heralded group of sluggers from the 2016 team– namely Sara Corbello, Lexie Elkins, Shellie Landry and Kelsey Vincent – to graduation, the Ragin' Cajuns returned the majority of their everyday starters including career .360-hitter Haley Hayden, home run threats Aleah Craighton and DJ Sanders who both clubbed 18 home runs last season and Kara Gremillion, who finished the 2016 season as one of the team's hottest hitters (hit .457 in May).

PITCHING REMAINS INTACT
In the pitching circle, the Ragin' Cajuns bring back the entire group from last season. 2016 All-American and Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year Alex Stewart (29-6, 1.94 ERA) returns as the team's lead pitcher for a staff that ranked Top 10 nationally with a 2.06 ERA.

STEPPING UP
A pair of players who have worked their way through the system, after redshirting during their freshman season, made their debut opening weekend. Sophomore Lexie Comeaux was behind the plate catching, while redshirt freshman Beth Ashley took over in right field.

A DIFFERENT STYLE OF PLAY
It stands to reason that the Ragin' Cajuns offense will feature a new look in 2017 given the amount of power and production that departed after the 2016 season. Head coach Michael Lotief foresees a different approach than the previous two years. "I think this team will be more suited toward pitching and defense," Lotief said. "I do not anticipate us scoring all the runs or hitting all the home runs like we've done the past couple of seasons."

IT'S ALL IN THE FAMILY
Michael Lotief's journey as head coach of the Ragin' Cajuns began alongside his wife, Stefni, serving as co-head coach with her from 2003-12. Now their daughter, Chelsea, gets to write her chapter with her father. After redshirting in 2016, Chelsea is set to take the field for the first time. She's projected to serve as one of the squad's main pinch runners.

A PROVEN MEASURE
Lexie Comeaux – who was slotted for first or second base – filling the spot at catcher is a similar situation to former Ragin' Cajuns catchers Joy Webre who was a shortstop and Lana Bowers who was an outfielder before being converted to the position. Webre and Bowers turned out to be four-year starters for Louisiana. Comeaux's arrival at the position was spurned by a season-ending knee injury suffered by Miranda Grotenhuis who had worked her way into the spot during the fall season.

FITTED FOR THE ROLE
Kara Gremillion, last year's nine-hole hitter, has moved to the leadoff spot in the batting order for the 2017 season. Given last season's performance at the plate, it seems like a natural fit. As a freshman in 2016, Gremillion displayed poise at the plate, with 30 walks against 11 strikeouts in 173 plate appearances (.480 on base percentage).

MRS. VERSATILITY
Haley Hayden's move to first base marks the third position she's played in a Ragin' Cajuns uniform. The senior from West Monroe patrolled center field as a freshman in 2014 and covered second base the past two seasons.

SHE'S DEPENDABLE, TOO
Throughout her career, Haley Hayden has proved to be the Ragin' Cajuns' most consistent hitter. Last season was a prime example of the stability Hayden provides in the lineup – hit .362 in February, .360 in March, .388 in April and .390 in May. She's produced at least 60 runs and 60 hits each of the past three years. Last season, she had at least one base hit in 45 of 55 games, had 10 different hitting streaks, and went the entire season without consecutive hitless games.

THE DYNAMIC DUO
A year ago, the rise of Aleah Craighton and DJ Sanders as prolific hitters was on display as they both hit 18 home runs. Now it's their turn to be the force in the heart of the lineup. Craighton has tallied 20-plus extra base hits the first two years of her career. Of her 109 career base hits, over 50 percent (58) have produced extra bases. Sanders saw a significant increase in power (from four home runs as a freshman to 18) and run production (from 27 RBI as a freshman to 58) during the 2016 season.

DIAMOND NOTES
#MilestoneWatch: Head coach Michael Lotief is 10 wins shy of his 700th career win. With 14 games remaining on the season-opening homestand that runs through March 7, there's a good chance the milestone comes in front of the Ragin' Cajuns faithful at Lamson Park. Lotief, the 2016 recipient of the NFCA's Donna Newberry Perseverance Award and ASA/USA Softball Louisiana Softball Hall of Fame inductee, currently owns a career record of 690-171-1 (.802).

#TwoGrandTallies: Haley Hayden is five runs shy of crossing home plate with the 200th run scored of her career. Presently with 195 career runs, Hayden is closing in on the school's all-time career record of 243 scored by Nerissa Myers from 2010-13.

#SankAnotherOne: With the Game 2 win over Alabama last Saturday, Alex Stewart posted her sixth career win over a ranked team. The 2016 All-American's list of career Top 25 triumphs also includes wins over Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M and Baylor last season.

#LivingOnTheBases: Aleah Craighton has already drawn 15 walks, and when you add in six base hits has been aboard the base path 21 times in 35 plate appearances. She's one pace to shatter her single-season high walks total (27 in 2016) and may challenge the school's single-season record 61 set by Lacey Bertucci (2007) and Gabriele Bridges (2011).

#NationsBest: Louisiana has an active streak of 57 consecutive weeks ranked in the national polls dating back to April 2013 and has finished ranked in one of the national polls each of the past nine seasons (2008-16) and 24 times in the past 27 seasons (1990-2016).

#EveryoneLovesLamson: Due in large part to the softball savvy fan base and the "joie de vivre" (exuberant enjoyment of life) of the Cajun culture, Lamson Park leaves a lasting impression on visitors. That was affirmed in a recent poll conducted by FloSoftball.com which ranked the facility No. 1 in college softball.

#FamilyTies: Sisters Kara and Kourtney Gremillion are following in the footsteps of their aunts, Stacie Gremillion and Sandy Percle, who donned the Cajuns uniform in the mid-1980s. Chelsea Lotief, daughter of head coach Michael Lotief, is suiting up for the Ragin' Cajuns like her mother, Stefni (Whitton) Lotief, did from 1987-90.

#SisterAct: Alyssa Denham is the fourth daughter of Steven and Kathy Denhman to play collegiate softball. All three of her elder sisters played softball at McNeese and were All-Southland Conference selections: Stephenie (shortstop, 2001-03), Jessica (pitcher, 2003-06) and Tiffany (pitcher, 2009-12).

#GeauxCajuns

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Players Mentioned

Beth Ashley

Lexie Comeaux

Sara Corbello

Aleah Craighton

Alyssa Denham

Lexie Elkins

Kara Gremillion

Kourtney Gremillion

Miranda Grotenhuis

Haley Hayden

Shellie Landry

Chelsea Lotief

DJ Sanders

Alex Stewart

Kelsey Vincent