Softball Preview: Georgia Southern Series

Games 29-31: No. 17 Louisiana (23-5, 6-0 Sun Belt) at Georgia Southern (15-16, 5-4 Sun Belt)
Saturday, Apr. 1 (DH) • 12 p.m. (CDT) • Eagle Field (700) • Statesboro, Ga.
Sunday, Apr. 2 • 12 p.m. (CDT) • Eagle Field (700) • Statesboro, Ga.

Game Notes (PDF): Louisiana
Radio: ESPN 1420-AM • Talent: Steve Peloquin, PxP
TV: None
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Video (Fee Applies): GS All-Access
Rosters: Louisiana | Georgia Southern
Schedules: Louisiana | Georgia Southern
Season Stats: Louisiana | Georgia Southern
Ragin' Cajuns Twitter: @ULRaginCajuns | @RaginCajunsSB
Opponent's Twitter: @GSAthletics_SB

THE COACHES
Louisiana: Michael Lotief (Louisiana, 1985)
Career Record: 707-173-1 (15th season) Record at Louisiana: Same

Georgia Southern: Annie Smith (Grinnell College, 1995)
Career Record: 167-153 (6th season) Record at GS: Same

5 THINGS TO KNOW
1 - The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns close out a six-game road trip which opened last weekend in Mobile, Ala., at South Alabama.

2 - Louisiana seeks to extend its school and Sun Belt Conference record streak of 31 consecutive league series won. The streak dates back to March 2013.

3 - The Ragin' Cajuns venture to Eagle Field in Statesboro, Ga., for the second straight season. Louisiana took 2-of-3 from Georgia Southern in the 2016 season visit (April 30-May 1).

4 - At this week's press conference, head coach Michael Lotief hinted of possible changes in the batting order. Keep an eye out for where in the lineup tweaks are made.

5 - The Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff has held opponents to five runs or less in all 28 games. The staff's 1.98 ERA ranks No. 30 in the NCAA statistical rankings.

FOR STARTERS
17th-ranked Ragin' Cajuns Softball (23-5, 6-0 Sun Belt) travels to Statesboro, Ga., for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at Georgia Southern (15-16, 5-4 Sun Belt) set for Saturday-Sunday, April 1-2. Action begins at 12 p.m. (CDT) both days with a doubleheader slated for Saturday and a single game on Sunday. The series marks the end of a six-game road trip for the Ragin' Cajuns who return to Lamson Park April 8-9 vs. Troy.

LEADERS OF THE PACK
Louisiana's three-game sweep of South Alabama last weekend in Mobile kept the squad undefeated in Sun Belt play. It also allowed the Ragin' Cajuns to leap past Texas State, which lost the middle game of its series at ULM, into sole possession of first place in the standings.

FAMILIAR VIEW
The Louisiana-Georgia Southern series is being held at Eagle Field in Statesboro, Ga., for the second straight season. The Ragin' Cajuns claimed two-of-three from the Eagles in the 2016 visit held April 30-May 1.

SUN BELT SERIES STREAK
Louisiana has won 31 consecutive Sun Belt Conference series (school and SBC record streak). The streak began in March 2013 with a three-game sweep of FIU.

QUIETLY DOING THEIR JOB
While much attention entering the season was focused on how the offense would replace the lost power and run production – and the group has made recent strides – it shouldn't go unnoticed the precision and performance that the Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff has displayed. The pitching unit has yielded no more than five runs in a single game through the first 28 games, tossed seven shutouts and ranks 30th nationally with a 1.98 ERA (one of only 31 staffs with a sub-2.00 ERA).

STEWART OF OLD
There's no doubt that Alex Stewart was in charge in the circle in Mobile, and looked every bit like her All-American form in 2016. She handcuffed the Jaguars to two runs off five hits and struck out 14 in 10 innings. She dominated in her Game 2 start, retiring nine straight to start and finished with a season-high nine strikeouts. And she was just as masterful in relief in the finale, retiring the side in order in the sixth and seventh to end a string of three straight scoring innings by the Jaguars.

SETTING THE TONE
Key to Louisiana's sweep of South Alabama in Mobile was grabbing the lead first - in the second inning all three games. The Ragin' Cajuns have scored the game's first run in 23 of 28 outings, sporting a 21-2 mark when scoring first.

SUPER SANDERS
DJ Sanders' two home runs in Game 2 at South Alabama marked her fifth multiple-home run game of 2017 (second in Sun Belt play). She's off to a strong start in SBC play, hitting .450 with five home runs and 14 RBI. Seven of her nine hits are for extra bases, resulting in a 1.300 SLG%.

THE WEEK THAT WAS
Louisiana took in its first road games of the season and claimed a three-game sweep of South Alabama at Jaguar Field in Mobile. It was the first sweep in Mobile since 2011 and just the second in six visits. Fueled by a combined five RBI from Kara Gremillion and Aleah Craighton the Cajuns won the series opener 8-3. DJ Sanders homered twice and tallied three RBI while Alex Stewart yielded only three hits and struck out a season-high nine in a 4-2 win in Game 2. In the series finale, Sanders hit a grand slam in the third inning to build a 5-0 lead and Stewart pitched three effective innings to stop the Jaguars momentum. Stewart sat down USA in order in the sixth and seventh after the hosts had scored in three straight innings cut the deficit to 5-4.

SUPER-CHARGED OFFENSE
Louisiana stands at No. 1 in home runs per game (1.68), No. 1 in scoring (8.21), No. 2 in slugging percentage (.574), No. 4 in on base percentage (.450) and No. 16 in batting average (.328) in the latest NCAA statistical rankings. That efficiency has led to the Ragin' Cajuns putting up six runs or more in 20 of 28 games, reaching 10-plus runs eight times.

MAGIC NUMBER
Scoring at least six runs has equated to victory for Louisiana. Given the fact that the pitching staff has held foes to five runs or fewer all 28 games, when the Ragin' Cajuns reach the figure they have been undefeated (20-0).

STERLING SUCCESS
Head coach Michael Lotief has found a second situational pinch hitter among the Ragin' Cajuns reserves. And she's been clutch. In each of her last three plate appearances as a pinch hitter, Abby Sterling has delivered an RBI (3/18 single vs. UTA; 3/19 sac fly vs. UTA; 3/26 double at USA). She joins Corin Voinchè as power bats the Cajuns can turn to when seeking to break a game open.

PASSING THE TEST
Freshman pitcher Alyssa Denham looked mature beyond her years when faced with adversity in a tough environment. In Sunday's series finale at South Alabama she worked her way out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the third inning with back-to-back full count strikeouts. She proved she's ready to battle through tough spots when the crowd is not in her favor.

PASSING THE TEST (Part 2)
Alyssa Denham not only appeared in a collegiate game on the road for the first time last weekend at South Alabama, but she started the series opener. She collected a victory by scattering seven hits over seven innings and holding USA in check throughout the game. She stranded 11 Jaguars runners and allowed only one run through the first five innings.

PREMIER SLUGGER
DJ Sanders enters the weekend as the nation's leader in home runs (16) and slugging percentage (1.011). Of her 34 hits, a total of 24 have gone for extra bases (8 doubles, 16 homers).

THE POWER OF "US"
All nine of the starters in the Ragin' Cajuns batting order have posted at least 17 hits and eight of the nine had already generated double digit RBI totals by the fourth weekend of the season.

TRAFFIC CONTROL
The Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff has limited foes to 136 hits and yielded only 48 walks in 177 innings pitched. Opponents are batting a mere .208 off of the Cajuns' hurlers. Through the first 28 games, the opposition has surpassed five hits just 10 times and obtained more than two walks only eight times (just twice in the past 18 games covering 111 innings of play).

LOUISIANA-GEORGIA SOUTHERN SERIES
Series Record: Louisiana leads 7-1
Sun Belt Games: Louisiana leads 5-1
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads 3-0
In Statesboro, Ga.: Louisiana leads 2-1
Neutral Site: Louisiana leads 2-0
Current Streak: Georgia Southern won 1
Last Meeting: 5/1/16 in Statesboro, Ga.
(Georgia Southern 2, Louisiana 0)

All-Time Series Meetings
4/9/93           LA 5, GS 0 Columbia, S.C. (South Carolina Round Robin)
3/28/97         LA 10, GS 2 (5) Marietta, Ga. (Georgia Tech Buzz Classic)
3/16/15         LA 8, GS 2                 Lamson Park
3/17/15         LA 12, GS 1 (5)          Lamson Park
3/17/15         LA 9, GS 0 (6)            Lamson Park
4/30/16         LA 5, GS 0                 Statesboro, Ga.
4/30/16         LA 12, GS 1 (6)          Statesboro, Ga.
5/1/16           GS 2, LA 0                 Statesboro, Ga.

Series Notes
Second straight season meeting in Statesboro...Third Sun Belt series between the two programs... Louisiana won both prior SBC series...Initial Sun Belt series took place at Lamson Park in March 2015 (was also the first meetings on either school's campus)...Louisiana won 2-of-3 last April in the first-ever visit to Statesboro (swept on Saturday wrapping up regular season SBC title; GS won finale with shutout by Dixie Raley)...In six previous Sun Belt matchups, Cajuns pitching has held the Eagles to two runs or fewer each time...Louisiana leads the overall series 7-1, which includes a 5-1 edge in Sun Belt contests...Only meetings prior to Georgia Southern joining the Sun Belt Conference took place during former head coach Yvette Girouard's tenure... Cajuns and Eagles met twice at a neutral site...Programs met in Columbia, S.C., in 1993 competing in the South Carolina Round Robin and in 1997 in Marietta, Ga., in the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic.

Last Series (April 30-May 1, 2016 - Statesboro, Ga.)
Making the program's first appearance at Eagle Field, Louisiana swept the Saturday doubleheader 5-0, 12-1 (6 inn.). That allowed the Cajuns to capture the outright Sun Belt regular season title. A five-run third inning, highlighted by a two-run double from DJ Sanders and two-run single by Kara Gremillion, gave Louisiana the Game 1 victory. Alex Stewart retired the first nine batters she faced, struck out eight and held Georgia Southern to three hits over six innings. Sara Corbello homered twice and drove in four runs as Louisiana built a 7-0 lead in Game 2 and DJ Sanders capped the scoring with a grand slam in the sixth inning. Stewart pitched five more scoreless innings in steering the Ragin' Cajuns to the outright SBC title. On Sunday, a pair of solo home runs and a complete game shutout from Dixie Raley lifted Georgia Southern to a 2-0 upset win. Raley collected 16 fly ball outs and surrendered just three hits to the Ragin' Cajuns.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
1 - DJ Sanders ranks No. 1 nationally in both total home runs (16) and home runs per game (0.57)

2 - Alex Stewart has held opponents to two earned runs or less in all but one of her 13 appearances

7 - Kara Gremillion generated seven multiple-hit games in March. She hit .425 (17-for-40) during the month

12 - Louisiana has hit multiple home runs in 12 of the past 14 games (dates back to Feb. 26 vs. MVSU). During that timeframe the team has hit 34 HR

20-0 - Louisiana is undefeated (20-0) when scoring at least six runs. The Ragin' Cajuns have produced six runs or more in 20 of the season's 28 games

24-1 - Alex Stewart's career Sun Belt Conference record. The reigning SBC Pitcher of the Year posted a 16-1 record and 0.66 ERA in league play in 2016

68 - Number of career extra base hits for Aleah Craighton. Over half of her 133 career base hits have been for extra bases (23 doubles, 8 triples, 37 HR)

161 - Louisiana has drawn 161 walks which ranks fourth nationally. Only Auburn (171), Florida (164) and Alabama (163) have coerced more walks

MOVING CLOSER TO HISTORY
With a pair of runs in the series finale at South Alabama, Haley Hayden passed Holly Tankersley for third place on the program's career runs scored list. Now at 219 runs scored, Hayden is closing in on the school's all-time career record of 243 scored by Nerissa Myers from 2010-13. The odds are in her favor: in her previous three seasons she reached 60 runs. Only Jerie Alexander (230) remains to catch before the race to Myers' record total begins.

SIZZLING SANDERS
DJ Sanders has quickly put a slow start to the season behind her and is steadily building a player of the year resume. Starting with the Alabama series (Feb. 18-19), Sanders pieced together three consecutive strong weekends hitting 20-for-44 (.455) with 25 runs scored, nine home runs and 17 RBI. She's continued the upswing in productivity at the onset of Sun Belt play. Over the first two weekends of league play (UTA and USA), she has hit .450 with five home runs and 14 RBI. Seven of her nine hits in SBC play have gone for extra bases, giving her a 1.300 slugging percentage.

STEWART'S STEADY
All-American pitcher Alex Stewart has surrendered five hits or less in all but two of her 10 starts. She's allowed just 16 earned runs through 56-1/3 innings pitched, yielding more than two just once. Free bases continue to be rare for the senior hurler, with only 11 walks issued overall and carries an active streak of 17 consecutive walk-free innings entering the Georgia Southern series.

STARTING TO CLICK
Kara Gremillion is beginning to settle into – and become more comfortable with – her new role as leadoff hitter (hit No. 8 in 2016). Her numbers in March provide the proof. Gremillion hit .425 (17-of-40), which brought her season average from .229 at the start of the month to her present average of .318, and reached base 30 times over 53 plate appearances striking out only twice.

STIRRING THE OFFENSE
Slap hitters Kassidy Zeringue and Kelli Martinez, who bat No. 8 and No. 9 in the lineup respectively, have provided the desired result of turning the lineup over. It was clearly evident during the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational (March 3-5) as the duo combined to go 16-for-30 at the plate, combined to reach base 21 times and even combined to produce seven RBI. For the season, the Cajuns table setters have combined for 50 base hits and 17 RBI. Zeringue tops the squad with a .387 average, while Martinez is hitting .333.

COMEAUX'S COMFORT ZONE
With each passing weekend, Lexie Comeaux is more comfortable in her role as the Ragin' Cajuns new catcher. Starting with the Alabama series, she's caught the vast majority of the innings, is moving quicker behind the plate and has become more aggressive. She's helped control the opponents on the base path, with only 13 attempted steals and five runners thrown out. She's also made huge gains offensively and now ranks fourth on the team with a .338 average and has produced seven home runs and 22 RBI.

INFIELD ROADBLOCK
Ragin' Cajuns pitchers are backed up by one of the nation's stingiest infield defense. There's the quick speed of Haley Hayden (first base) and Kassidy Zeringue (second base) on the right side and the exceptional range of motion by DJ Sanders (shortstop) and quick reflexes of Kara Gremillion (third base) on the left side that make it tough for opposing hitters to get ground balls out of the infield. The group has committed only 16 errors through 451 total chances.

HITTING ALL ANGLES
Given the amount of home run production lost from 2016, it stood to reason that the Ragin' Cajuns would have to find the gaps in the outfield to keep its offense efficient. So far, the squad has as collected 30 doubles, launched 47 home runs and has legged out seven triples.

THE DAWN OF DENHAM
Freshman pitcher Alyssa Denham showed in February that she's going to be a dependable arm for the Ragin' Cajuns in the circle. Denham worked 38 innings in the circle over the season's first month, limiting foes to 10 runs (seven earned), 21 hits and a .159 average. The highlight was a complete game, two-hit shutout of No. 4 Alabama that secured the series win for the Ragin' Cajuns and earned her USA Softball National Player of the Week honors.

DANDY DEBUT
In her first career Sun Belt Conference series, freshman pitcher Alyssa Denham yielded just seven hits, allowed only four runs (three earned) and struck out 14 batters in 13 innings of work against UTA. She recorded her top two strikeout performances of the season, tallying a season-high eight (8) in Game 2 on Saturday and an additional six (6) on Sunday.

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).

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.

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
#WhatEverItTakes: Haley Hayden has shown she's willing to play whatever role necessary to see the Cajuns succeed. Each of the past two weekends in Sun Belt play, she's played at both her customary position of first base and in right field. Whether it is helping mentor the pitchers at first base or delivering an outfield assist, Hayden's versatility proves to be a valuable asset.

#PatienceIsAVirtue: The Ragin' Cajuns hitters have turned patience and strong plate discipline into 161 walks, a tally which ranks fourth nationally trailing only Auburn's 171, Florida's 164 and Alabama's 163. Louisiana has drawn five or more walks in 18 of 28 games.

#LivingOnTheBases: Aleah Craighton has already drawn 34 walks over 110 plate appearances. She's already surpassed her personal 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).

#BreakingThrough: After being pitched around the season's first month (23 walks over 15 games), Aleah Craighton is making up for lost time. She's homered in five of the last 10 games and hit .405 with 15 runs, five home runs and 10 RBI in March.

#HummingAlong: With 33 hits to her credit, senior Haley Hayden is on pace for a potential fourth season of 60-plus hits. Hayden is nearing the program's all-time Top 5 career hits list. With 242 career hits she stands 34 shy of fifth place (Jana Mower, 276).

#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 Denham 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).

#AmongTheBest: Louisiana has an active streak of 62 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).

#GeauxCajuns

Softball Preview: Georgia Southern Series

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Players Mentioned

Lexie Comeaux

Sara Corbello

Aleah Craighton

Alyssa Denham

Lexie Elkins

Kara Gremillion

Kourtney Gremillion

Miranda Grotenhuis

Haley Hayden

Shellie Landry

Chelsea Lotief

Kelli Martinez

DJ Sanders

Alex Stewart

Kelsey Vincent

Kassidy Zeringue

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University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Softball Preview: Georgia Southern Series

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Lexie Comeaux

Sara Corbello

Aleah Craighton

Alyssa Denham

Lexie Elkins

Kara Gremillion

Kourtney Gremillion

Miranda Grotenhuis

Haley Hayden

Shellie Landry

Chelsea Lotief

Kelli Martinez

DJ Sanders

Alex Stewart

Kelsey Vincent

Kassidy Zeringue

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