Softball Preview: Sun Belt Conference Tournament

No. 14 Louisiana (42-6, 23-1 Sun Belt) at Sun Belt Tournament
Thursday, May 11 • 10 a.m. (CDT) • vs. South Alabama/UTA winner • Troy Softball Complex (800) • Troy, Ala.
Next game with win: Friday, May 12 • 11 a.m. (CDT)
Next game with loss: Thursday, May 11 • 3 p.m. (CDT)

SUN BELT TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Game Notes (PDF): Louisiana | South Alabama | UTA
Radio: ESPN 1420-AM • Talent: Steve Peloquin, PxP
Live Stats: SunBeltSports.org
Live Video: ESPN3 and WatchESPN app
Rosters: Louisiana | South Alabama | UTA
Schedules: Louisiana | South Alabama | UTA
Season Stats: Louisiana | South Alabama | UTA
Ragin' Cajuns Twitter: @ULRaginCajuns | @RaginCajunsSB
Opponent's Twitter: @USAJagsSoftball | @UTASoftball

SUN BELT TOURNAMENT HISTORY
All-Time Record: 53-8
Championships: 13 (2000-06, 2008-11, 2014, 2016)
Last Championship: 2016 (Jaguar Field; Mobile, Ala.)

THE COACHES
Louisiana: Michael Lotief (Louisiana, 1985)
Career Record: 726-174-1 (15th season)           Record at Louisiana: Same

South Alabama: Becky Clark (Mobile, 1995)
Career Record: 536-245-2 (14th season)           Record at USA: 380-212-1 (11th season)

UTA: Kristie Fox (Arizona, 2007)
Career Record: 131-133 (5th season)                 Record at UTA: Same

5 THINGS TO KNOW
1 – After a bye from the opening day of action at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, 14th-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball begins play in the event on Thursday, May 11 at 10 a.m.

2 – The Ragin' Cajuns are the defending champions at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, having won the event in Mobile, Ala., last season, and seek their 14th title in the event's 18-year history.

3 – Louisiana hit .355 as a team and averaged 8.71 runs per game in Sun Belt Conference play during the regular season. DJ Sanders (.431, 15 HR, 43 RBI), Haley Hayden (.431, 8 HR, 25 RBI) and Aleah Craighton (.410, 12 HR, 31 RBI) paced the offense against conference foes.

4 – Over the final three weekends of Sun Belt play, Alex Stewart (22-3, 1.79 ERA) held foes to three earned runs and just 18 hits over the 37-1/3 innings she pitched.

5 – Milestones to watch: DJ Sanders is two home runs shy of becoming only the third player in Ragin' Cajuns history to reach 30 home runs (would join Lexie Elkins and Danyele Gomez). Haley Hayden needs three runs to become the 24th player in NCAA history to reach 250 career runs.

POSTSEASON OPENS IN TROY
14th-ranked and Sun Belt Conference champion Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball (42-6, 23-1 Sun Belt) begins postseason play in Troy, Ala., at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament being held Wednesday- Saturday, May 10-13. Louisiana received a bye in the quarterfinal round and opens tournament play on Thursday, May 12 at 10 a.m.

TRULY RAGIN'
The Ragin' Cajuns head to the Sun Belt Tournament winners of 10 straight and 25 of 26 overall since their last loss of regulation length (March 9 vs. #15 Baylor). And, they're coming off a .375 showing at the plate as a team in April which saw the squad post 52 extra base hits and score double digits in 10 of 17 contests.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP PATH
Louisiana earned the top seed in this week's Sun Belt Tournament after they set a new league record with 23 conference wins. The record-breaking campaign saw the Ragin' Cajuns win each SBC series, extending the school- and Sun Belt-record streak of consecutive conference series victories to 37 dating back to March 2013.

FAMILIAR SPOT
The Ragin' Cajuns collected the 2017 Sun Belt Conference championship during Senior Weekend at Lamson Park. It marked the fourth straight (2014-17) season claiming the title and 15th overall in 17 seasons of league competition (2001-pres.).

BACK TO DEFEND TITLE
The Ragin' Cajuns are the defending Sun Belt Tournament champions, having won the event last season at Jaguar Field in Mobile, Ala. Louisiana has claimed the title 13 times in the 17-year history of the SBC Tournament and sports an all-time record of 53-8 in the event.

MAY MADNESS
The month of May has arrived, meaning softball's version of the NCAA Tournament is near. Louisiana seeks its 19th straight appearance and 27th in the past 28 seasons. Selection Sunday is May 14 (9 p.m. CT on ESPN2) and the regional round begins May 19.

FOLLOW THE LEADER
Alex Stewart posted a 15-0 record in Sun Belt play in leading Louisiana to the championship. She was the leader in wins in conference play and the only pitcher with 15-plus appearances to finish undefeated. Stewart's final career mark in SBC regular season play was 36-1.

ON POINT
Alex Stewart showed over the final three weekends of regular season play that she's zoned in and is hitting her stride as postseason play arrives. Over the final 37-1/3 innings pitched in Sun Belt play, she held foes to three earned runs and just 18 hits.

DYNAMIC DJ
DJ Sanders is the nation's leader in runs per game (1.42), home runs (28), home runs per game (0.58), RBI (73), RBI per game (1.52), total bases (149) and slugging percentage (1.088) through April. Over half of her total hits (55) produced have been home runs (28).

MULTIPLE SLUGGERS
The offensive load doesn't solely rest on DJ Sanders' shoulders. Including Sanders, the Ragin' Cajuns lineup features five hitters with at least 45 RBI.

HEY, IT'S HALEY
Much attention has been focused on DJ Sanders and her nation-leading home run exploits. Equally strong of late has been Haley Hayden who hit a team-best .469 with seven homers and 28 RBI in April.

THE WHOLE STORY
The offensive statistics are what pop out when you glance at DJ Sanders' stat line. However, head coach Michael Lotief points out that her impact extends to defense and leadership qualities. "It's the total package that is impressive, not just home runs." Lotief said. "She's making some incredible plays that are not easy to make and she's making them look easy. Unlike in years past, she's become vocal and is becoming a leader helping our younger kids feel comfortable playing the game."

GOLD GLOVE
DJ Sanders enjoyed her finest season defensively, with only one error in Sun Belt play over 72 chances and just six the entire season through 135 total chances.

SANDERS EYES 30
DJ Sanders is staring down 30 home runs – a mark that only former three-time All-Americans Lexie Elkins (32 in 2015) and Danyele Gomez (30 in 2006) have reached in program history.

MISS CONSISTENCY
Senior right fielder Haley Hayden has been the Cajuns most reliable bat throughout her career. The proof: on Sunday at ULM she reached 60 hits for the fourth straight year. Hayden's career totals for hits (269), runs (247) and RBI (212) have all exceeded the 200 threshold.

THE THREAT REMAINS
Many have had their eyes on DJ Sanders as the Cajuns most feared hitter. Two spots down in the lineup, Aleah Craighton offers a reminder of the reputation she's built as one of the top batters in the Sun Belt. She has provided a reliable source of power and run production once again, reaching double digit home runs (16) and 40 RBI (47) for a third straight season.

COMEAUX'S CAUGHT ON
Replacing an All-American is never easy to do. Lexie Comeaux has performed exceptionally well in filling the shoes of last year's starter, and three-time All-American, Lexie Elkins. She's hitting .347 with nine homers and 45 RBI and has controlled the opponents running game throwing out eight runners attempting to steal in only 23 attempts. Not bad for moving to the position in January after an injury to Miranda Grotenhuis changed the Cajuns plans.

STILL A VALUABLE WEAPON
Aleah Craighton's two-home run day at ULM on Sunday upped the Cajuns season total to 80 – the fifth straight season (eighth time overall) that the program reaches 80 home runs under Michael Lotief's guidance. The preseason thought was that after losing sluggers who combined for 63 homers in 2016, the approach might change. While that's the case to a certain extent, the 2017 squad has proven that they can utilize the long ball to drive the offense.

SERIES HISTORY VS. SOUTH ALABAMA
Series Record: Louisiana leads 27-11
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads 15-2
In Mobile, Ala.: Louisiana leads 11-6
Neutral Site: South Alabama leads 3-1
Current Streak: Louisiana won 5
In Sun Belt Tournament: South Alabama leads 4-3

2017 Series (Louisiana won 3-0 in Mobile, Ala.)
G1 (3/25): LA 8, USA 3
G2 (3/25): LA 4, USA 2
G3 (3/26): LA 9, USA 4

SERIES HISTORY VS. UTA
Series Record: Louisiana leads 24-5
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads 11-2
In Arlington, Texas: Louisiana leads 8-1
Neutral Site: Louisiana leads 5-2
Current Streak: Louisiana won 3
In Sun Belt Tournament: 0-0

2017 Series (Louisiana won 3-0 at Lamson Park)
G1 (3/25): LA 6, UTA 5
G2 (3/25): LA 6, UTA 2
G3 (3/26): LA 11, UTA 2 (6 inn.)

2 – DJ Sanders is two home runs shy of becoming the third Cajun to hit 30 home runs in a single season. She would join Lexie Elkins (32 in 2015) and Danyele Gomez (30 in 2006) on the exclusive list

4 – Of the Ragin' Cajuns' six losses, a total of four have come by one run

6 – DJ Sanders has hit six grand slams in 2017, tying the NCAA record for a season (last reached by former Cajun Christi Orgeron)

23 – Louisiana set a Sun Belt record with 23 conference wins

24 – The Ragin' Cajuns have scored in the first inning 24 times and hold a 88-12 runs scored edge in the frame

36-1 – Alex Stewart's career Sun Belt record. She finished the 2017 regular season 15-0 in league action

37-0 – Louisiana's record when scoring six runs or more

40 – Leadoff hitter Kara Gremillion has reached base 40 straight games. She's struck out only 10 times in 193 plate appearances

89 – Combined hits by the Cajuns table setters Kassidy Zeringue (No. 8 hitter) and Kelli Martinez (No. 9 hitter)

259 – Cajuns hitters have turned patience and strong plate discipline into 259 walks, a tally which ranks second nationally trailing only Auburn's 265

DIAMOND NOTES
#LineupShift: The choice to work around DJ Sanders became an even more riskier gamble when she was elevated to the No. 2 spot in order (up from cleanup) at Texas State. Now she's backed up by the team's hottest hitter of late, Haley Hayden (hit .469 with 7 HR and 28 RBI in April), and Aleah Craighton who owns 80 career extra base hits.

#StandingHerGround: Senior pitcher Alex Stewart has had held opponents to two earned runs or less in 20 of 22 starts. She yielded just 15 earned runs and 48 hits over 75-2/3 innings in Sun Belt play.

#BigInnings: Over the last five weeks, the Ragin' Cajuns have generated 25 different innings of three-plus runs.

#GoGoGremillion: Kara Gremillion enters the Sun Belt Tournament with a string of 40 consecutive games reaching base safely. She provides a strong presence for the Ragin' Cajuns in the leadoff position, having struck out only 10 times through 193 plate appearances all season long.

#SluggingToTheTop: Lexie Comeaux vaulted into the Top 10 for RBI in the Sun Belt Conference both overall and in conference games after generating 16 RBI alone over the final two series in April (7 vs. Georgia State, 9 vs. Coastal Carolina).

#ZippingAlong: Kassidy Zeringue has delivered 11 multiple-hit games hitting from the No. 8 spot and has maintained a .370-plus batting average since March 1. In Sun Belt play, she generated at least three base hits in five of eight series and posted seven multiple-hit games.

#WhatEverItTakes: Haley Hayden has shown she's willing to play whatever role necessary to see the Cajuns succeed. Earlier in the season she started at first base. The final five weekends in Sun Belt play she played in right field. Whether it is helping mentor the pitchers at first base or delivering an outfield assist, Hayden's versatility is a valuable asset.

#AmongTheBest: Louisiana has an active streak of 68 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: Sun Belt Conference Tournament

Players Mentioned

Lexie Comeaux

Aleah Craighton

Lexie Elkins

Kara Gremillion

Miranda Grotenhuis

Haley Hayden

Kelli Martinez

DJ Sanders

Alex Stewart

Kassidy Zeringue

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University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Softball Preview: Sun Belt Conference Tournament

Players Mentioned

Lexie Comeaux

Aleah Craighton

Lexie Elkins

Kara Gremillion

Miranda Grotenhuis

Haley Hayden

Kelli Martinez

DJ Sanders

Alex Stewart

Kassidy Zeringue

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