10th-ranked Louisiana Returns Home for Easter Weekend

No. 10 Louisiana (39-4, 18-0 Sun Belt) vs. Georgia State (6-37, 4-14 Sun Belt)
Dates: Thursday-Saturday, April 18-20, 2019
Location: Lafayette, La.
Stadium: Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park (2,790)
Series Schedule:
      Thurs., Apr. 18 – 7:30 p.m. (CDT)
      Fri., Apr. 19 – 6 p.m. (CDT)
      Sat., Apr. 20 – 1 p.m. (CDT)

MEDIA INFORMATION
Radio: ESPN 1420-AM · Talent: Steve Peloquin, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, analyst
TV (Thursday): ESPN+ · Talent: Dan McDonald, PxP; Yvette Girouard, analyst
Live Video (Friday and Saturday): RaginCajuns.com/Watch · Talent: Dan McDonald, PxP
Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsSB

SETTING THE SCENE
Coming off a 5-0 East Coast road trip to North Carolina, 10th-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball returns home for Easter Weekend to host a Sun Belt Conference series with Georgia State.

The series with the Panthers marks the first of back-to-back weekends at Lamson Park for the Ragin' Cajuns – who also host Coastal Carolina April 26-28 – to close out the 2019 home schedule.

Louisiana (39-4, 18-0 Sun Belt) brings a season-best, 16-game winning streak into the series and is one win shy of becoming the second team in the nation to reach the 40-win mark.

The Ragin' Cajuns have equaled the program's best start in Sun Belt history, matching the starts by the 2001 and 2004 squads, and have an opportunity to set a new standard.

Gerry Glasco's squad is also closing in on a Sun Belt regular season championship, holding a 4-1/2 game lead over current second place holder Troy with nine games remaining. Should Louisiana sweep and the Trojans at least lose once this weekend, the Ragin' Cajuns would clinch a share of the title and No. 1 seed in the SBC Tournament.

Due to Easter Weekend, the series begins on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., a change in time due to Georgia State's travel plans, and concludes at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Louisiana seeks its seventh SBC series win in as many weekends. The program's streak of consecutive league series won, which dates back to March 2013, stands at 52 straight – the longest active streak in the nation.

PROMOTIONS
Thursday
Cajuns Care: Canned Food Drive Supporting Campus Cupboard

Fans are encouraged to bring canned and non-perishable food items to the game to be donated to Campus Cupboard
Ex. of items needed: Cereal, toothpaste, toothbrush, toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, soap, shaving cream, deodorant, etc.), meal in a can (stews, soups, etc.), mac & cheese, protein bars, peanut butter and granola bars

Saturday
Easter at Lamson Park

At the conclusion of the game, Easter Eggs will be tossed in the outfield of Yvette Girouard Field for the children to hunt!
Children are encouraged to bring their Easter baskets with them to the game

SERIES HISTORY (Louisiana leads, 25-3)

First 10 meetings took place in tournaments at neutral sites. Series became a regular occurrence when Georgia State joined the Sun Belt in 2014.
Louisiana won the first 16 matchups as Sun Belt foes extending a series win streak that reached 20 games prior to a GSU win in Atlanta last April 7.
Ragin' Cajuns swept the previous two SBC series held at Lamson Park (2015, 2017) and sport a 7-0 mark against the Panthers on their home turf.
Louisiana holds a 14-1 advantage in Sun Belt regular season meetings.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Infield: Louisiana is anchored on the left side by two of the best infielders in the country in senior third baseman Kara Gremillion and junior shortstop Alissa Dalton – both career .950-plus fielders. Returning starting second baseman Casidy Chaumont and Keeli Milligan have taken turns starting at the position. At first base, returning starter Kourtney Gremillion and Toledo transfer Bailey Curry share time at the position.

Outfield: Texas A&M transfer Sarah Hudek shifted to left field at the start of Sun Belt play (March 8 at Texas State). Texas Tech transfer Raina O'Neal, who sat out due to transfer rules in 2018, is making her Louisiana debut in center field and has started each game at the position. In recent weekends, Lexie Comeaux and Kourtney Gremillion have filled the right field spot when Keeli Milligan started at second base. Morgan Gray and Aeriyl Mass provide a boost with their speed and spend time in right field as a defensive replacement.

Pitchers: Preseason Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year Summer Ellyson is back as Louisiana's lead pitcher. Ellyson, a 20-game winner who ranked Top 40 nationally in all major pitching categories in 2018, is currently the national leader in victories (26) and the Sun Belt's leader in strikeouts (232). Sophomore Carrie Boswell and fifth-year senior Alison Deville have been the first out of the bullpen when Ellyson rests. Freshman Kandra Lamb of Australia and sophomore Casey Dixon add additional depth.

Catchers: Senior Lexie Comeaux and Northwestern State transfer Julie Rawls, converted to the position from the outfield, serve as the Ragin' Cajuns' main catchers. Comeaux fills the designated player role, and occasionally plays in the outfield, in order to keep her bat in the game. Rawls has seen the bulk of the playing time behind the plate in order to continue her development.

NOTABLE STREAKS AND TRENDS

For the sixth consecutive week, Louisiana is ranked inside the Top 10 of the national polls. The Ragin' Cajuns are ranked No. 10 in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25.
Louisiana completed its five-game trek to North Carolina with a .393 showing at the plate. The Ragin' Cajuns scored 35 runs and produced 12 extra base hits (9 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs).
Nine different players led Louisiana to a total of 11 hits on Tuesday at UNCG. It marked the third straight outing with double figures in hits, increasing the tally during the streak to 38 hits.
The win at UNCG increased Louisiana's road win streak to 16 games. The Ragin' Cajuns lead the nation with 17 true road wins.
Keeli Milligan (48-for-53) enters the Georgia State series four stolen bases shy of breaking Dorsey Steamer's record of 51 set back in 1992.
Summer Ellyson needs 25 more strikeouts to reach 500 in her career. The junior right-hander has recorded a personal single-season best 232 strikeouts this season.
Summer Ellyson (26-4, 1.05 ERA) is the current national leader in wins. The total represents a new career-high figure, surpassing the 23 posted in 2018.
In Sun Belt Conference play, Summer Ellyson is a perfect 13-0 with a 0.67 ERA. She has yielded only nine runs, 43 hits and held foes to a .149 average over 83-2/3 innings pitched.
Alissa Dalton has taken over the team lead with 14 multiple-hit games. Dating back to March 20, Dalton has picked up 10 multiple-hit games and is hitting .556 (30-for-54) which has raised her average to a team-leading .421.
Since March 20, Alissa Dalton has raised her season batting average over 100 points (from .313 to current .421).
Keeli Milligan is surging to the finish line in her collegiate senior season with Louisiana. She's picked up five multiple-hit games since March 31, and during that time is batting .500 (17-for-34) with eight RBI.
On Monday, Keeli Milligan became the fourth player in Ragin' Cajuns history to be selected in the National Pro Fastpitch Draft when she was selected 25th overall by the USSSA Pride.
With seven stolen bases on Monday at Campbell the Ragin' Cajuns increased their season total to a new school record 129, surpassing the previous mark of 127 which had stood since 1994.
Raina O'Neal's home run at UNCG was her ninth of the season placing her into a tie with Sarah Hudek and Julie Rawls for the team lead.
In 33 of the 43 games played, the Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff limited the opposition to two runs or fewer.
In her last four relief appearances, dating back to April 10 vs. Southeastern Louisiana, Alison Deville has tossed 5-2/3 innings of scoreless softball and posted eight strikeouts.
Over the past 93 innings (since March 24), the Louisiana pitching staff has allowed only 12 earned runs.
Louisiana's offense includes eight players with 30-plus hits, eight with multiple home runs, eight with 20-plus RBI and 10 hitting above .300.
The Ragin' Cajuns have started fast in 2019, scoring in the first inning 21 times and being the first to light up the scoreboard in 36 of 43 outings.

UP NEXT
No. 10 Louisiana travels to Ruston, La. for its final midweek game of the season on Wednesday, April 24 at Louisiana Tech. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. from the Lady Techster Softball Complex.

The Ragin' Cajuns then return to Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park April 26-28 for a Sun Belt series with Coastal Carolina and to celebrate Senior Weekend.

FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Facebook (/RaginCajunsSB), Twitter (@RaginCajunsSB) and Instagram (@Louisiana.SB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Softball.

SEASON TICKETS AVAILABLE
• Season tickets, beginning at $100, are available online at RaginCajuns.com using Account Manager, by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 265-2170 or by visiting the ticket office in person Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., and extended hours during Ragin' Cajuns basketball events.
• Fans who purchase season tickets receive priority access for any potential NCAA postseason games held at Lamson Park.
• For information on premium seating and parking at Lamson Park, contact the Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Foundation (RCAF) at (337) 851-2903. General admission parking at Cajun Field will be free for all games during the 2019 season.

- www.RaginCajuns.com -

10th-ranked Louisiana Returns Home for Easter Weekend

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Carrie Boswell

Casidy Chaumont

Lexie Comeaux

Bailey Curry

Alissa Dalton

Alison Deville

Casey Dixon

Summer Ellyson

Morgan Gray

Kara Gremillion

Kourtney Gremillion

Sarah Hudek

Kandra Lamb

Aeriyl Mass

Keeli Milligan

Raina O'Neal

Julie Rawls

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University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

10th-ranked Louisiana Returns Home for Easter Weekend

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Carrie Boswell

Casidy Chaumont

Lexie Comeaux

Bailey Curry

Alissa Dalton

Alison Deville

Casey Dixon

Summer Ellyson

Morgan Gray

Kara Gremillion

Kourtney Gremillion

Sarah Hudek

Kandra Lamb

Aeriyl Mass

Keeli Milligan

Raina O'Neal

Julie Rawls

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