University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Friday, February 14
Lafayette
6 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
vs
Southeastern Louisiana
No. 24 Louisiana Baseball Welcomes Southeastern Louisiana, Louisiana Tech on Opening Weekend
2/13/2020 5:22:00 PM | Baseball
LAFAYETTE – A special 2020 Louisiana Baseball season will begin this weekend when the Ragin' Cajuns battle respected programs Southeastern Louisiana on Friday at 6 p.m. and Louisiana Tech on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m.
On Friday, fans are asked to get to the ballpark early for a special tribute ceremony dedicated to Coach Tony Robichaux starting at 5:55 p.m. which also includes a ceremonial first pitch by the Robichaux family. The first 3,000 fans in the stadium will receive a #Robe36 commemorative poster.
First-year head coach Matt Deggs will be tasked to carry on the legacy of Coach Robichaux and previously coached at Louisiana as an assistant under Robichaux from 2012-2014. After the conclusion of the historic 2014 season, Deggs departed Louisiana to become the head coach at Sam Houston State, where he has spent the last five seasons and led the program to two NCAA Tournament appearances which includes one Super Regional.
Pitching Coach BJ Ryan is back with the Ragin' Cajuns, having played two years for Louisiana (1997-1998), helping it earn its first Sun Belt Tournament Championship in 1998. Ryan also pitched 11 years in the MLB, earning All-Star appearances with the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays.
Louisiana has already announced the starting weekend rotation of Conor Angel, Will Moriarty and Carter Robinson. Angel will become the first opening day starter since Joe Zimmerman in 2011 that was not on the Louisiana roster the season prior.
The Ragin' Cajuns have only three position players with 20 or more starts returning from last year in Hayden Cantrelle, Brennan Breaux and Tremaine Spears.
Cantrelle is one of the more noteworthy players on the roster and around the Sun Belt, having been named a Cape Cod League All-Star this past summer and a First Team All-Sun Belt Conference shortstop last spring. The junior had an incredible year at the plate in 2019, batting .309 with nine home runs and 31 RBI. He also paced the conference in steals with 28.
Southeastern Louisiana finished the 2019 season with a 33-27 record and lost in the Southland Conference Championship game to Central Arkansas. The Lions are slated to start LHP Trey Shaffer on opening night. Louisiana Tech finished its 2019 campaign with a 34-24 record and are planning to start LHP Jonathan Fincher on Saturday afternoon, with their Sunday starter listed as TBA.
Friday evening's game will be broadcast on Cox Sports Television (CST) and ESPN+, while the games on Saturday and Sunday will begin at 2 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, and can be streamed at RaginCajuns.com/Watch.
Saturday's game against Louisiana Tech will feature a Super 1 Foods Pregame Tailgate Party starting at 11:00 a.m. Gates will open at Russo Park at 12:30 for the 2 p.m. first pitch. Sunday will be Kids Day at the Ballpark, with gates opening at 11:30 a.m. for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
For the latest updates on Ragin' Cajuns baseball, follow on Facebook (RaginCajunsBaseball), Twitter (@RaginCajunsBSB) and Instagram (@RaginCajunsBSB) or check RaginCajuns.com.
On Friday, fans are asked to get to the ballpark early for a special tribute ceremony dedicated to Coach Tony Robichaux starting at 5:55 p.m. which also includes a ceremonial first pitch by the Robichaux family. The first 3,000 fans in the stadium will receive a #Robe36 commemorative poster.
First-year head coach Matt Deggs will be tasked to carry on the legacy of Coach Robichaux and previously coached at Louisiana as an assistant under Robichaux from 2012-2014. After the conclusion of the historic 2014 season, Deggs departed Louisiana to become the head coach at Sam Houston State, where he has spent the last five seasons and led the program to two NCAA Tournament appearances which includes one Super Regional.
Pitching Coach BJ Ryan is back with the Ragin' Cajuns, having played two years for Louisiana (1997-1998), helping it earn its first Sun Belt Tournament Championship in 1998. Ryan also pitched 11 years in the MLB, earning All-Star appearances with the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays.
Louisiana has already announced the starting weekend rotation of Conor Angel, Will Moriarty and Carter Robinson. Angel will become the first opening day starter since Joe Zimmerman in 2011 that was not on the Louisiana roster the season prior.
The Ragin' Cajuns have only three position players with 20 or more starts returning from last year in Hayden Cantrelle, Brennan Breaux and Tremaine Spears.
Cantrelle is one of the more noteworthy players on the roster and around the Sun Belt, having been named a Cape Cod League All-Star this past summer and a First Team All-Sun Belt Conference shortstop last spring. The junior had an incredible year at the plate in 2019, batting .309 with nine home runs and 31 RBI. He also paced the conference in steals with 28.
Southeastern Louisiana finished the 2019 season with a 33-27 record and lost in the Southland Conference Championship game to Central Arkansas. The Lions are slated to start LHP Trey Shaffer on opening night. Louisiana Tech finished its 2019 campaign with a 34-24 record and are planning to start LHP Jonathan Fincher on Saturday afternoon, with their Sunday starter listed as TBA.
Friday evening's game will be broadcast on Cox Sports Television (CST) and ESPN+, while the games on Saturday and Sunday will begin at 2 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, and can be streamed at RaginCajuns.com/Watch.
Saturday's game against Louisiana Tech will feature a Super 1 Foods Pregame Tailgate Party starting at 11:00 a.m. Gates will open at Russo Park at 12:30 for the 2 p.m. first pitch. Sunday will be Kids Day at the Ballpark, with gates opening at 11:30 a.m. for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
For the latest updates on Ragin' Cajuns baseball, follow on Facebook (RaginCajunsBaseball), Twitter (@RaginCajunsBSB) and Instagram (@RaginCajunsBSB) or check RaginCajuns.com.
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF/INF
/ BaseballMatt Deggs Media Availability (May 12, 2025)
Monday, May 12
Matt Deggs Media Availability (May 4, 2025)
Monday, May 05
Beyond The Bases - Louisiana Baseball - Episode 4
Friday, May 02
Matt Deggs Media Availability (April 28, 2025)
Monday, April 28
