Louisiana and Florida Gather for Weekend Series in Gainesville

No. 7 Louisiana (12-4) Faces No. 6 Florida (16-2) in Weekend Series
Dates: Friday-Sunday, Feb. 28-Mar. 1, 2020
Location: Gainesville, Fla.
Stadium: Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium (2,691)
Series Schedule:
Fri., Feb. 28 – 5 p.m. (CST)
Sat., Feb. 29 – 12 p.m. (CST)
Sun., Mar. 1 – 11 a.m. (CST)

MEDIA INFORMATION
Television: SEC Network Plus • Talent: Kyle Crooks & Ryan Urquhart (Friday);
Ryan Urquhart and Tom Collett (Saturday and Sunday)
Live Video Links: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Radio: ESPN 1420-AM • Talent: Steve Peloquin, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, analyst
Live Stats: FloridaGators.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsSB

SETTING THE SCENE
For the final weekend of non-conference play in the 2020 season, 7th-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball competes in a three-game series with No. 6 Florida at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, Fla.

The series with the Gators (16-2) brings a close to the first round of RPI-boosting games for the Ragin' Cajuns (12-4) which began with the home-and-home with now-No. 4 Louisiana State back on Feb. 15. Louisiana sports a 5-3 mark in those contests against teams which advanced to the 2019 super regional round (LSU, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Texas).

The weekend set in Gainesville also brings a close to a stretch of travel which began on Thursday, Feb. 20 in Birmingham, Ala., moved to Austin, Texas on Monday, Feb. 24 and then brought the team to Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 26.

Louisiana is coming off a doubleheader split at No. 3 Texas – both games decided by a single run – which began a week-long stretch of Top 10 matchups.

For the third time in the past five seasons, the Ragin' Cajuns and Gators are meeting in a weekend series. It began with a meeting in Gainesville in April 2016, followed by a three-game set at Lamson Park in February 2018.

Armed with its All-American pitching duo of Summer Ellyson and Megan Kleist, the Ragin' Cajuns seek to slow down a Gators offense that's hitting .320. Meanwhile, the squad seeks to regain its offensive momentum gained in Birmingham, after being held to a .163 clip on Tuesday in Austin.
All games in the series are set to air live on SEC Network Plus (available through WatchESPN.com). Radio coverage will be provided in the Acadiana region on SportsRadio ESPN 1420-AM and worldwide through the ESPN 1420 app.

SERIES HISTORY (Tied, 5-5)

Ragin' Cajuns won the first four series meetings, culminating with a 3-2 win in the opening game of the 2008 Women's College World Series.
Louisiana snapped Florida's five-game win streak in the series when Summer Ellyson pitched 11 innings in leading the Ragin' Cajuns to a 4-3 win in the 2018 series finale at Lamson Park.
Florida owns a 3-0 mark in matchups in Gainesville, having swept the 2016 weekend set.
It's the second Top 10 showdown in the series. Back in 2016, it was a matchup of the top-ranked Gators and No. 5 Louisiana.

QUICK HITS

When the Ragin' Cajuns arrived in Gainesville on Wednesday evening, the squad had traveled 1,449 miles by bus and 1,124 miles by airplane to reach the final destination of its current road trip. The 11-day journey, which began on Thursday, Feb. 20, concludes when the squad returns home Sunday evening.
In its contest with ranked teams – all inside the Top 10 – Louisiana has played its foes to an even score, 12-12, and all in one-run fashion.
The contests with ranked foes have had a postseason flair: every inch mattering and neither team giving in. In those six games, which Louisiana and the opposition have split, the pitching staffs sport equal 1.75 ERAs and neither offense hitting higher than .208.
Megan Kleist has led the charge in the circle in contests with ranked foes. In four appearances (three starts), she has held foes to three earned runs, 14 hits and a .163 average over 23 innings pitched.
Megan Kleist surrendered just three earned runs over her first five starts. She held Oklahoma State to one hit and kept Texas' offense scoreless after a first-inning run until two outs in the seventh inning.
Bailey Curry made a splash on the national stage on Tuesday in Texas, blasting the game-winning home run off of Miranda Elish in Game 1 and adding a solo homer in Game 2. She ended the twinbill with the Longhorns 2-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI.
Bailey Curry became the fifth Ragin' Cajun to hit multiple home runs in the season's first month. She moved into the tie for the team lead, joining Sarah Hudek and Julie Rawls, with three home runs.
The Ragin' Cajuns can cause havoc at any part of the lineup. There are 10 different individuals who have already amassed multiple RBI.
The Game 1 victory at No. 3 Texas marked the third time in five days that Louisiana rallied to win in the fifth inning or later. The previous weekend in Birmingham, the Ragin' Cajuns erased a 3-1 deficit entering the fifth inning vs. Ole Miss, and rallied from a 4-3 deficit in the sixth vs. UAB.
Megan Kleist and Summer Ellyson combined to hold No. 3 Texas to a .269 average in Tuesday's doubleheader in Austin. The Longhorns entered the night hitting .422 through the first 16 games.
Seven time in eight starts, Summer Ellyson (7-1, 1.33 ERA) has held the opposition to two runs or less. She's reached at least five strikeouts in all but one start.
It's been a tag team approach in the circle with reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year Summer Ellyson and 2018 Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year Megan Kleist alternating starts. The duo has limited foes to 21 earned runs, 63 base hits and surrendered only 20 walks over a combined 102-2/3 innings pitched.
Dating back to the 2019 season, in which she led the nation in victories (with a 39-6 mark), Summer Ellyson sports a 46-7 record with a 1.14 ERA over her past 60 appearances.
A mere two weeks into his third season as a collegiate head coach, Gerry Glasco collected his 100th career win overall and with Louisiana. The milestone triumph came Feb. 15 vs. Louisiana State at Lamson Park. Glasco's career marks stands at 105-26.
Louisiana is in the midst of the 40th season in program history, one founded by NFCA Hall of Famer Yvette Girouard back in 1981. At 1,695 all-time wins, Louisiana ranks No. 5 among all-time NCAA D1 Softball's winningest programs.
The Ragin' Cajuns were preseason ranked in the Top 10 for the sixth time since 2000. Starting off at No. 8 in the D1Softball and Softball America polls, it's was the program's highest preseason nod since 2009.

UP NEXT
No. 7 Louisiana returns to Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park on Wednesday, March 4 for a midweek contest with Campbell. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Following the Campbell matchup, the Ragin' Cajuns return to the road for their Sun Belt Conference opening series Friday-Sunday, March 6-8 in Conway, S.C., against Coastal Carolina – a rematch of the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Tournament title game.

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.

- www.RaginCajuns.com -

Louisiana and Florida Gather for Weekend Series in Gainesville

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Players Mentioned

Bailey Curry

Summer Ellyson

Sarah Hudek

Megan Kleist

Julie Rawls

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University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Louisiana and Florida Gather for Weekend Series in Gainesville

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Bailey Curry

Summer Ellyson

Sarah Hudek

Megan Kleist

Julie Rawls

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