Inside The Birdcage - Resurrection Weekend
Start this new journey with The Voice of the Ragin' Cajuns
Jay Walker, Special to RaginCajuns.com
Hi.
Gotta say, I’ve missed you.
But I’m excited to say, you’ll be hearing and seeing a lot from me right here on RaginCajuns.com.
This weekend, I was supposed to be in San Marcos, Texas, for a West Division showdown between Louisiana and Texas State. Game One, in fact, was scheduled for tonight since we no longer play on Easter Sunday (thanks, Robe and Bab).
And, as an added bonus, Brad Topham’s wife, Eileen was scheduled to make the trip. I was looking forward to seeing how much she would spend at that huge outlet mall in San Marcos (for those who have never been, it takes up a lot of real estate and totals over 150 stores).
But COVID-19 is unforgiving. It’s taken away lives, jobs and all of our sports.
The sports part of it is especially hard if you are a fan of the Ragin’ Cajuns. The fans here live for spring, and they support their Ragin' Cajuns Baseball and Softball programs like few others in the United States of America, ranking in the Top 10 nationally in attendance for both sports.
This spring, losing the seasons hit especially hard. Gerry Glasco’s softball squad had gone up against some of the best softball teams this country has to offer and showed they are as good, or better, than any of them. They looked like a team that could not only get to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series, but like a team that might win the whole darned thing.
Thinking of how good this team was took me back to remembering the first time the Ragin' Cajuns played in that tournament.
Yvette Girouard’s teams had come so tantalizingly close to becoming one of the final eight teams playing for a national title. But heartbreaking losses on the final day denied those Lady Cajuns, as they were called then, an opportunity to play on softball’s most prestigious stage.
But in 1993, the Ragin' Cajuns had another powerful squad. And, a change of pace and a trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan, turned out to be the elixir the Cajuns needed. They defeated Bowling Green State and host Michigan to claim the regional title behind All-American pitcher Kyla Hall.
The Cajuns were considered the No. 6-seeded team in the World Series, and that meant a first round game against powerful Cal State-Northridge, a team with a great offense. But it was the Cajuns’ offense that made it happen en route to a 7-2 win.
Powerhouse Arizona was next. The teams battled to a 1-1 tie after seven innings. But in the eighth, the Wildcats scored a runner from second base on a grounder to deep short and prevailed, 2-1.
Faced with elimination, the Ragin' Cajuns had Connecticut, with All-American Pat Conlan in the circle. But Missy Skow, pitching with a fever of 101, shut out the Huskies 1-0, setting up a rematch with Arizona. This time, the Cajuns got the best of the Wildcats, handing Mike Candrea’s team their first loss in the tournament, 2-1.
There were three teams remaining. The national championship would be decided on a Monday. Softball’s two most powerful teams, Arizona and UCLA, were joined by the Cajuns.
The Ragin' Cajuns drew UCLA and one of softball’s best all-time pitchers in Lisa Fernandez. The Cajuns managed only one hit and got a runner as far as third base. A fifth inning homer gave the Bruins the only run they would need in a 1-0 win, ending the Cajuns’ season. Arizona would defeat UCLA 1-0 in the title game.
To date, that’s the closest Louisiana has come to winning a national championship in softball. Coach Glasco and his squad will set their sights on a return trip in 2021.
It’s been a tough spring for Louisiana Baseball fans, as well. After losing their beloved head coach, Tony Robichaux, last July, the spring was supposed to be part of the healing process for the fans who were still devastated by the loss. The fans came on Opening Night for the first game under new head coach Matt Deggs and saw the #36 on the outfield wall. Many were there the next day for the unveiling of the statue honoring the career and life of "36". The team started slowly, but won seven out of eight, and were about to start conference play against Coastal Carolina when the season came to an abrupt halt.
But the good news is, we have our memories. And, this week marked the 20th anniversary of arguably the biggest at-bat in Ragin' Cajuns Baseball history.
The 2000 Ragin' Cajuns were 28-2 and ranked fourth in the country when they took the field against Tulane, a team they had beaten 12-1 the week before. But on this night, Henry Bonilla stymied the Cajuns and carried a two-hit shutout into the ninth inning, leading 2-0. Bonilla got the first out in the ninth, but back-to-back singles by Ryan Gill and Nathan Nelson gave the Cajuns hope. A pop-up left the Cajuns one out away from a loss, and brought up Tommy Clark. Clark was a Texas A&M transfer playing his final season at Louisiana. He fell behind in the count as Gill and Nelson pulled off a double steal, putting the tying run in scoring position. Clark fouled off pitches while working the count to 3-2 and then fouled off another half-dozen pitches as the near sellout crowd at “The Tigue” got louder on every pitch. On Bonilla’s 14th pitch of the at-bat, Clark drilled a shot over the center fielder’s head for a triple, tying the score and sending the crowd into a frenzy. Danny Massiatte then hit a ground ball to second that was mishandled for an error as Clark raced home with the winning run.
Why was that the most important at-bat in Cajuns’ history?
After the regular season ended, regional sites were announced prior to the conference tournaments (it was the last time it would be done that way). And, as we listened to the conference call, we heard Lafayette was going to be one of the host sites. When asked about the bid, the chairman of the selection committee said the final slot came down to Louisiana and Tulane, and the Cajuns were awarded the bid because they defeated Tulane twice. Tulane was instead sent to Starkville to play Mississippi State and Notre Dame.
We know what happened after that. The Ragin' Cajuns, playing at home, won their regional and then stunned the top-ranked team in the country in South Carolina to secure a berth in the CWS. Louisiana finished tied for third after beating San Jose State and Clemson and falling twice to Stanford.
But I don’t know if they could have accomplished all that if they had not hosted the regional. And, that makes Tommy Clark a part of Cajuns Baseball lore forever.
Those two memories have put a smile on my face and I hope yours, as well.
So here we are. This weekend is the most important in the Christian world as we celebrate Easter. The Resurrection. The hope of the future. And, despite everything we are going through as a community and a society, I have hope for the future. I have hope for the 2020 Louisiana Football season. I hope things will return to normal, whatever the new “normal” is. What happened so long ago gives me plenty of hope.
It’s my prayer it does the same for you.
Happy Easter, everyone.
