University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Louisiana Softball Faces Georgia Southern in First Sun Belt Road Series
3/17/2022 9:29:00 PM | Softball
First trip for the 23rd-ranked Ragin' Cajuns outside the state of Louisiana's borders
No. 23 Louisiana (15-7, 2-1 Sun Belt) at Georgia Southern (6-13, 1-2 Sun Belt)
Dates: Friday-Sunday, March 18-20, 2022
Location: Statesboro, Ga.
Stadium: Eagle Field
Series Schedule:
     Fri., March 18 – 5 p.m. (CDT)
     Sat., March 19 – 1 p.m. (CDT)
     Sun., March 20 – 12 p.m. (CDT)
MEDIA INFORMATION
Season Stats: Louisiana | Georgia Southern
Rosters: Louisiana | Georgia Southern
Schedule/Results: Louisiana | Georgia Southern
Television: ESPN+ Â |Â Talent: Danny Waugh, PxP
Radio:Â ESPN Lafayette 103.3 FM // 1420 AM Â |Â Talent: Ian Auzenne, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, analyst
Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Live Video: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Audio: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Stats:Â Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Twitter Updates:Â @RaginCajunsSB
Â
THE BASICS
>> No. 23 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball (15-7, 2-1) travels outside the state's borders for the first time in the 2022 season and resumes Sun Belt Conference play from Friday-Sunday, March 18-20 in Statesboro, Ga., with a weekend series against Georgia Southern (6-13, 1-2 Sun Belt).
Â
>> Louisiana, the two-time defending regular season champion, began its Sun Belt Conference title defense and the quest for the program's 18th regular season SBC title last weekend capturing a series win over Georgia State at Lamson Park.
Â
>> The Ragin' Cajuns carry an active streak of 65 consecutive Sun Belt Conference series to Statesboro – the nation's longest active streak of consecutive conference series won, which dates back to March 2013.Â
Â
>> Louisiana seeks to rebound from Wednesday's doubleheader loss to No. 25 Texas. Under the guidance of head coach Gerry Glasco, the Ragin' Cajuns have never lost more than two consecutive games.
Â
>> The Ragin' Cajuns appear at Eagle Field in Statesboro for the first time since the 2019 season – the lone prior trip with Gerry Glasco.
Â
>> It's the first road conference for Louisiana's group of 12 newcomers on the roster, a total which includes eight first-year freshmen.
Â
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE MATCHUP
>> Louisiana holds an 18-2 edge over Georgia Southern in the all-time series.
Â
>> All but two meetings have occurred since Georgia Southern joined Sun Belt (2015). Initial SBC series took place at Lamson Park in March 2015 (was first meeting on either campus).
Â
>> Seventh Sun Belt series meeting. Louisiana won the series the previous six matchups.
>> The Ragin' Cajuns have won the last seven meetings including three-game sweeps in the last two Sun Belt series (2019 in Statesboro and 2021 in Lafayette).
Â
>> Louisiana holds an 8-1 advantage in Statesboro, having won the last six games at Eagle Field.
Â
THE LAST TIME OUT
>> A late-game push carried No. 25 Texas to the finish line in Game 1 and a seventh inning rally fell short for No. 23 Louisiana in Game 2 as the visiting Longhorns picked up a 10-2, 3-2 doubleheader sweep on Wednesday, March 16 at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.
Â
>> Game 1 of the twinbill was deadlocked at 2-2 through five innings, with both Longhorns runs being unearned and Kandra Lamb yielding only one hit. Texas snapped the tie with a seven-run sixth inning.
Â
>> Meghan Schorman finished her relief effort in Game 2 with four consecutive scoreless innings pitched to match Texas' Hailey Dolcini and keep the Ragin' Cajuns within striking distance.
Â
>> Louisiana made a run at a rally in the bottom of the seventh inning, starting with a Laney Credeur solo home run to lead off the frame. Kramer Eschete singled and Maddie Hayden doubled in succession to plate another run and slice the deficit to 3-2.
Â
NUMBERS TO KNEAUX
1: In the 8-1/3 innings of relief that she pitched in the two matchups vs. LSU, Meghan Schorman yielded only one run.
.197: The Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff held the opposition to a sub-.200 average the first five weeks of the season. Entering the Texas doubleheader, opponents were batting .197.
2: In games from March 3 through March 9, Ragin' Cajuns pitchers yielded only two runs over 18 innings (2 runs, 10 hits, 27 strikeouts) in relief effort situations.
2.65: Louisiana entered the week ranked No. 4 nationally averaging 2.65 stolen bases per game (53 swipes in 20 games).
5: Stormy Kotzelnick is the team leader with five multiple-RBI games (ranks second overall with 15 total RBI).
5: Sophie Piskos is tied for the team lead (with Alex Langeliers) with five home runs. The total has come in only 43 plate appearances.
.667: Taylor Roman's batting average (4-for-6) over the two games that she started in (Games 2 and 3) in the Georgia State series.
7: Louisiana's pitching staff has yielded only seven home runs to the opposition through 136 innings.
7: Seven different players hit at least one home run in the Georgia State series.
9: Number of shutouts posted by Louisiana's pitching staff.
9: The Ragin' Cajuns offense has produced double-digit hits in nine games.
11: There are 11 players on Louisiana's roster who have already produced double-digit base hits.
14-0: Louisiana's record when scoring first.
15: Louisiana totaled 15 extra base hits over the three-game Sun Belt Opening Weekend series with Georgia State.
18: Kandra Lamb totaled a series-high 18 strikeouts over 11 innings of work vs. Georgia State. The highlight was a career-high 13 strikeouts in the series opener.
19: In the two wins Louisiana posted over Georgia State in the series, the squad posted 19 runs over 10 innings at the plate combined over Games 2 and 3 of the set.
30-2/3: Louisiana's pitching staff started the 2022 season with 30-2/3 consecutive scoreless innings pitched.
.360: Batting average for the Ragin' Cajuns offense after the season's first 22 games.
.446: Louisiana's on base percentage, which ranks Top 5 nationally. The Ragin' Cajuns are also one of only seven teams nationally entering the weekend with a .440-plus on base percentage (list includes Oklahoma, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Marshall and UCLA).
83/68: The Ragin' Cajuns hitters have drawn more walks (83) than they have struck out (68).
126: Consecutive editions of the Top 25 polls that Louisiana has appeared in at least one poll – a streak which dates back to April 2013.
Â
A QUICK LOOK AT THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Infield: Now in her first full season as Louisiana's primary catcher, Sophie Piskos brings an infectious energy and enthusiasm to the lineup and is continuing to build upon last season's strong finish (hit .429 from April 20 onward). Back from injury that ended her 2021 season just six games in, Taylor Roman made a strong case for covering the first base bag after turning in three triples, a home run and eight RBI on Opening Weekend. With an 11-game hitting streak and a .500-plus average in February, Stormy Kotzelnick penciled herself into the lineup at second base. Power 5 transfer Jourdyn Campbell (Texas A&M) entered the season as the front runner at third base and has held her spot. At shortstop, freshman Alexa Langeliers was the Opening Day starter and was there the entire weekend due to an impressive.429 showing at the plate which included a pair of home runs vs. UAB. Melissa Mayeux provides Louisiana with the flexibility to play all infield positions, and can even serve as backup catcher for Piskos.
Â
Outfield: The Ragin' Cajuns "rock" in center field, Raina O'Neal, hit .300-plus and slugged .500-plus all three previous seasons with the program. O'Neal, who missed the final three months of the 2021 season due to injury, has been limited by injury the past two weeks. Freshman Maddie Hayden, the younger sister of four-time All-Sun Belt and All-Central Region performer Haley Hayden, has used her speed and a hot streak at the plate – hit .619 with three doubles, two triples and five stolen bases from Feb. 13-27 – to land a spot in the lineup. Hayden emerged in left field, but in recent weeks has covered center field with O'Neal limited by injury. Senior Jenna Kean is the team's primary speed option in the stolen base department and is the veteran of a rotation in right field that includes freshmen Kramer Eschete, Kayla Falterman and Samantha Graeter. In recent games the freshman trio has alternated starts in right field with Kean, and also filled in the left field spot after Hayden slid over to center field.
Â
Pitchers: The coaches expect a true "pitching staff" in the circle to be the norm throughout the season. Kandra Lamb, who pitched a three-hit shutout of LSU in her final start of the 2021 season, is ready to take her turn as the leader. Kentucky-transfer Meghan Schorman and freshman Sam Landry are expected to round out the rotation of "starters" with Lamb. Schorman was off to a 7-1 start with a 1.30 ERA before the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, while Landry was the No. 4-rated recruit by Extra Inning Softball and shined in last summer's Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) High School Senior All-American Game. The staff approach has played out early on, with the starting nod spread evenly amongst Lamb (8), Landry (6) and Schorman (5) Â Vanessa Foreman and Karly Heath are playing a role in relief assignments, further deepening the staff approach.
Â
DIAMOND NOTES
ABOUT LOUISIANA
During the 2021 season, the Ragin' Cajuns reached the 40-win mark for the 22nd consecutive completed season, closing out the regular season winning 25 of the final 29 games, and advanced to Championship Sunday of the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional. Louisiana repeated as Sun Belt Conference regular season and tournament champions highlighted by an 11-1 record, regular season and tournament combined, against the league's other three NCAA Tournament participants (Texas State, Troy and South Alabama).
Â
Moving forward into the 2022 season, Louisiana is armed with the nation's No. 1-ranked recruiting class of the 2021 recruits by Extra Inning Softball including the No. 4-rated recruit in pitcher Sam Landry and No. 15-rated recruit in outfielder Maddie Hayden, has first team All-Sun Belt performer Kandra Lamb back in the circle seeking to pick up where Summer Ellyson left off, and welcomes back Raina O'Neal and Taylor Roman and their power bats back to the lineup.
Â
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.
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
Â
Dates: Friday-Sunday, March 18-20, 2022
Location: Statesboro, Ga.
Stadium: Eagle Field
Series Schedule:
     Fri., March 18 – 5 p.m. (CDT)
     Sat., March 19 – 1 p.m. (CDT)
     Sun., March 20 – 12 p.m. (CDT)
MEDIA INFORMATION
Season Stats: Louisiana | Georgia Southern
Rosters: Louisiana | Georgia Southern
Schedule/Results: Louisiana | Georgia Southern
Television: ESPN+ Â |Â Talent: Danny Waugh, PxP
Radio:Â ESPN Lafayette 103.3 FM // 1420 AM Â |Â Talent: Ian Auzenne, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, analyst
Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Live Video: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Audio: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Stats:Â Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Twitter Updates:Â @RaginCajunsSB
Â
THE BASICS
>> No. 23 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball (15-7, 2-1) travels outside the state's borders for the first time in the 2022 season and resumes Sun Belt Conference play from Friday-Sunday, March 18-20 in Statesboro, Ga., with a weekend series against Georgia Southern (6-13, 1-2 Sun Belt).
Â
>> Louisiana, the two-time defending regular season champion, began its Sun Belt Conference title defense and the quest for the program's 18th regular season SBC title last weekend capturing a series win over Georgia State at Lamson Park.
Â
>> The Ragin' Cajuns carry an active streak of 65 consecutive Sun Belt Conference series to Statesboro – the nation's longest active streak of consecutive conference series won, which dates back to March 2013.Â
Â
>> Louisiana seeks to rebound from Wednesday's doubleheader loss to No. 25 Texas. Under the guidance of head coach Gerry Glasco, the Ragin' Cajuns have never lost more than two consecutive games.
Â
>> The Ragin' Cajuns appear at Eagle Field in Statesboro for the first time since the 2019 season – the lone prior trip with Gerry Glasco.
Â
>> It's the first road conference for Louisiana's group of 12 newcomers on the roster, a total which includes eight first-year freshmen.
Â
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE MATCHUP
>> Louisiana holds an 18-2 edge over Georgia Southern in the all-time series.
Â
>> All but two meetings have occurred since Georgia Southern joined Sun Belt (2015). Initial SBC series took place at Lamson Park in March 2015 (was first meeting on either campus).
Â
>> Seventh Sun Belt series meeting. Louisiana won the series the previous six matchups.
>> The Ragin' Cajuns have won the last seven meetings including three-game sweeps in the last two Sun Belt series (2019 in Statesboro and 2021 in Lafayette).
Â
>> Louisiana holds an 8-1 advantage in Statesboro, having won the last six games at Eagle Field.
Â
THE LAST TIME OUT
>> A late-game push carried No. 25 Texas to the finish line in Game 1 and a seventh inning rally fell short for No. 23 Louisiana in Game 2 as the visiting Longhorns picked up a 10-2, 3-2 doubleheader sweep on Wednesday, March 16 at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.
Â
>> Game 1 of the twinbill was deadlocked at 2-2 through five innings, with both Longhorns runs being unearned and Kandra Lamb yielding only one hit. Texas snapped the tie with a seven-run sixth inning.
Â
>> Meghan Schorman finished her relief effort in Game 2 with four consecutive scoreless innings pitched to match Texas' Hailey Dolcini and keep the Ragin' Cajuns within striking distance.
Â
>> Louisiana made a run at a rally in the bottom of the seventh inning, starting with a Laney Credeur solo home run to lead off the frame. Kramer Eschete singled and Maddie Hayden doubled in succession to plate another run and slice the deficit to 3-2.
Â
NUMBERS TO KNEAUX
1: In the 8-1/3 innings of relief that she pitched in the two matchups vs. LSU, Meghan Schorman yielded only one run.
.197: The Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff held the opposition to a sub-.200 average the first five weeks of the season. Entering the Texas doubleheader, opponents were batting .197.
2: In games from March 3 through March 9, Ragin' Cajuns pitchers yielded only two runs over 18 innings (2 runs, 10 hits, 27 strikeouts) in relief effort situations.
2.65: Louisiana entered the week ranked No. 4 nationally averaging 2.65 stolen bases per game (53 swipes in 20 games).
5: Stormy Kotzelnick is the team leader with five multiple-RBI games (ranks second overall with 15 total RBI).
5: Sophie Piskos is tied for the team lead (with Alex Langeliers) with five home runs. The total has come in only 43 plate appearances.
.667: Taylor Roman's batting average (4-for-6) over the two games that she started in (Games 2 and 3) in the Georgia State series.
7: Louisiana's pitching staff has yielded only seven home runs to the opposition through 136 innings.
7: Seven different players hit at least one home run in the Georgia State series.
9: Number of shutouts posted by Louisiana's pitching staff.
9: The Ragin' Cajuns offense has produced double-digit hits in nine games.
11: There are 11 players on Louisiana's roster who have already produced double-digit base hits.
14-0: Louisiana's record when scoring first.
15: Louisiana totaled 15 extra base hits over the three-game Sun Belt Opening Weekend series with Georgia State.
18: Kandra Lamb totaled a series-high 18 strikeouts over 11 innings of work vs. Georgia State. The highlight was a career-high 13 strikeouts in the series opener.
19: In the two wins Louisiana posted over Georgia State in the series, the squad posted 19 runs over 10 innings at the plate combined over Games 2 and 3 of the set.
30-2/3: Louisiana's pitching staff started the 2022 season with 30-2/3 consecutive scoreless innings pitched.
.360: Batting average for the Ragin' Cajuns offense after the season's first 22 games.
.446: Louisiana's on base percentage, which ranks Top 5 nationally. The Ragin' Cajuns are also one of only seven teams nationally entering the weekend with a .440-plus on base percentage (list includes Oklahoma, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Marshall and UCLA).
83/68: The Ragin' Cajuns hitters have drawn more walks (83) than they have struck out (68).
126: Consecutive editions of the Top 25 polls that Louisiana has appeared in at least one poll – a streak which dates back to April 2013.
Â
A QUICK LOOK AT THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Infield: Now in her first full season as Louisiana's primary catcher, Sophie Piskos brings an infectious energy and enthusiasm to the lineup and is continuing to build upon last season's strong finish (hit .429 from April 20 onward). Back from injury that ended her 2021 season just six games in, Taylor Roman made a strong case for covering the first base bag after turning in three triples, a home run and eight RBI on Opening Weekend. With an 11-game hitting streak and a .500-plus average in February, Stormy Kotzelnick penciled herself into the lineup at second base. Power 5 transfer Jourdyn Campbell (Texas A&M) entered the season as the front runner at third base and has held her spot. At shortstop, freshman Alexa Langeliers was the Opening Day starter and was there the entire weekend due to an impressive.429 showing at the plate which included a pair of home runs vs. UAB. Melissa Mayeux provides Louisiana with the flexibility to play all infield positions, and can even serve as backup catcher for Piskos.
Â
Outfield: The Ragin' Cajuns "rock" in center field, Raina O'Neal, hit .300-plus and slugged .500-plus all three previous seasons with the program. O'Neal, who missed the final three months of the 2021 season due to injury, has been limited by injury the past two weeks. Freshman Maddie Hayden, the younger sister of four-time All-Sun Belt and All-Central Region performer Haley Hayden, has used her speed and a hot streak at the plate – hit .619 with three doubles, two triples and five stolen bases from Feb. 13-27 – to land a spot in the lineup. Hayden emerged in left field, but in recent weeks has covered center field with O'Neal limited by injury. Senior Jenna Kean is the team's primary speed option in the stolen base department and is the veteran of a rotation in right field that includes freshmen Kramer Eschete, Kayla Falterman and Samantha Graeter. In recent games the freshman trio has alternated starts in right field with Kean, and also filled in the left field spot after Hayden slid over to center field.
Â
Pitchers: The coaches expect a true "pitching staff" in the circle to be the norm throughout the season. Kandra Lamb, who pitched a three-hit shutout of LSU in her final start of the 2021 season, is ready to take her turn as the leader. Kentucky-transfer Meghan Schorman and freshman Sam Landry are expected to round out the rotation of "starters" with Lamb. Schorman was off to a 7-1 start with a 1.30 ERA before the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, while Landry was the No. 4-rated recruit by Extra Inning Softball and shined in last summer's Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) High School Senior All-American Game. The staff approach has played out early on, with the starting nod spread evenly amongst Lamb (8), Landry (6) and Schorman (5) Â Vanessa Foreman and Karly Heath are playing a role in relief assignments, further deepening the staff approach.
Â
DIAMOND NOTES
- Louisiana was preseason ranked in all four major national polls: No. 19 in Softball America, No. 22 in D1Softball and No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Softball poll.
- Louisiana, the two-time defending Sun Belt regular-season and tournament champion, was selected as the favorite to win the 2022 Sun Belt Conference softball title in a vote of the league's 10 head coaches.
- Kandra Lamb, Raina O'Neal and Sophie Piskos were voted onto the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Softball Preseason All-Conference Team.
- Kandra Lamb represented Louisiana Softball on the Extra Inning Softball Elite 100 list and Sam Landry was named on of D1Softball's Top 75 Impact Freshman. The duo was ranked among D1Softball's Top 150 Players.
- With the exception of Sophie Piskos at catcher, Raina O'Neal returning in center field and Taylor Roman at first base, the Ragin' Cajuns are using a new starter at every other position.
- For Gerry Glasco, his fifth season in Louisiana has a different look and feel: the team largely consists of players he recruited and went from being one of the oldest in the nation to one of the youngest. The Ragin' Cajuns went from a roster in 2021 that was predominantly sixth-year and fifth-year players to a group in 2022 that includes eight freshmen and 12 total newcomers.
- Louisiana is in a transition year in the pitching circle following the departure of former All-American and two-time Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year Summer Ellyson. After working alongside Ellyson last season to lead the Ragin' Cajuns to repeat champions in the Sun Belt, Kandra Lamb takes her turn as the pitching staff's leader.
- The 2022 season has brought the much-anticipated debut for Louisiana's 2021 recruiting class, which was ranked No. 1 by Extra Inning Softball and includes the No. 4-rated recruit in pitcher Sam Landry and the No. 15-ranked prospect in Louisiana native Maddie Hayden.
ABOUT LOUISIANA
During the 2021 season, the Ragin' Cajuns reached the 40-win mark for the 22nd consecutive completed season, closing out the regular season winning 25 of the final 29 games, and advanced to Championship Sunday of the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional. Louisiana repeated as Sun Belt Conference regular season and tournament champions highlighted by an 11-1 record, regular season and tournament combined, against the league's other three NCAA Tournament participants (Texas State, Troy and South Alabama).
Â
Moving forward into the 2022 season, Louisiana is armed with the nation's No. 1-ranked recruiting class of the 2021 recruits by Extra Inning Softball including the No. 4-rated recruit in pitcher Sam Landry and No. 15-rated recruit in outfielder Maddie Hayden, has first team All-Sun Belt performer Kandra Lamb back in the circle seeking to pick up where Summer Ellyson left off, and welcomes back Raina O'Neal and Taylor Roman and their power bats back to the lineup.
Â
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.
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
Â
-- RaginCajuns.com --
Players Mentioned
Alyson Habetz Media Availability (May 4, 2025)
Monday, May 05
Alyson Habetz, Mia Norwood, and Dayzja Williams Media Availability (April 28, 2025)
Monday, April 28
Alyson Habetz Media Availability (April 21, 2025)
Monday, April 21
Alyson Habetz, Emily Smith, And Mallory Wheeler Media Availability (April 14, 2025)
Monday, April 14