University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Wednesday, April 6
Lake Charles, La.
6:30 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
at
McNeese
Midweek Visit to McNeese Closes out Road Stretch for Louisiana Softball
4/5/2022 3:58:00 PM | Softball
Ragin' Cajuns and Cowgirls wrap up season series in Lake Charles on Wednesday
Louisiana (23-9) at McNeese (21-14)
Date: Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Location: Lake Charles, La.
Stadium: Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond (1,300)
Game Time:Â 6:30 p.m. (CDT)
MEDIA INFORMATION
Season Stats (PDF): Louisiana | McNeese
Rosters: Louisiana | McNeese
Schedule/Results: Louisiana | McNeese
Television: ESPN+ |Â Talent: Tom Hoefer, PxP; Ron Hayes, analyst
Radio:Â TalkRadio 960 AM |Â Talent: Steve Peloquin, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, analyst
Live Coverage Links: Video | Radio | Stats
Twitter Updates:Â @RaginCajunsSB
Â
THE BASICS
>> The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball team concludes a five-game road trip with Wednesday's single game against McNeese at Joe Miller Field in Lake Charles.
Â
>> The Ragin' Cajuns (23-9) began the road trip last week in the state of Texas, posting a 3-1 mark. The squad collected a Top 25 win in Austin over Texas and won a Sun Belt series over Texas State in San Marcos.
Â
>> Louisiana's meeting with McNeese (21-14) wraps up an annual home-and-home, in-season series between the I-10 neighbors. The Ragin' Cajuns claimed a 5-3 win back on March 9 at Lamson Park.
Â
>> The Ragin' Cajuns have won the last five meetings with the Cowgirls and 15 of the last 16, overall, dating back to Feb. 26, 2011 in Lake Charles.
Â
>> The all-time series with McNeese is the second-oldest in program history at 130 meetings, trailing only the 140 games played against ULM.
Â
>> Each of the last three regular season meetings were decided by two runs or less – in Louisiana's favor. Both regular season matchups in 2021 were decided by one run including a 5-4 Ragin' Cajuns win in Lake Charles thanks to a Justice Milz three-run homer in the sixth inning.
Â
>> Both Louisiana and McNeese are playing their best softball as of late. The Ragin' Cajuns have won eight of their last 10 since a doubleheader loss to Texas at home on March 16. The Cowgirls bring a season-high nine-game win streak, that began back on March 23, into the matchup.
Â
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE MATCHUP
Series Record:Â Louisiana leads, 105-25
Last Meeting: 3/9/22 // LA 5, MCN 3 (Lafayette, La. – Lamson Park)
In Lake Charles:Â Louisiana leads, 40-13
Last Time in Lake Charles: 3/3/22 // LA 5, MCN 4
Streak: Louisiana, +5
Â
>> Second-oldest series in program history (130 meetings) trailing only ULM (140).
>> Annual home-and-home series resumed in 2019 with the two programs meeting twice every completed season since then (canceled in 2020 by COVID).
>> Louisiana has claimed the last eight meetings at Cowgirl Diamond (dates back to Feb. 2008).
>> Since 1991, when Louisiana led the series 21-20, the Ragin' Cajuns have won 84 of 89 meetings to take command of the series (won 38 straight from 1994 to 2004).
>> Series has roots dating back to the founding of the Ragin' Cajuns' program in 1981. The two I-10 neighbors were conference foes from 1983-87 when then-USL was a member of the Southland Conference.
Â
THE LAST TIME VS. MCNEESE (March 9, 2022 // Lafayette, La. // Lamson Park)
>> With a heads-up defensive play and a two-run double from Samantha Graeter in the fourth inning Louisiana re-established control and went on to claim a 5-3 win over McNeese at Lamson Park.
Â
>> Knotted at 2-all in the fourth inning, the Cowgirls attempted to sneak across a run on a pop fly to shallow center field, but Louisiana's Alexa Langeliers executed an inning-ending double play.
Â
>> It took the Ragin' Cajuns only three batters into the next half inning to capitalize on the momentum boost. That's when Samantha Graeter delivered a two-run double to break the tie.
Â
>> From there, Kandra Lamb completed her four innings of relief limiting McNeese to a single run off of just three hits and struck out six.
Â
HOW THE ROAD TRIP BEGAN
>> A three-run home run from Jourdyn Campbell in the third inning created a tie, five shutdown innings in relief from Meghan Schorman carried Louisiana into extra innings and Melissa Mayeux came through with a game-winning two-run single in the eighth inning as the Ragin' Cajuns topped No 14 Texas, 6-5 (8 inn.), on Wednesday, March 30 in Austin.
Â
>> On Friday, April 1 in San Marcos, Sam Landry and Meghan Schorman combined for a shutout and Stormy Kotzelnick provided the offense with a solo home run as Louisiana posted a 1-0 win over Texas State in the Sun Belt series opener.
Â
>> The Ragin' Cajuns clinched the series in San Marcos on Saturday, April 2 behind the bat of Melissa Mayeux who went 3-for-3 with a double, two home runs and three RBI. Mayeux's leadoff home run in the second inning was a quick response to a Texas State tally and sparked the first of 10 unanswered runs for the Ragin' Cajuns in the 10-1 (5 inn.) run-rule win.
Â
>> Louisiana's bid for a second consecutive Sun Belt sweep, and a 4-0 run through the state of Texas, was spoiled when Texas State rallied for two runs in the sixth inning to capture a 5-4 win.
Â
NUMBERS TO KNEAUX
0: Number of earned runs surrendered by Meghan Schorman in her final 11-1/3 innings of relief pitched against Texas in the three-game season series.
1: The Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff yielded only one run to UT Arlington the March 25-27 Sun Belt series – over a span of 16 innings. The Mavericks were shutout for the final 10-1/3 innings.
1.31: Earned run average for Meghan Schorman over 37-1/3 innings pitched in relief situations in the 2022 season. Schorman has limited foes to 14 runs (seven earned), 25 base hits and struck out 45 batters in her relief efforts.
1.33: Staff ERA for the Ragin' Cajuns pitchers over the last two weeks of play. The group has held foes to 28 hits, 12 runs (eight earned) and a .187 average over the last 42 innings.
2: Louisiana's pitching staff limited Texas State to just two base hits, out of 25 opportunities, with runners in scoring position (.080 average).
.207: The Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff has limited the opposition to a .207 average. Opponents hit sub-.200, combined, over the first five weeks of the season.
2.47: Louisiana entered the week ranked No. 7 nationally averaging 2.47 stolen bases per game (79 swipes in 32 games).
4: Louisiana had four hitters batting above .400, for the entire season, entering last weekend's series at Texas State: Jourdyn Campbell (.421), Maddie Hayden (.413), Stormy Kotzelnick (.412) and Sophie Piskos (.410).
5: Including the perfect game vs. UT Arlington on March 26, which was her third no-hitter of the season, Kandra Lamb has pitched five career no-hitters.
6: Number of unanswered runs that Louisiana scored in erasing an early 4-0 deficit at Texas.
6: Melissa Mayeux has totaled six extra base hits over the last two weeks (two doubles, four home runs) and is batting .588 during the stretch (10-for-17).  \
9: Starting with the Georgia Southern series finale (March 20), Sophie Piskos recorded nine RBI in 11 plate appearances over a three-game stretch.
9: Melissa Mayeux has generated nine RBI over her last 21 plate appearances.
10: There are 10 different players who have combined to give Louisiana its 36 home runs.
12: Number of shutouts posted by Louisiana's pitching staff.
12: Louisiana's pitching staff has yielded only 12 home runs to the opposition through 196 innings.
13: Jourdyn Campbell leads the Ragin' Cajuns with 13 multiple-hit games. Â
14: There are 14 players on Louisiana's roster who have produced double-digit base hits.
15: The Ragin' Cajuns offense has produced double-digit hits in 15 games.
19: Stormy Kotzelnick leads the Ragin' Cajuns with 19 extra base hits (10 doubles, 5 triples, 4 home run).
20: Sophie Piskos has generated 20 RBI in only 78 plate appearances.
20-1: Louisiana's record when scoring first.
21-2/3: Sam Landry had a streak of 21-2/3 consecutive scoreless innings pitched in Sun Belt Conference play, a streak that snapped three series (Georgia Southern, UT Arlington, Texas State).
30-2/3: Louisiana's pitching staff started the 2022 season with 30-2/3 consecutive scoreless innings pitched. The streak featured a school-record five consecutive shutouts to begin the season.
.364: Batting average for the Ragin' Cajuns offense entering the first full week of April. The figure has been .360 or higher the entire season.
.438: Louisiana's on base percentage entering the week, which ranks No. 3 nationally and trails only Oklahoma (.499) and Arizona State (.444).
68: Nation-leading total of consecutive conference series won for Louisiana, a streak which began in March 2013. The next test for the streak is a Sun Belt series vs. Troy from April 8-10 at Lamson Park.
70%: Percentage of base hits for Karly Heath that have gone for extra bases. Of her season total of 10 hits, she's generated two doubles and five home runs (seven extra base hits).
103/97: The Ragin' Cajuns hitters have drawn more walks (103) than they have struck out (97).
116: Total number of extra base hits produced by Louisiana's offense (67 doubles, 13 triples, 36 home runs).
3,298: When the Troy series begins on Friday, April 8 at Lamson Park, a total of 3,298 days will have passed since Louisiana's streak of 68 consecutive Sun Belt Conference series won began back on March 29, 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). With an 11-game hitting streak and a .500-plus average in February, Stormy Kotzelnick penciled herself into the lineup beginning at second base. Power 5 transfer Jourdyn Campbell (Texas A&M) has remained a mainstay in the infield – opening the season at third base – with her .400-plus average (.433), and team-leading totals in home runs (5) and multiple-hit games (10). 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. In a recent alignment shift, Kotzelnick moved to first base, Campbell to second base and Ari Quiñones was inserted at third base.
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 sidelined by a hand injury in the month of March. 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 out due to 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. Eschete and Falterman have risen to the forefront in right field and left field, respectively, while Graeter provides a power bat off of the bench for key pinch-hit situations.
Â
Pitchers: The coaching staff entered the season expecting 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 veteran leader. Kentucky-transfer Meghan Schorman and freshman Sam Landry 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 played out early on, with the starting nod spread evenly amongst Lamb (9), Landry (7) and Schorman (5) prior to the Georgia Southern series. Beginning March 18-20 in Statesboro, the latest trend of Landry starting on Friday and Sunday with Lamb handling the middle game of the series began. Vanessa Foreman and Karly Heath have appeared in relief assignments throughout the season, 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
Date: Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Location: Lake Charles, La.
Stadium: Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond (1,300)
Game Time:Â 6:30 p.m. (CDT)
MEDIA INFORMATION
Season Stats (PDF): Louisiana | McNeese
Rosters: Louisiana | McNeese
Schedule/Results: Louisiana | McNeese
Television: ESPN+ |Â Talent: Tom Hoefer, PxP; Ron Hayes, analyst
Radio:Â TalkRadio 960 AM |Â Talent: Steve Peloquin, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, analyst
Live Coverage Links: Video | Radio | Stats
Twitter Updates:Â @RaginCajunsSB
Â
THE BASICS
>> The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball team concludes a five-game road trip with Wednesday's single game against McNeese at Joe Miller Field in Lake Charles.
Â
>> The Ragin' Cajuns (23-9) began the road trip last week in the state of Texas, posting a 3-1 mark. The squad collected a Top 25 win in Austin over Texas and won a Sun Belt series over Texas State in San Marcos.
Â
>> Louisiana's meeting with McNeese (21-14) wraps up an annual home-and-home, in-season series between the I-10 neighbors. The Ragin' Cajuns claimed a 5-3 win back on March 9 at Lamson Park.
Â
>> The Ragin' Cajuns have won the last five meetings with the Cowgirls and 15 of the last 16, overall, dating back to Feb. 26, 2011 in Lake Charles.
Â
>> The all-time series with McNeese is the second-oldest in program history at 130 meetings, trailing only the 140 games played against ULM.
Â
>> Each of the last three regular season meetings were decided by two runs or less – in Louisiana's favor. Both regular season matchups in 2021 were decided by one run including a 5-4 Ragin' Cajuns win in Lake Charles thanks to a Justice Milz three-run homer in the sixth inning.
Â
>> Both Louisiana and McNeese are playing their best softball as of late. The Ragin' Cajuns have won eight of their last 10 since a doubleheader loss to Texas at home on March 16. The Cowgirls bring a season-high nine-game win streak, that began back on March 23, into the matchup.
Â
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE MATCHUP
Series Record:Â Louisiana leads, 105-25
Last Meeting: 3/9/22 // LA 5, MCN 3 (Lafayette, La. – Lamson Park)
In Lake Charles:Â Louisiana leads, 40-13
Last Time in Lake Charles: 3/3/22 // LA 5, MCN 4
Streak: Louisiana, +5
Â
>> Second-oldest series in program history (130 meetings) trailing only ULM (140).
>> Annual home-and-home series resumed in 2019 with the two programs meeting twice every completed season since then (canceled in 2020 by COVID).
>> Louisiana has claimed the last eight meetings at Cowgirl Diamond (dates back to Feb. 2008).
>> Since 1991, when Louisiana led the series 21-20, the Ragin' Cajuns have won 84 of 89 meetings to take command of the series (won 38 straight from 1994 to 2004).
>> Series has roots dating back to the founding of the Ragin' Cajuns' program in 1981. The two I-10 neighbors were conference foes from 1983-87 when then-USL was a member of the Southland Conference.
Â
THE LAST TIME VS. MCNEESE (March 9, 2022 // Lafayette, La. // Lamson Park)
>> With a heads-up defensive play and a two-run double from Samantha Graeter in the fourth inning Louisiana re-established control and went on to claim a 5-3 win over McNeese at Lamson Park.
Â
>> Knotted at 2-all in the fourth inning, the Cowgirls attempted to sneak across a run on a pop fly to shallow center field, but Louisiana's Alexa Langeliers executed an inning-ending double play.
Â
>> It took the Ragin' Cajuns only three batters into the next half inning to capitalize on the momentum boost. That's when Samantha Graeter delivered a two-run double to break the tie.
Â
>> From there, Kandra Lamb completed her four innings of relief limiting McNeese to a single run off of just three hits and struck out six.
Â
HOW THE ROAD TRIP BEGAN
>> A three-run home run from Jourdyn Campbell in the third inning created a tie, five shutdown innings in relief from Meghan Schorman carried Louisiana into extra innings and Melissa Mayeux came through with a game-winning two-run single in the eighth inning as the Ragin' Cajuns topped No 14 Texas, 6-5 (8 inn.), on Wednesday, March 30 in Austin.
Â
>> On Friday, April 1 in San Marcos, Sam Landry and Meghan Schorman combined for a shutout and Stormy Kotzelnick provided the offense with a solo home run as Louisiana posted a 1-0 win over Texas State in the Sun Belt series opener.
Â
>> The Ragin' Cajuns clinched the series in San Marcos on Saturday, April 2 behind the bat of Melissa Mayeux who went 3-for-3 with a double, two home runs and three RBI. Mayeux's leadoff home run in the second inning was a quick response to a Texas State tally and sparked the first of 10 unanswered runs for the Ragin' Cajuns in the 10-1 (5 inn.) run-rule win.
Â
>> Louisiana's bid for a second consecutive Sun Belt sweep, and a 4-0 run through the state of Texas, was spoiled when Texas State rallied for two runs in the sixth inning to capture a 5-4 win.
Â
NUMBERS TO KNEAUX
0: Number of earned runs surrendered by Meghan Schorman in her final 11-1/3 innings of relief pitched against Texas in the three-game season series.
1: The Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff yielded only one run to UT Arlington the March 25-27 Sun Belt series – over a span of 16 innings. The Mavericks were shutout for the final 10-1/3 innings.
1.31: Earned run average for Meghan Schorman over 37-1/3 innings pitched in relief situations in the 2022 season. Schorman has limited foes to 14 runs (seven earned), 25 base hits and struck out 45 batters in her relief efforts.
1.33: Staff ERA for the Ragin' Cajuns pitchers over the last two weeks of play. The group has held foes to 28 hits, 12 runs (eight earned) and a .187 average over the last 42 innings.
2: Louisiana's pitching staff limited Texas State to just two base hits, out of 25 opportunities, with runners in scoring position (.080 average).
.207: The Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff has limited the opposition to a .207 average. Opponents hit sub-.200, combined, over the first five weeks of the season.
2.47: Louisiana entered the week ranked No. 7 nationally averaging 2.47 stolen bases per game (79 swipes in 32 games).
4: Louisiana had four hitters batting above .400, for the entire season, entering last weekend's series at Texas State: Jourdyn Campbell (.421), Maddie Hayden (.413), Stormy Kotzelnick (.412) and Sophie Piskos (.410).
5: Including the perfect game vs. UT Arlington on March 26, which was her third no-hitter of the season, Kandra Lamb has pitched five career no-hitters.
6: Number of unanswered runs that Louisiana scored in erasing an early 4-0 deficit at Texas.
6: Melissa Mayeux has totaled six extra base hits over the last two weeks (two doubles, four home runs) and is batting .588 during the stretch (10-for-17).  \
9: Starting with the Georgia Southern series finale (March 20), Sophie Piskos recorded nine RBI in 11 plate appearances over a three-game stretch.
9: Melissa Mayeux has generated nine RBI over her last 21 plate appearances.
10: There are 10 different players who have combined to give Louisiana its 36 home runs.
12: Number of shutouts posted by Louisiana's pitching staff.
12: Louisiana's pitching staff has yielded only 12 home runs to the opposition through 196 innings.
13: Jourdyn Campbell leads the Ragin' Cajuns with 13 multiple-hit games. Â
14: There are 14 players on Louisiana's roster who have produced double-digit base hits.
15: The Ragin' Cajuns offense has produced double-digit hits in 15 games.
19: Stormy Kotzelnick leads the Ragin' Cajuns with 19 extra base hits (10 doubles, 5 triples, 4 home run).
20: Sophie Piskos has generated 20 RBI in only 78 plate appearances.
20-1: Louisiana's record when scoring first.
21-2/3: Sam Landry had a streak of 21-2/3 consecutive scoreless innings pitched in Sun Belt Conference play, a streak that snapped three series (Georgia Southern, UT Arlington, Texas State).
30-2/3: Louisiana's pitching staff started the 2022 season with 30-2/3 consecutive scoreless innings pitched. The streak featured a school-record five consecutive shutouts to begin the season.
.364: Batting average for the Ragin' Cajuns offense entering the first full week of April. The figure has been .360 or higher the entire season.
.438: Louisiana's on base percentage entering the week, which ranks No. 3 nationally and trails only Oklahoma (.499) and Arizona State (.444).
68: Nation-leading total of consecutive conference series won for Louisiana, a streak which began in March 2013. The next test for the streak is a Sun Belt series vs. Troy from April 8-10 at Lamson Park.
70%: Percentage of base hits for Karly Heath that have gone for extra bases. Of her season total of 10 hits, she's generated two doubles and five home runs (seven extra base hits).
103/97: The Ragin' Cajuns hitters have drawn more walks (103) than they have struck out (97).
116: Total number of extra base hits produced by Louisiana's offense (67 doubles, 13 triples, 36 home runs).
3,298: When the Troy series begins on Friday, April 8 at Lamson Park, a total of 3,298 days will have passed since Louisiana's streak of 68 consecutive Sun Belt Conference series won began back on March 29, 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). With an 11-game hitting streak and a .500-plus average in February, Stormy Kotzelnick penciled herself into the lineup beginning at second base. Power 5 transfer Jourdyn Campbell (Texas A&M) has remained a mainstay in the infield – opening the season at third base – with her .400-plus average (.433), and team-leading totals in home runs (5) and multiple-hit games (10). 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. In a recent alignment shift, Kotzelnick moved to first base, Campbell to second base and Ari Quiñones was inserted at third base.
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 sidelined by a hand injury in the month of March. 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 out due to 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. Eschete and Falterman have risen to the forefront in right field and left field, respectively, while Graeter provides a power bat off of the bench for key pinch-hit situations.
Â
Pitchers: The coaching staff entered the season expecting 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 veteran leader. Kentucky-transfer Meghan Schorman and freshman Sam Landry 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 played out early on, with the starting nod spread evenly amongst Lamb (9), Landry (7) and Schorman (5) prior to the Georgia Southern series. Beginning March 18-20 in Statesboro, the latest trend of Landry starting on Friday and Sunday with Lamb handling the middle game of the series began. Vanessa Foreman and Karly Heath have appeared in relief assignments throughout the season, 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
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P/OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
IF/DP
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
C/IF
/ Softball
1B/OF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballAlyson 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
