University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Indiana
Louisiana Steps Into National Spotlight at TaxAct Clearwater Invitational
2/15/2023 6:21:00 PM | Softball
Entire appearance in prestigious D1 Softball tournament to air on ESPN Family of Networks
Dates: Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 16-19, 2023
Location: Clearwater, Fla.
Stadium: Eddie C. Moore ComplexÂ
Louisiana's Schedule:
      Thurs., Feb. 16 – vs. Indiana, 12:00 p.m. (CST)
      Fri., Feb. 17 – vs. (RV) Michigan, 5:00 p.m. (CST)
      Sat., Feb. 18 – vs. No. 5 Oklahoma State, 9:30 a.m. (CST)
      Sat., Feb. 18 – vs. No. 4 Arkansas, 3:30 p.m. (CST)
      Sun., Feb. 19 – vs. No. 2 UCLA, 9:00 a.m. (CST)
      Sun., Feb. 19 – vs. No. 7 Florida State, 12:00 p.m. (CST)
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Rosters: Louisiana | | Indiana | Michigan | Oklahoma State | Arkansas | UCLA | Florida State
Season Stats: Louisiana | Indiana | Michigan | Oklahoma State | Arkansas | UCLA | Florida State
Television: ESPN Family of Networks (TV designations and direct links to broadcast available at RaginCajuns.com on softball schedule page)
Radio: The Goat 103.3 FM // 1420 AM | Talent: Jay Walker, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, analyst
Live Stats:Â CajunStats.com
Twitter Updates:Â @RaginCajunsSB
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LEADING OFF
>> The No. 22-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball team makes its debut in the prestigious ESPN Events owned-and-operated TaxAct Clearwater Invitational from Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 16-19 at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Florida.
>> The appearance in the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational marks the start of a seven-game road trip in the state of Florida that concludes on Mardi Gras day (Feb. 21) in Orlando at No. 20 UCF.
>> While in Clearwater the Ragin' Cajuns (4-0) are set to face an all-Power 5 slate that includes Indiana, Michigan, plus Top-10 ranked No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 4 Arkansas, No. 2 UCLA and No. 7 Florida State. Play begins Thursday, February 16 vs. Indiana at 12:00 p.m. (CST).
>> Louisiana enters the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational one (1) win shy of the program's 1,800th all-time win. The Ragin' Cajuns are on the verge of joining an elite group in NCAA D1 Softball to reach/surpass 1,800 wins that includes UCLA, Arizona, Florida State and Texas A&M.
>> The Ragin' Cajuns kicked off Year No. 6 of the Gerry Glasco era last weekend (Feb. 10-12) with a four-game sweep of the 37th Annual Louisiana Classics at Lamson Park, sweeping the round robin slate vs. Lafayette College and SFA.
>> The TaxAct Clearwater Invitational starts a stretch where Louisiana has a chance to collect early-season significant RPI boosts. The midweek at UCF follows, then the Ragin' Cajuns meet LSU, Texas and Florida twice each over the span of the next three weekends.
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THIS 'N THAT
>> Louisiana was preseason ranked in three major national polls: No. 20 in D1Softball, No. 22 in Softball America and No. 24 in the ESPN/USA Softball poll. The Ragin' Cajuns were receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA poll, third in line from No. 25.
>> Louisiana was the unanimous selection as the favorite to win the 2023 Sun Belt Conference title in a vote of the league's 12 head coaches.
>> In the pitcher's circle, the Ragin' Cajuns returned all 47 victories posted in the 2022 season headlined by the trio of Sam Landry (20), Meghan Schorman (17) and Kandra Lamb (9) who combined for all but one of the triumphs.
>>Â A year ago, Louisiana's pitching staff ranked Top 25 nationally in ERA (2.17), shutouts (16), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.97) and was one of only three units in Division I Softball to amass 500-plus strikeouts (504).
>>Â Last spring, the Cajuns utilized a lineup that featured at most two upperclassmen and as many as five freshmen designed to acclimate the youthful group to the collegiate game. Fast forward to 2023, Louisiana is expected to have a more experienced group taking the field each time out.
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NUMBERS TO KNEAUX
1: The Ragin' Cajuns enter the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational one (1) win shy of the 1,800th win all-time in program history.Â
7: During Opening Weekend, there were seven different players who posted at least one home run (included three freshmen).
17: Number of non-conference games against Power 5 competition (includes six matchups at the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational).
487: Combined number of strikeouts posted by pitchers Meghan Schorman (184), Kandra Lamb (158) and Sam Landry (145) last spring.
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FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
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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.
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