University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Friday, March 31
Harrisonburg, Va.
1:00 p.m. (CDT)

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

at

James Madison

SB Karly Heath Stolen Base vs. App State 3.25.23

Louisiana, James Madison Set for First-Time Sun Belt Softball Matchup

3/30/2023 10:00:00 AM | Softball

Cajuns visit also marks the first meeting on either school's campus

No. 25 Louisiana (23-10, 5-1 Sun Belt) at James Madison (20-7, 5-1 Sun Belt)
Dates: Friday-Sunday, March 31-April 2, 2023
Location: Harrisonburg, Va.
Stadium: Veterans Memorial Park (1,500)
Series Schedule:
          Fri., March 31 – 1:00 p.m. (CDT)
          Sat., April 1 – 11:00 a.m. (CDT)
          Sun., April 2 – 2:00 p.m. (CDT)

MEDIA INFORMATION
Season Stats (PDF): Louisiana | James Madison
Rosters: Louisiana | James Madison
Schedule/Results: Louisiana | James Madison
Television (Friday and Sunday): ESPN+ | Talent: Curt Dudley, PxP; Corey Spector, analyst
Radio: 103.3 FM The Goat and Varsity Network  | Talent: Cody Junot, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, analyst
Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Live Video: Game 1 | Game 3
Live Audio: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsSB

TEAM INFORMATION
LOUISIANA Ragin' Cajuns
NFCA: RV | USA: 25 | SBA: -- | D1S: -- | RPI: 16
Head Coach: Gerry Glasco (Illinois, '80)
Record at Louisiana: 228-63 (6th season)
Career Record: Same
Team Slash Line (AVG / SLG / OBP): .301 / .468/ .380
Team ERA: 2.54

JAMES MADISON Dukes
NFCA: -- | USA: -- | SBA: -- | D1S: -- | RPI: 86
Head Coach: Loren LaPorte (Roanoke, '08)
Record at JMU: 189-62 (6th season)
Career Record: Same
Team Slash Line (AVG / SLG / OBP): .291 / .499 / .385
Team ERA: 2.54

 
LEADING OFF
>> No. 25 Louisiana Softball travels to Harrisonburg, Virginia to meet James Madison in Sun Belt Conference play for the first time. JMU, which joined the Sun Belt in July 2022, is in its first season competing within the conference.

>> It's also the first matchup on either team's campus. The lone prior two meetings between the Ragin' Cajuns and Dukes took place in Clearwater, Florida in the NFCA Leadoff Classic.

>> Louisiana and JMU are set for a series of afternoon games during the weekend set, starting at 1:00 p.m. (CDT) on Friday, continuing at 11:00 a.m. (CDT) on Saturday and concluding at 2:00 p.m. (CDT) on Sunday. The Friday and Sunday games are airing on ESPN+.

>> The JMU series begins a challenging four-week stretch for Louisiana in Sun Belt play, that likely will have regular season title implications. Series with South Alabama, Texas State and Troy all await in succession following this weekend.

>> The Dukes are the second Sun Belt newcomer Louisiana faces in the early stages of league play. The Cajuns began SBC play two weeks ago at Southern Miss.

>> Last weekend the Ragin' Cajuns collected their 75th consecutive Sun Belt series victory after starting the App State series with back-to-back shutout victories.

>> The Ragin' Cajuns streak of 75 consecutive Sun Belt Conference series won is the nation's longest active streak of consecutive conference series won. The incredible feat began 10 years ago back on March 29, 2013 with a doubleheader sweep of FIU.

>> Louisiana's pitching staff enters the JMU series having yielded single digits in runs over each of the first two Sun Belt series (USM, APP). 

>> The weekend set in Harrisonburg features two teams alike in hitting and pitching. The batting averages are separated by just 10 points (.301, Louisiana; .291, JMU) and both squad's ERA stands at 2.54.

 
A LOOK AT THE SERIES
Series Record: Tied, 1-1
Sun Belt Regular Season Games: First Meeting
Last Meeting: 2/21/14 // JMU 3, LA 0 (Clearwater, Fla.)
In Harrrisonburg: First Meeting
Streak: JMU, +1

>> Two programs have met only twice before, meeting in the 2013 and 2014 NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida.
>> Cajuns and Dukes swapped victories in Clearwater: Louisiana won 9-1 (6 inn.) in first meeting and JMU posted a 3-0 triumph in the latter.
>> The 2023 season series marks the first meeting as Sun Belt Conference foes (JMU joined SBC in July 2022).
>> Louisiana's visit to Harrisonburg is the first time the two program's meet on either team's campus.

 
THIS 'N THAT
>>  Louisiana is in its 23rd season of softball within the Sun Belt Conference. The three-time defending regular season champion Ragin' Cajuns are in search of the program's 19th overall regular season SBC title.

>> The Ragin' Cajuns have already posted 14 wins away from home: 6-3 in true road games with wins at UCF, LSU and Florida; 8-5 in neutral site contests, winning the last seven in pre-conference tournament play.

>> The Ragin' Cajuns were weathered and tested for Sun Belt play, having faced eight ranked teams in the early portion of non-conference action.

>> In pre-conference tournament play, Louisiana claimed three wins over ranked teams, six wins over Power 5 foes and nine wins over Top 100 RPI teams.

>> To date, Louisiana has played the fourth (4th) toughest schedule in D1 Softball based upon games already played. The teams faced thus far have a combined 611-316-5 (.658) record.

>> In the NCAA's latest official release of the RPI (Wednesday, March 29), the Ragin' Cajuns were ranked No. 16 - the highest ranking among Sun Belt programs.

>> In a strong finish to pre-conference tournament action, the Ragin' Cajuns finished 4-1 at Florida's Bubly Invitational recording three Power 5 wins, pitching three shutouts (including No. 12 Florida) and turning in a streak of 23-2/3 consecutive scoreless innings pitched.

>> The last time on the road, Louisiana twice overcame a deficit in sweeping the Sun Belt opener at Southern Miss, capped off by a nine-run sixth inning on Sunday to erase a 2-1 deficit.

>> Karly Heath stood out on Sun Belt Opening Weekend at Southern Miss posting four extra base hits, scoring a series-high seven runs and hitting for the doubleheader cycle on Saturday, earning her the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week award on Tuesday, March 21.

>> For the season, Karly Heath is the Ragin' Cajuns leader in home runs (7), total extra base hits (13), RBI (24), base hits (30) and runs scored (29). The senior utility player is batting .357, slugging .690 and is 3-0 with a 2.15 ERA and 31 strikeouts over 26 innings in the circle.

>> Starting with Game 2 at Southern Miss, Sophie Piskos turned in a streak of four consecutive Sun Belt games with multiple RBI. She's totaled a series-high five (5) RBI each of the first two weekends of conference play and carries a team-leading total of 10 RBI in Sun Belt games into the JMU series.

>> Meghan Schorman recorded her third complete game shutout of the season with her three-hit shutout of App State. Schorman is off to a 3-0 start in Sun Belt play, yielding just 10 hits and striking out 22 over 16-2/3 innings. For the season, she leads Louisiana's staff in wins (9) and strikeouts (79).

>> Freshman Lauren Allred has become an emerging impact player over the past month. Since March 1, Allred is batting .432 (16-of-37) with two doubles, two triples, three home runs and 16 RBI. She posted home runs against No. 11 Texas and No. 12 Florida.

>> Despite missing 10 games with a hand injury following Opening Day, freshman Mihyia Davis has already swiped 28 stolen bases (in 30 attempts) with her elite speed. Since returning to play on Feb. 25, Davis is hitting .394 (28-of-71) with 25 stolen bases and 21 runs scored over the last 22 games.

>> Mihyia Davis is one of collegiate softball's most electrifying center fielders as is evidenced by her diving catch into the wall on Feb. 25 at LSU. Davis, whose play is comparable to former LSU outfielder Aliyah Andrews, already has 31 putouts and five outfield assists including throwing out an App State runner attempting to stretch a single into a double last Saturday.

>> Louisiana is set to have staying power in the national landscape in coming years, as the lineup typically features a combination of at least six to eight freshmen and sophomores. The last two recruiting classes were ranked Top 15 by Extra Inning Softball.

>> The Ragin' Cajuns handed then-No. 14 LSU (currently 26-6, 4-5 SEC) its only non-conference loss of the season back on Feb. 25 at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge (won 5-4) and handed then-No. 12 Florida its first home loss of the 2023 season.

>> The TaxAct Clearwater Invitational-opening 4-1 win over Indiana marked Louisiana's 1,800th all-time win in program history - 5th most in NCAA D1 Softball history (joining UCLA, Arizona, Florida State, Texas A&M).

 
DIAMOND NOTES
>> 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, the three-time defending regular season and tournament champions, 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. The Ragin' Cajuns have a history of dominating the Sun Belt, having won 18 regular season titles and 17 conference tournament titles since the inception of the league in 2000.

>> Louisiana (47-13, 23-4 Sun Belt in 2022) turned in the program's 23rd consecutive 40-win season and NCAA Tournament appearance during the 2022 season. The Ragin' Cajuns placed a conference-high nine players on the All-Sun Belt team, produced five NFCA All-Central Region performers, recorded a program-record .351 season batting average and generated the most home runs in Gerry Glasco's tenure (82). 

>> 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.

>>  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).

 
NUMBERS TO KNEAUX
1: Louisiana's pitching staff has lowered its ERA more than one full point since the Clearwater Invitational (from 4.13 to 2.54).
2: Number of shutouts pitched vs. ranked teams by Meghan Schorman (no-hit UCF, three-hit blanking of Florida).
4: As of March 29, Mihyia Davis ranked No. 4 nationally in stolen bases with 28 swipes.
5: The Ragin' Cajuns offense has produced at least five base hits in all but two of the season's first 33 games. 
10: There are 10 different players who have posted at least one home run for the Ragin' Cajuns.
10: Team-leading RBI total in Sun Belt play produced by Sophie Piskos the first six games.
15: Number of times (in 33 games) that the Ragin' Cajuns have scored in the first inning.
17: Number of non-conference games scheduled against Power 5 competition (six matchups at the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational).
25: Number of times the Ragin' Cajuns have scored the game's first run (21-4 record).
28: Number of stolen bases for Mihyia Davis in only 23 games of action.
.329: Louisiana's team batting average in Sun Belt Conference play.
35: Combined Sun Belt regular season (18) and tournament (17) championships for the Ragin' Cajuns.
75: Consecutive Sun Belt Conference series won, a streak that dates back to March 2013.
240: Strikeouts for the Cajuns pitching staff, nearly halfway to matching last season's total (504).
1,818: Louisiana's number of all-time program victories (1981-present) which ranks No. 5 in NCAA D1 Softball history.

 
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The Ragin' Cajuns return home to the state of Louisiana for Easter Week, with a midweek game scheduled at McNeese on Tuesday, April 4 in Lake Charles followed by a three-game Sun Belt Conference series with South Alabama at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park from Thursday-Saturday, April 6-8.

The midweek tilt with the Cowgirls at Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond on April 4 begins at 6:00 p.m., while game times for the South Alabama series at Lamson Park are set for 6:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday followed by a 2:00 p.m. series finale on Saturday.

All four games are being televised on ESPN+ and radio coverage is being provided by TalkRadio 960 AM (McNeese) 103.3 FM The Goat (USA series) and the Varsity Network.

 
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.

-- RaginCajuns.com --

Players Mentioned

C/IF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P/OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C/IF
/ Softball
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