Cajuns Open Midweek Schedule With Visit To McNeese

LAFAYETTE – Coming off a series win against Wright State in its 2024 opener, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Baseball team heads west to Lake Charles for its first midweek game of the season to face McNeese at Joe Miller Ballpark.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Fans can listen to the game in the Lafayette area on KPEL-FM (96.5) and worldwide on the Varsity Network App. Jay Walker and Anthony Babineaux will provide commentary.

Live stats for all three games will be available at RaginCajuns.com.

Louisiana (2-1) capped off its first series of the year with a 5-3 win over Wright State in a battle between 2023 NCAA Regional participants. The Ragin' Cajuns earned a walk-off 3-2 victory in Friday's opener before the Raiders claimed a 7-6 victory on Saturday.

Trey LaFeur (.600-1-3), Josh Alexander (.400-0-2) and Conor Higgs (.400-0-0) paced Louisiana at the plate during the Wright State series with newcomers LP Langevin (1-0-1, 3.00 ERA) and Matthew Holzhammer (1-0, 0.00 ERA) earning victories on the mound.

Newcomer Andrew Herrmann (0-0, 0.00 ERA) is scheduled to make his Louisiana debut on the mound.

McNeese (0-3) opened its 2024 schedule at No. 8-ranked Texas A&M where it outscored, 31-1. Braden Duhon (.333), Chase Keeton (.300) and Braley Hollins (.300) went a combined 10-for-32 at the plate for the Cowboys with Duhon driving in the lone run.

Six-foot-9 right-hander Caleb Strmiska (0-0, 5.40 ERA) is scheduled to start on the mound for the Cowboys.

Louisiana owns a 101-77 advantage in the all-time series which dates back to the 1953 season. The teams split in its 2023 series with each team winning at home. The teams will meet again when McNeese visits M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park on March 20.

Tickets for Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Baseball are available for purchase on-line at RaginCajuns.com/tickets or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685).

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.

For the latest updates on Ragin' Cajuns baseball, follow on Facebook (RaginCajunsBaseball), Twitter (@RaginCajunsBSB) and Instagram (@RaginCajunsBSB) or check RaginCajuns.com.

GAME 4 PREVIEW
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (2-1) at McNeese Cowboys (0-3)

DATE/TIMES (dates and times are subject to change)
Tuesday – February 20, 6 p.m.

LOCATION/SITE
Joe Miller Ballpark (1,500) | Lake Charles, La.

PITCHING MATCHUPS
TUESDAY – 6 p.m.
LOUISIANA | LH Andrew Herrmann (6-3, 215, Jr., Kennesaw, Ga.)
'24 Stats: Season debut

MCNEESE | RH Caleb Strmiska (6-9, 200, So., Georgetown, Texas)
'24 Stats: 0-0, 5.40 ERA, 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, .375 OppBA

RANKINGS
Louisiana – Unranked
McNeese – Unranked

RADIO/TV/LIVE STATISTICS
RADIO (Pregame Show starts 30 minutes prior to first pitch)
Stations – KPEL-FM (96.5) / The Varsity Network App
Talent – Jay Walker (pxp); Anthony Babineaux (color)

STREAMING
None

LIVE STATS
RaginCajuns.com

SERIES RECORD
Overall: Louisiana leads, 101-77
In Lafayette (since '81): UL leads, 37-10
In Lake Charles (since '81): MCN leads, 28-25
Neutral Sites (since '81): MCN leads, 1-0
In NCAA Postseason: Tied, 1-1
Last 10: Louisiana, 7-3

LOUISIANA-MCNEESE NOTES
• Louisiana and McNeese meet for the 179th time on the diamond when they collide at Joe Miller Ballpark in Lake Charles.
• Louisiana is 101-77 all-time in the series against the Cowboys.
• Tuesday's game is the first of a home-and-home between the I-10 rivals with McNeese visiting M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park on March 20.
• The teams split the season series in 2023 with each team winning on its home field.
• McNeese claimed a 5-4 win at home on Feb. 28, 2023 before Louisiana posted a 5-3 victory in the rematch on March 20, 2023 in Lafayette.
• Head coach Matt Deggs is 12-5 all-time against the Cowboys.

LEADING OFF
• Tuesday's starter - Andrew Herrmann - played his freshman season at Wofford before enrolling at NJCAA member College of Central Florida.
• Louisiana's bullpen played a part in every decision against Wright State while fanning 25 batters in 15.0 innings of work with a 3.00 ERA.
• Newcomers LP Langevin and Matthew Holzhammer earned victories in their respective Louisiana debuts against the Raiders.
• Reserve catcher Clay Wargo's home run in the eighth inning of Sunday's 5-3 win over Wright State was the first of his collegiate career.
• The Ragin' Cajuns scored at least one run in every inning (except the first) in its series win over Wright State.
• The University of Louisiana is celebrating its 125th anniversary during the 2023-24 academic year. The baseball program was established in 1903 and has competed in 111 seasons since (including 2024).
• Louisiana opens its fifth season under head coach Matt Deggs, who is 120-80 at UL and 307-198 in his 10th season overall.
• Deggs has guided the Ragin' Cajuns to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Regionals - the 17th and 18th trips overall for Louisiana to the postseason.
• Louisiana ended the 2023 season with a 41-24 record and 18-12 mark in the Sun Belt Conference. The Ragin' Cajuns reached the championship game of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament for the second consecutive year and earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Coral Gables Regional.
• In the final 2023 team rankings by WarrenNolan.com, Louisiana was 48th Overall.
• As a league in 2023, the Sun Belt Conference was rated the fifth-best among 30 conferences during the season and trailing the Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 and PAC-12.
• Louisiana finished second in the Sun Belt and 17th nationally in average home attendance last season, marking the ninth time in the past 10 seasons (COVID in 2021) that the Cajuns were in the top-20 nationally.

WHAT'S ON DECK
• Louisiana returns home to the Hub City to face Rice in a three-game series at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.
• Friday's opener is set for a 6 p.m. first pitch with the series resuming on Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).

Cajuns Open Midweek Schedule With Visit To McNeese

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Players Mentioned

Josh Alexander

Andrew Herrmann

Conor Higgs

Matthew Holzhammer

LP Langevin

Clay Wargo

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