No. 17 Louisiana Hosts Houston Christian In Midweek Clash

LAFAYETTE – The No. 17-ranked Louisiana Baseball team opens a four-game homestand on Wednesday when it faces Houston Christian in a midweek contest at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with fans in the Lafayette area able to listen to the game on KPEL-FM (96.5) and worldwide on the Varsity Network app.

Louisiana (31-11) faces HCU (14-25) for the first time since meeting in a three-game series at Russo Park in 2021. The Ragin' Cajuns hold a 12-2 lead in the all-time series which dates back to 1991.

The Ragin' Cajuns, who will host SBC rival Southern Miss in a highly anticipated three-game series beginning Friday, look to bounce back after dropping two of three games last weekend at nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina.

Four players – Trey LaFleur (.384-7-24), Kyle DeBarge (.351-13-42), Duncan Pastore (.318-2-29) and Conor Higgs (.315-9-24) – are hitting above the .300 mark for Louisiana. The Ragin' Cajuns enter the game hitting .296 as a team, fourth in the SBC behind Coastal Carolina (.302), James Madison (.302) and Troy (.300).

Louisiana will send right-hander Blake McGehee (2-1, 4.68 ERA) to the mound against the Huskies. The Alexandria, La., native pitched 5.0 shutout innings with five strikeouts in his last appearance against Southeastern Louisiana where he helped the Ragin' Cajuns to an 8-1 victory.

HCU, coached by former MLB standout Lance Berkman, plays its second of two midweek games against posting an 8-3 win over Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday. The Huskies snapped a five-game losing skid with the midweek win as leadoff hitter Trent Baker had four hits with Parker Edwards and Luke Bard each homered.

Samuel Benjamin (.304-11-32) is HCU's top hitter with Trevor Roper (.297-0-16), Dylan LaRue (.3-12) and Tyler LaRue (.273-8-37) following.

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).

Group tickets are also available by contacting the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office by email at Tickets@louisiana.edu.

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 43 PREVIEW
No. 17 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (31-11) vs. Houston Christian Huskies (14-25)

DATE/TIMES (dates and times are subject to change)
Wednesday – April 24, 6 p.m.

LOCATION/SITE
M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park (6,015) | Lafayette, La.

PITCHING MATCHUPS
WEDNESDAY – 6 p.m.
LOUISIANA | RH Blake McGehee (5-11, 190, Soph., Alexandria, La.)
'24 Stats: 2-1, 4.68 ERA, 25.0 IP, 18 H, 14 R, 13 ER, 11 BB, 25 K, .205 OppBA

HOUSTON CHRISTIAN | TBA

RANKINGS
Louisiana – 17^th (D1 Baseball); 16^th (USA Today Coaches' Poll, NCBWA), 21^th (Perfect Game); 25^th (Baseball America)
Houston Christian – Unranked

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

TV/STREAMING (ESPN+)
Talent – Scott Brazda (pxp); Brennan Breaux (color)

LIVE STATS
CajunStats.com

SERIES RECORD
Overall: Louisiana leads, 12-2
Last 10: Louisiana, 8-2
Streak: HCU +1

LEADING OFF
• No. 17-ranked Louisiana welcomes Southland Conference member Houston Christian for a midweek game on Wednesday at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.
• The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with fans able to listen to games in the Lafayette area on KPEL-FM (96.5) and worldwide on the Varsity Network app.
• Louisiana, ranked in the top-20 in all five major polls, has won 22 of its last 25 games dating back to March 16.
• Since going 0-3 at the Astros Foundation College Classic last month, Louisiana has posted a 26-5 record.
• As a team, Louisiana leads the Sun Belt Conference in ERA (3.69), shutouts (6), opposing batting average (.214), saves (15), hits allowed (289), runs allowed (178) and earned run allowed (151).
• Louisiana ranks second nationally in shutouts, is fifth in hits allowed per nine innings (7.07), seventh in ERA (3.69), 15^th in WHIP (1.28) and 24^th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.3).
• Louisiana's 15 triples in 2024 are the most among SBC programs and 18^th in Division I.
• Louisiana is 11-1 in midweek games this season with contests against HCU and Jackson State (May 7) remaining on the schedule.
• The Ragin' Cajuns 8-6 win over Coastal Carolina in the first game of last Saturday's doubleheader was their fifth come-from-behind victory of the season.
• Louisiana has scored five or more runs in an inning 11 times this season, including five times with seven or more.
• LP Langevin ranks third nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (4.43) and fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (15.61).
• Langevin's team-high 74 strikeouts lead the Sun Belt Conference and is 28^th among Division I pitchers.
• Kyle DeBarge leads the SBC in both hits (60) and total bases (115). The shortstop is ranked in the top-10 among SBC players in slugging percentage (4^th, .673), OPS (9^th, 1.090), runs scored (8^th, 43), RBI (8^th, 42), triples (t3rd, 3) and home runs (6^th, 13).
• Blake McGehee, the starter for Louisiana on Wednesday, has allowed just four hits with no runs and 10 strikeouts over his last 9.0 innings on the mound.

SERIES HISTORY VS. HOUSTON CHRISTIAN
• Louisiana and HCU will meet for the 15^th time with the Ragin' Cajuns holding a 12-2 lead.
• The meeting is the first between the schools since Louisiana took two of three games in the 2021 season.
• Louisiana has won its last eight games against schools from the Southland Conference dating back to last season and is 18-3 against the SLC since the 2022 season.
• Head coach Matt Deggs is 11-9 overall in his career against the Huskies.

WHAT'S UP NEXT
• Louisiana hosts Southern Miss in a key three-game Sun Belt Conference series beginning on Friday at Russo Park.
• First pitch for Friday's game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start with Saturday's contest set for 2 p.m. and Sunday's finale at 1.
• All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+.

No. 17 Louisiana Hosts Houston Christian In Midweek Clash

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kyle DeBarge

Conor Higgs

Trey LaFleur

LP Langevin

Blake McGehee

Duncan Pastore

Footer

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics