Louisiana Baseball Preview: The Troy Series

TROY, Ala. – The No. 18-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Baseball team begins a stretch of playing six of its final 10 regular-season games on the road beginning Friday when it faces Sun Belt Conference rival Troy in a three-game series at Riddle-Pace Field.

The series starts on Friday in a 6 p.m. contest. The series resumes on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., with the finale slated for Sunday at 1 p.m.

All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Barry McKnight (pxp) and Jerry Miller (color) providing commentary. Fans in the Lafayette area can listen to each game of the series on KPEL-FM (96.5) and worldwide on the Varsity Network app with Jay Walker (pxp) and Anthony Babineaux (color) on the call.

SBC leader Louisiana (33-13, 17-4 SBC) claimed two of three games last weekend against Southern Miss, earning a 3-2 win in last Friday's opener before a 13-7 victory in last Sunday's rubber game.

Kyle DeBarge had a pair of home runs and drove in eight in the three-game series against USM and enters the weekend against Troy (32-14, 14-7 SBC) with a .351 average and a team-high 15 home runs and 50 RBI.

Trey LaFleur (.368-7-24) leads Louisiana at the plate with DeBarge, Duncan Pastore (.322-2-30) and Caleb Stelly (.304-1-26) following. John Taylor (.295-6-25), Jose Torres (.295-1-24), Conor Higgs (.289-9-24), Lee Amedee (.284-3-23) and Luke Yuhasz (.282-6-18) are next in hitting for the Ragin' Cajuns, who rank second in the SBC in hits (457) and fourth in average (.297).

Andrew Herrmann (5-2, 2.70 ERA) and Chase Morgan (4-1, 2.77 ERA), ranked first and second overall in the SBC in earned run average, will start in the opening two games with Sunday's starter to be determined.

Troy extended its win streak to six games – the longest among SBC teams – with a win on Tuesday against Alabama State. The Trojans swept a three-game series last weekend at Coastal Carolina.

Ethan Kavanagh (.370-2-44), Kole Myers (.363-9-33) and Kyle Mock (.338-7-33) lead a potent Trojans offense which ranks eighth nationally in runs scored (420). Brooks Bryan (.306-16-76) leads the SBC in RBI with Will Butcher (.283-12-59) second on the team home runs and RBI.

Right-hander Garrett Gainous (1-2, 5.08 ERA) will earn the start in Friday's opener for Troy with Luke Lyon (6-2, 3.51 ERA) slated to pitch on Saturday. Sunday's starter is to be determined.

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.

GAMES 47-49 PREVIEW
No. 18 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (33-13, 17-4 SBC) at Troy Trojans (32-14, 14-7 SBC)

DATE/TIMES (dates and times are subject to change)
Friday – May 3, 6 p.m.
Saturday – May 4, 3:30 p.m.
Sunday – May 5, 1 p.m.

LOCATION/SITE
Riddle-Pace Field (2,000) | Troy, Ala.

PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY – 6 p.m.
LOUISIANA | LH Andrew Herrmann (6-3, 215, Jr., Kennesaw, Ga.)
'24 Stats: 5-2, 2.70 ERA, 56.2 IP, 42 H, 23 R, 17 ER, 22 BB, 56 K, .209 OppBA

TROY | RH Garrett Gainous (6-4, 214, Jr., Cario, Ga.)
'24 Stats: 1-2, 5.08 ERA, 28.1 IP, 30 H, 20 R, 16 ER, 19 BB, 36 K, .273 OppBA

SATURDAY – 3:30 p.m.
LOUISIANA | LH Chase Morgan (6-3, 195, Fr., Cypress, Texas)
'24 Stats: 4-1, 2.73 ERA, 52.2 IP, 36 H, 20 R, 16 ER, 14 BB, 49 K, .188 OppBA

TROY | RH Luke Lyon (6-2, 239, Jr., Hattiesburg, Miss.)
'24 Stats: 6-2, 3.51 ERA, 56.1 IP, 50 H, 25 R, 22 ER, 16 BB, 41 K, .239 OppBA

SUNDAY – 1 p.m.
LOUISIANA | TBD

TROY | TBD

RANKINGS
Louisiana – 18^th (D1 Baseball); 19^th (USA Today Coaches' Poll), 20^th (Perfect Game); 21^st (NCBWA) 22^nd (Baseball America)
Troy – Receiving votes (USA Today Coaches' Poll, NCBWA)

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

TV/STREAMING (ESPN+)
Talent – Barry McKnight (pxp); Jerry Miller (color)

LIVE STATS
CajunStats.com

SERIES RECORD
Overall: Louisiana leads, 37-26
Last 10: Troy, 6-4
Streak: Louisiana +1

WEATHER FORECAST (via Weather.com)
Friday: Partly cloudy | High: 87° | Low: 63° | Winds: WSW 3 mph | Rain: 20%
Saturday: Partly cloudy | High: 86° | Low: 63° | Winds: S 7 mph | Rain: 20%
Sunday: Partly cloudy | High: 86° | Low: 64° | Winds: S 6 mph | Rain: 20%

LEADING OFF
• The top two teams in the Sun Belt Conference standings - No. 18 Louisiana and Troy - meet in a three-game showdown beginning Friday at Riddle-Pace Field in Troy, Ala.
• All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Barry McKnight (pxp) and Jerry Miller (color) on the call.
• Fans in the Lafayette area can listen to the games on KPEL-FM (96.5) and worldwide on the Varsity Network app. Jay Walker (pxp) and Anthony Babineaux (color) will provide the commentary.
• In the national rankings, Louisiana is 18th (D1Baseball), 19th (USA Today Coaches' Poll), 20th (Perfect Game), 21st (NCBWA) and 22nd (Baseball America).
• Louisiana enters the weekend ranked second nationally in shutouts (6), fifth in hits allowed per nine innings (7.20), sixth in ERA (3.85), 11th in WHIP (1.28) and 24th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.2).
• Offensively, Louisiana is ranked 23rd in triples (16), 32nd in hits (457) and 54th in doubles (91).
• Kyle DeBarge is ranked among the top 100 players in NCAA Division I in total bases (29th, 128), hits (41st, 66) and home runs (58th, 15).
• DeBarge's 15 home runs in 2024 ranks third among SBC hitters and are the most by a Ragin' Cajun since Carson Roccaforte (16) in 2022.
• Louisiana's Andrew Herrmann (2.70) and Chase Morgan (2.77) are ranked first and second overall in ERA among SBC pitchers.
• Morgan (.188) and Herrmann (.209) are ranked 1-2 among SBC pitchers in opposing batting average.
• Morgan is 21st among Division I pitchers in WHIP (0.95), is 31st in hits allowed per nine innings (6.15) and leads all Division I freshmen in ERA.
• LP Langevin's 77 strikeouts during the 2024 season lead all SBC pitchers with his six saves ranked fourth in the league.

SERIES HISTORY VS. TROY
• Louisiana and Troy will meet for the 64th time in Friday's opening game with the Ragin' Cajuns holding a 37-26 lead.
• Louisiana holds a 30-21 lead in SBC games against the Trojans and are 13-11 overall in games played at Riddle-Pace Field.
• Troy has won five of the last six meetings against Louisiana on its home field and has won six of the last 10 meetings overall.

WHAT'S UP NEXT
• Louisiana will close out its midweek schedule on Tuesday (May 7) against Jackson State.
• The Ragin' Cajuns will then head back on the road for a three-game SBC series (May 10-12) in Statesboro, Ga., against Georgia Southern.

"NOTE-Y" THINGS FOR YOUR USE
• Louisiana pitching has held opponents to a paltry .218 average at the plate in 2024 ... if the season ended today, that would shatter the previous recorded mark (.225) set in 1983.
• Louisiana's current mark of 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings would be the third time in recorded history to reach double digits and would come close to the school record (10.28) set in 1999.
• Louisiana is 31-3 this season when it outhits its opponent and 2-10 when opponents have more hits.

Louisiana Baseball Preview: The Troy Series

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Lee Amedee

Kyle DeBarge

Andrew Herrmann

Conor Higgs

Trey LaFleur

LP Langevin

Chase Morgan

Duncan Pastore

Carson Roccaforte

Caleb Stelly

John Taylor

Jose Torres

Luke Yuhasz

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