University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Thursday, April 2
Harrisonburg, Va.
6:00 p.m. ET
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
at
James Madison
Louisiana Baseball Preview: at James Madison
4/1/2026 9:41:00 PM | Baseball
Ragin' Cajuns visit Dukes for three-game SBC series
HARRISONBURG, Va. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team returns to Sun Belt Conference play beginning on Thursday when it travels to face James Madison at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park.
First pitch for Thursday's opener is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT. The series continues on Friday at 3 p.m. CT and Saturday at 10 a.m. CT. All three games will be available on ESPN+ with fans able to listen locally in the Lafayette area on KPEL-FM (96.5) and worldwide on the Varsity Network app.
Louisiana (18-11, 3-6 SBC) continues a five-game road trip as it travels to face JMU (13-14, 4-5 SBC) for the second time in three years.
The Dukes earned a three-game sweep in the inaugural series between the schools in 2023 and rallied past the Ragin' Cajuns, 10-9, in the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Louisiana completed a three-game sweep in last year's series at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park, capped by a four-hit, 11-strikeout performance by JR Tollett.
Lee Amedee (.323-1-17) and Colt Brown (.310-1-16) lead Louisiana at the plate. Amedee (12), Donovan LaSalle (11) and Brown (10) have paced the Ragin' Cajuns in extra-base hits through the first half of the season.
Freshman Sawyer Pruitt (2-2, 2.08 ERA) will start in Thursday's opener for Louisiana with left-hander Andrew Herrmann (3-2, 3.30 ERA) scheduled to pitch on Friday. Junior left-hander Ty Roman (2-2, 5.25 ERA) will start in Saturday's finale.
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 30-32 PREVIEW
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (18-11, 3-6 SBC) at James Madison Dukes (13-14, 4-5 SBC)
TIMES (dates and times are subject to change)
Thursday (April 2) – 5 p.m. CT
Friday (April 3) – 3 p.m. CT
Saturday (April 4) – 10 a.m. CT
LOCATION/SITE
Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park (1,200) | Harrisonburg, Va.
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUP
THURSDAY – 5 p.m. CT
LOUISIANA | RH Sawyer Pruitt (6-7, 240, Fr., Watson, La.)
'26 Stats: 2-2, 2.08 ERA, 43.1 IP, 38 H, 12 R, 10 ER, 11 BB, 47 K, .233 OppBA
JAMES MADISON | LH Max Kuhle (6-1, 210, Sr., Virginia Beach, Va.)
'26 Stats: 0-1, 6.92 ERA, 13.0 IP, 14 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 8 BB, 12 K, .264 OppBA
FRIDAY – 3 p.m. CT
LOUISIANA | LH Andrew Herrmann (6-3, 215, Gr., Kennesaw, Ga.)
'26 Stats: 3-2, 3.30 ERA, 46.1 IP, 28 H, 21 R, 17 ER, 18 BB, 56 K, .174 OppBA
JAMES MADISON | RH Luke Alexander (6-3, 190, Fr., Fredericksburg, Va.)
'26 Stats: 3-1, 7.99 ERA, 23.2 IP, 25 H, 21 R, 21 ER, 9 BB, 24 K, .275 OppBA
SATURDAY – 10 a.m. CT
LOUISIANA | LH Ty Roman (6-3, 215, Jr., Diboll, Texas)
'26 Stats: 2-2, 5.25 ERA, 36.0 IP, 34 H, 21 R, 21 ER, 10 BB, 41 K, .245 OppBA
JAMES MADISON | TBA
RANKINGS
Louisiana –Receiving Votes (NCBWA)
James Madison – Unranked
RADIO/TV/LIVE STATISTICS
TV
Station – ESPN+
Talent – Curt Dudley (pxp); David Lombardo (color)
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)
LIVE STATS
CajunStats.Statbroadcast.com
SERIES RECORD
Overall – James Madison leads, 4-3
In Lafayette – Louisiana leads, 3-0
In Harrisonburg – James Madison leads, 3-0
Neutral Sites – James Madison leads, 1-0
Last 10 – James Madison, 4-3
Streak – Louisiana +3
LOUISIANA ON DECK
• Louisiana continues its five-game road swing with a three-game Sun Belt Conference series beginning Thursday at James Madison.
• Both teams have earned three-game sweeps on their home turf with JMU earning a 10-9 win in the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Tournament to hold a 4-3 lead in the all-time series.
• Louisiana is 7-2 in one-run games in 2026 after posting a 5-6 mark in 2025.
• The Ragin' Cajuns are 11-3 on the season when scoring six or more runs and 14-3 overall when allowing five runs or less.
• Louisiana's starting infield of Lee Amedee (1B), Rigoberto Hernandez (2B), Blaze Rodriguez (SS) and Drew Markle (3B), have started every game at their respective positions this season.
• Lee Amedee has hit safely in his last nine games to lead the team and has reached base in a current team-high 11 straight games.
• The normal weekend trio of Andrew Herrmann (4), Sawyer Pruitt (3), and JR Tollett (2) have combined for nine quality starts on the mound this season – two shy of last season's total in 58 games.
• Herrmann is one of nine Division I players leading the nation in complete games (2).
• Herrmann is 16th nationally in total strikeouts (56) and 30th in hits allowed per nine innings (5.44).
• Louisiana's combined 12 wins by its starting pitchers in 2026 equals the combined total of victories from last season.
• Louisiana ranks in the top-50 among Division I schools in the following categories: fielding percentage (28th, .980), hit by pitch (49th, 53), hits allowed per nine innings (36th, 7.87), sacrifice bunts (21st, 20), shutouts (15th, 4), strikeout-to-walk ratio (38th, 2.55), WHIP (34th, 1.29) and walks allowed per nine innings (45th, 3.76).
SCOUTING THE DUKES
• James Madison enters with a 13-14 overall record and a 4-5 mark in Sun Belt play, posting a 9-4 record at home.
• The Dukes' offense is producing at a high level, batting .291 as a team with 23 home runs, 55 doubles, 181 runs scored and a Sun Belt-best 82 stolen bases through 27 games.
• Josiah Seguin (.366-6-22) headlines a lineup that also features Cameron Aycock (.352 avg., 11 SB) and Ike Schmidly (.340 avg., 5 HR) as consistent run producers.
• Defensively, the Dukes have been reliable, turning 13 double plays and posting a .971 team fielding percentage on the year.
• Max Kuhle (0-1, 6.92 ERA) will start in Thursday's opener with Luke Alexander (3-1, 7.99 ERA) slated to pitch Friday. Saturday's starter is to be determined.
WHAT'S ON TAP
• Louisiana closes out its five-game road swing on April 8 in Hammond against in-state foe SLU at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
• The Ragin' Cajuns then return home to face nationally-ranked Southern Miss in a three-game series April 10-12.
PRUITT NAMED TO BASEBALL AMERICA FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
• Freshman right-hander Sawyer Pruitt was named to Baseball America's Freshman of the Year Watch List.
• Pruitt has posted a 2-2 record with a 2.08 ERA in his inaugural season at Louisiana with wins over Rice and Kansas State.
• The Watson, La. native earned the first save of his career on March 4, tossing the final 4.0 innings and scattering two hits in a 7-2 win over then No. 2-ranked LSU.
• Baseball America's Jacob Rudner wrote the following on Pruitt: "A towering freshman at 6-foot-7, Pruitt has used his height to his advantage, creating unique angles on the mound that have helped lead to a 2.08 ERA with 47 strikeouts to 11 walks over 43.1 innings. Pruitt has made 10 appearances this year with six coming as a starter."
#COLT45 NAMED TO BUSTER POSEY MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
• Another member of Louisiana's impressive freshman class – Colt Brown – was one of 50 catchers nationally named to the Buster Posey Award Midseason Watch List.
• The award is presented each season by the Wichita (Kan.) Sports Commission to the nation's outstanding collegiate catcher.
• Brown has started 28 of 29 games this season for Louisiana where he second on the team in hitting (.310) while leading the team with nine doubles.
First pitch for Thursday's opener is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT. The series continues on Friday at 3 p.m. CT and Saturday at 10 a.m. CT. All three games will be available on ESPN+ with fans able to listen locally in the Lafayette area on KPEL-FM (96.5) and worldwide on the Varsity Network app.
Louisiana (18-11, 3-6 SBC) continues a five-game road trip as it travels to face JMU (13-14, 4-5 SBC) for the second time in three years.
The Dukes earned a three-game sweep in the inaugural series between the schools in 2023 and rallied past the Ragin' Cajuns, 10-9, in the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Louisiana completed a three-game sweep in last year's series at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park, capped by a four-hit, 11-strikeout performance by JR Tollett.
Lee Amedee (.323-1-17) and Colt Brown (.310-1-16) lead Louisiana at the plate. Amedee (12), Donovan LaSalle (11) and Brown (10) have paced the Ragin' Cajuns in extra-base hits through the first half of the season.
Freshman Sawyer Pruitt (2-2, 2.08 ERA) will start in Thursday's opener for Louisiana with left-hander Andrew Herrmann (3-2, 3.30 ERA) scheduled to pitch on Friday. Junior left-hander Ty Roman (2-2, 5.25 ERA) will start in Saturday's finale.
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 30-32 PREVIEW
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (18-11, 3-6 SBC) at James Madison Dukes (13-14, 4-5 SBC)
TIMES (dates and times are subject to change)
Thursday (April 2) – 5 p.m. CT
Friday (April 3) – 3 p.m. CT
Saturday (April 4) – 10 a.m. CT
LOCATION/SITE
Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park (1,200) | Harrisonburg, Va.
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUP
THURSDAY – 5 p.m. CT
LOUISIANA | RH Sawyer Pruitt (6-7, 240, Fr., Watson, La.)
'26 Stats: 2-2, 2.08 ERA, 43.1 IP, 38 H, 12 R, 10 ER, 11 BB, 47 K, .233 OppBA
JAMES MADISON | LH Max Kuhle (6-1, 210, Sr., Virginia Beach, Va.)
'26 Stats: 0-1, 6.92 ERA, 13.0 IP, 14 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 8 BB, 12 K, .264 OppBA
FRIDAY – 3 p.m. CT
LOUISIANA | LH Andrew Herrmann (6-3, 215, Gr., Kennesaw, Ga.)
'26 Stats: 3-2, 3.30 ERA, 46.1 IP, 28 H, 21 R, 17 ER, 18 BB, 56 K, .174 OppBA
JAMES MADISON | RH Luke Alexander (6-3, 190, Fr., Fredericksburg, Va.)
'26 Stats: 3-1, 7.99 ERA, 23.2 IP, 25 H, 21 R, 21 ER, 9 BB, 24 K, .275 OppBA
SATURDAY – 10 a.m. CT
LOUISIANA | LH Ty Roman (6-3, 215, Jr., Diboll, Texas)
'26 Stats: 2-2, 5.25 ERA, 36.0 IP, 34 H, 21 R, 21 ER, 10 BB, 41 K, .245 OppBA
JAMES MADISON | TBA
RANKINGS
Louisiana –Receiving Votes (NCBWA)
James Madison – Unranked
RADIO/TV/LIVE STATISTICS
TV
Station – ESPN+
Talent – Curt Dudley (pxp); David Lombardo (color)
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)
LIVE STATS
CajunStats.Statbroadcast.com
SERIES RECORD
Overall – James Madison leads, 4-3
In Lafayette – Louisiana leads, 3-0
In Harrisonburg – James Madison leads, 3-0
Neutral Sites – James Madison leads, 1-0
Last 10 – James Madison, 4-3
Streak – Louisiana +3
LOUISIANA ON DECK
• Louisiana continues its five-game road swing with a three-game Sun Belt Conference series beginning Thursday at James Madison.
• Both teams have earned three-game sweeps on their home turf with JMU earning a 10-9 win in the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Tournament to hold a 4-3 lead in the all-time series.
• Louisiana is 7-2 in one-run games in 2026 after posting a 5-6 mark in 2025.
• The Ragin' Cajuns are 11-3 on the season when scoring six or more runs and 14-3 overall when allowing five runs or less.
• Louisiana's starting infield of Lee Amedee (1B), Rigoberto Hernandez (2B), Blaze Rodriguez (SS) and Drew Markle (3B), have started every game at their respective positions this season.
• Lee Amedee has hit safely in his last nine games to lead the team and has reached base in a current team-high 11 straight games.
• The normal weekend trio of Andrew Herrmann (4), Sawyer Pruitt (3), and JR Tollett (2) have combined for nine quality starts on the mound this season – two shy of last season's total in 58 games.
• Herrmann is one of nine Division I players leading the nation in complete games (2).
• Herrmann is 16th nationally in total strikeouts (56) and 30th in hits allowed per nine innings (5.44).
• Louisiana's combined 12 wins by its starting pitchers in 2026 equals the combined total of victories from last season.
• Louisiana ranks in the top-50 among Division I schools in the following categories: fielding percentage (28th, .980), hit by pitch (49th, 53), hits allowed per nine innings (36th, 7.87), sacrifice bunts (21st, 20), shutouts (15th, 4), strikeout-to-walk ratio (38th, 2.55), WHIP (34th, 1.29) and walks allowed per nine innings (45th, 3.76).
SCOUTING THE DUKES
• James Madison enters with a 13-14 overall record and a 4-5 mark in Sun Belt play, posting a 9-4 record at home.
• The Dukes' offense is producing at a high level, batting .291 as a team with 23 home runs, 55 doubles, 181 runs scored and a Sun Belt-best 82 stolen bases through 27 games.
• Josiah Seguin (.366-6-22) headlines a lineup that also features Cameron Aycock (.352 avg., 11 SB) and Ike Schmidly (.340 avg., 5 HR) as consistent run producers.
• Defensively, the Dukes have been reliable, turning 13 double plays and posting a .971 team fielding percentage on the year.
• Max Kuhle (0-1, 6.92 ERA) will start in Thursday's opener with Luke Alexander (3-1, 7.99 ERA) slated to pitch Friday. Saturday's starter is to be determined.
WHAT'S ON TAP
• Louisiana closes out its five-game road swing on April 8 in Hammond against in-state foe SLU at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
• The Ragin' Cajuns then return home to face nationally-ranked Southern Miss in a three-game series April 10-12.
PRUITT NAMED TO BASEBALL AMERICA FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
• Freshman right-hander Sawyer Pruitt was named to Baseball America's Freshman of the Year Watch List.
• Pruitt has posted a 2-2 record with a 2.08 ERA in his inaugural season at Louisiana with wins over Rice and Kansas State.
• The Watson, La. native earned the first save of his career on March 4, tossing the final 4.0 innings and scattering two hits in a 7-2 win over then No. 2-ranked LSU.
• Baseball America's Jacob Rudner wrote the following on Pruitt: "A towering freshman at 6-foot-7, Pruitt has used his height to his advantage, creating unique angles on the mound that have helped lead to a 2.08 ERA with 47 strikeouts to 11 walks over 43.1 innings. Pruitt has made 10 appearances this year with six coming as a starter."
#COLT45 NAMED TO BUSTER POSEY MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
• Another member of Louisiana's impressive freshman class – Colt Brown – was one of 50 catchers nationally named to the Buster Posey Award Midseason Watch List.
• The award is presented each season by the Wichita (Kan.) Sports Commission to the nation's outstanding collegiate catcher.
• Brown has started 28 of 29 games this season for Louisiana where he second on the team in hitting (.310) while leading the team with nine doubles.
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