Louisiana Baseball Preview: vs. Georgia State

LAFAYETTE – Louisiana welcomes back its baseball alums for Alumni Weekend and continues its six-game homestand beginning on Friday when it plays host to Georgia State in a Sun Belt Conference series at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.

First pitch for Friday's opener is set for 6 p.m. The series continues on Saturday at 2 p.m., with the series finale set for Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games will be available on ESPN+ with fans able to listen locally on KPEL-FM (96.5) and worldwide on the Varsity Network app.

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).

Prior to Saturday's contest, Louisiana will honor one of the program's all-time greats when Jonathan Lucroy has his No. 21 jersey retired.

Lucroy, who will officially be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame this summer, will become the third player in program history to have his jersey retired, joining his former head coach – the late Tony Robichaux (No. 36) – and former New York Yankees standout and Cy Young Award winner Ron Guidry (No. 3).

Louisiana (27-18, 9-12 SBC) heads into the final three weekends of the regular season one game behind five teams – including Georgia State (22-22, 10-11 SBC) – for fifth place in the SBC standings. The Ragin' Cajuns took two of three games last weekend at Arkansas State before picking up midweek wins over Southern and Nicholls to open a six-game homestand.

Lee Amedee (.329-3-34), Colt Brown (.322-3-31), Noah Lewis (.294-1-10) and Rigoberto Hernandez (.288-3-23) are the top hitters for Louisiana, which has hit at a .301 clip over its last 10 games while averaging 8.4 runs per game.

Cody Brasch (3-2, 2.78 ERA) will start in Friday's opener for the Ragin' Cajuns, southpaw Andrew Herrmann (5-2, 4.15 ERA) will start on Saturday, with the Sunday starter to be determined.

Georgia State opened a nine-game road trip, having games at Alabama State and Alcorn State canceled due to weather. The Panthers have made three previous trips to Russo Park with the last visit in 2019.

As a team, Georgia State is hitting .263 with 282 runs and 380 hits this season. John Beverley ranks fourth in the Sun Belt with a .388 batting average and is tied for the conference lead with 30 stolen bases. Wills Maginnis is hitting .294 with six home runs and 34 RBI, while Sam Silas is batting .293.

With the loss of three pitchers for the season to injury – including a pair of weekend starters – Georgia State shuffled its rotation and will send right-hander Brian Crooms (3-3, 8.44 ERA) to the mound in Friday's opener. The Panthers will send right-hander Michael Caruso (5-5, 5.48 ERA) to the mound on Saturday and Cole Roberts (102, 6.23 ERA) to the hill on Sunday.

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 46-48 PREVIEW
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (27-18-17, 9-12 SBC) vs. Georgia State Panthers (22-22, 10-11 SBC)

TIMES (dates and times are subject to change)
Friday (May 1) – 6 p.m.
Saturday (May 2) – 2 p.m.
Sunday (May 3) – 1 p.m.

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

TICKETS
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).

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUP
FRIDAY – 6 p.m.
LOUISIANA | RH Cody Brasch (6-3, 205, Jr., Haslet, Texas)
'26 Stats: 3-2, 2.78 ERA, 45.1 IP, 35 H, 14 R, 14 ER, 15 BB, 62 K, .216 OppBA

GEORGIA STATE | RH Brian Crooms (6-0, 195, Gr., Metter, Ga.)
'26 Stats: 3-3, 8.44 ERA, 42.2 IP, 54 H, 41 R, 40 ER, 26 BB, 22 K, .320 OppBA

SATURDAY – 2 p.m.
LOUISIANA | LH Andrew Herrmann (6-3, 215, Gr., Kennesaw, Ga.)
'26 Stats: 5-2, 4.15 ERA, 73.2 IP, 57 H, 39 R, 34 ER, 24 BB, 81 K, .214 OppBA

GEORGIA STATE | RH Michael Caruso (6-2, 180, Jr., Phoenix, Ariz.)
'26 Stats: 5-5, 5.48 ERA, 46.0 IP, 38 H, 31 R, 28 ER, 18 BB, 50 K, .221 OppBA

SUNDAY – 1 p.m.
LOUISIANA | TBA

GEORGIA STATE | RH Cole Roberts (5-10, 195, Sr., Las Vegas, Nevada)
'26 Stats: 1-2, 6.23 ERA, 47.2 IP, 49 H, 36 R, 33 ER, 18 BB, 43 K, .265 OppBA

RANKINGS
Louisiana – Unranked
Georgia State – Unranked

RADIO/TV/LIVE STATISTICS
TV
Station – ESPN+
Talent – Dan McDonald (pxp); Brennan Breaux (color)

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

LIVE STATS
CajunStats.Statbroadcast.com

SERIES RECORD
Overall – Louisiana leads, 19-2
In Lafayette – Louisiana leads, 9-0
In Atlanta – Louisiana leads, 10-2
Last 10 – Louisiana, 10-0
Streak – Louisiana +11

LOUISIANA ON DECK
• Louisiana welcomes Georgia State to #TheTigue for the first time since 2019 as the teams open a three-game Sun Belt Conference series on Friday.
• Louisiana saw its team batting average climb to .261 overall on the season after hitting .284 in April, .257 in February and .240 in March.
• During April, Louisiana recorded 10+ hits in nine of 16 games - one more than in February and March combined (8).
• Louisiana has recorded 10 or more hits in seven of its last 11 games.
• Since the beginning of the Southern Miss series (April 10-12), the Ragin' Cajuns posted a .291 batting average while averaging 7.8 runs per game and a +20 run differential.
• Rigoberto Hernandez (2B), and Blaze Rodriguez (SS) are the lone players to start in all 45 games for the Ragin' Cajuns.
• Louisiana's 15 hits in last Saturday's 11-5 win over Arkansas State tied a season high.
• In its last 10 games, Louisiana is hitting at a .301 clip while averaging 8.4 runs per game
• Louisiana is second in the SBC in fielding percentage (.979), hits allowed per nine innings (8.26) and shutouts (4).
• The Ragin' Cajuns are third among SBC schools in double plays (37), stolen bases (83), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.33) and WHIP (1.36).
• Louisiana's 13 quality starts on the season – Andrew Herrmann (6), Sawyer Pruitt (3), JR Tollett (2), Cody Brasch (1) and Ty Roman (1) – have surpassed last season's total (10) set in 58 games.
• Louisiana's combined 14 wins by its starting pitchers in 2026 surpassed last season's combined total (12).
• Right-hander Parker Smith became the eighth different player to start on the mound this season for Louisiana joining Andrew Herrmann (12), Ty Roman (11), Sawyer Pruitt (8), JR Tollett (7), Cody Brasch (3), Tyler Papenbrock (1) and Landon Victorian (1).

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
• Georgia State opened a nine-game road trip having games at Alabama State and Alcorn State canceled due to weather.
• The Panthers have made three trips to #TheTigue (2014, 2016, 2019) and are 0-9 overall.
• Georgia State is hitting .263 as a team with 282 runs and 380 hits this season.
• John Beverley ranks fourth in the Sun Belt with a .388 batting average and is tied for the conference lead with 30 stolen bases.
• Wills Maginnis is hitting .294 with six home runs and 34 RBI, while Sam Silas is batting .293. • Hunter Carlson leads the team with 36 RBI, providing consistent production throughout the lineup.
• Georgia State has also been aggressive on the bases with 78 stolen bases this season.
• The Panthers hold a 6.20 team ERA with 354 strikeouts.
• Jake Hembree leads the rotation with a 3.32 ERA and 50 strikeouts, while Will Bartkoski has been a key bullpen arm with a 3.62 ERA and four saves.
• Cole Roberts has added 43 strikeouts across 47.2 innings this season.

WHAT'S ON TAP
• Louisiana closes out the midweek schedule on Tuesday (May 5) when it hosts in-state foe and former Sun Belt Conference rival New Orleans for a 6 p.m. contest.
• The Ragin' Cajuns will then head to Boone, N.C., for a three-game series at App State (May 8-10) with game times set for 5 p.m. CT (Friday), 2 p.m. CT (Saturday) and Noon CT (Sunday).

JONATHAN LUCROY DAY SET FOR MAY 2
• Louisiana Baseball will honor one of the program's all-time greats when Jonathan Lucroy has his No. 21 jersey retired on Saturday, May 2, at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park as part of Alumni Weekend.
• Lucroy, who will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame this summer, becomes just the third player in program history to have his jersey retired, joining his former head coach – the late Tony Robichaux (No. 36) – and former New York Yankees standout and Cy Young Award winner Ron Guidry (No. 3).

Louisiana Baseball Preview: vs. Georgia State

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Players Mentioned

Lee Amedee

Cody Brasch

Colt Brown

Rigoberto Hernandez

Andrew Herrmann

Noah Lewis

Tyler Papenbrock

Sawyer Pruitt

Blaze Rodriguez

Ty Roman

Parker Smith

JR Tollett

Landon Victorian

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