Louisiana Baseball Preview: vs. New Orleans

LAFAYETTE – Louisiana closes out its midweek schedule and wraps up a six-game homestand on Tuesday when it plays host to in-state opponent and former Sun Belt Conference rival New Orleans at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.

First pitch is set for 6 p.m. The game 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).

Fans can take advantage of the season-long "Two-For-Tuesday" promotion for the Grambling contest with two tickets for the price of one in the bleacher back sections, $2 Natural Lights, $2 popcorn and $2 hot dogs.

Louisiana (30-18) capped off a three-game sweep of Georgia State last weekend, claiming the series finale with a 4-3 win on Sunday. The Ragin' Cajuns hit .300 as a team and outscored the Panthers, 23-5, in the three-game series with Drew Markle (.667), Steven Spalitta (.500) and Noah Lewis (.417) leading the way.

Freshman Colt Brown (.319-4-34) moved into the team lead in average for the Ragin' Cajuns and is hitting .346 in non-conference games. Lee Amedee (.313-3-36) and Lewis (.306-1-13) are next in hitting for Louisiana, which has posted a .299 team batting average in its last 10 games while averaging 8.8 runs per contest.

Louisiana will send Garret Carter (1-0, 7.54 ERA) to the mound for his first Division I start. The right-hander is second on the team in appearances (18) and games finished (8).

The matchup against New Orleans (20-30) marks the first meeting between the former SBC rivals since 2019. Louisiana holds an 83-59 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to 1973.

Dylan Biddick (.324-12-37) and Evan Rogers (.315-3-28) paces UNO at the plate with Eli Tidwell (.292-9-26) and Kruise Newman (.279-11-39) leading the team in runs scored (43) and RBI (39), respectively.

Right-hander Rex Henderson (2-0, 3.95 ERA) will start on the mound for the Privateers, who enter the game as the NCAA Division I leader in double plays (53).

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 49 PREVIEW
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (30-18, 12-12 SBC) vs. New Orleans Privateers (20-30, 10-17 SLC)

TIMES (dates and times are subject to change)
Tuesday (May 5) – 6 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).
• Group tickets are also available by contacting the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office by email at Tickets@louisiana.edu.
• Fans can take advantage of the season-long "Two-For-Tuesday" promotion for the Grambling contest with two tickets for the price of one in the bleacher back sections, $2 Natural Lights, $2 popcorn and $2 hot dogs.

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUP
TUESDAY – 6 p.m.
LOUISIANA | RH Garret Carter (6-2, 195, Jr., Allen, Texas)
'26 Stats: 1-0, 7.54 ERA, 22.2 IP, 27 H, 20 R, 19 ER, 14 BB, 22 K, .290 OppBA

NEW ORLEANS | RH Rex Henderson (6-4, 200, Sr., Mandeville, La.)
'26 Stats: 2-0, 3.95 ERA, 13.2 IP, 11 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 11 BB, 9 K, .229 OppBA

RANKINGS
Louisiana – Unranked
New Orleans – 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, 83-69
Last 10 – Louisiana, 8-2
Streak – New Orleans +11

LOUISIANA ON DECK
• Louisiana hosts in-state opponent New Orleans in the final midweek game of the season on Tuesday at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.
• The Ragin' Cajuns hold an 83-59 lead in the series and were 54-26 against the Privateers when UNO was a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
• Louisiana is 10-2 overall in midweek games during the season.
• Louisiana has recorded 10 or more hits in seven of its last 11 games.
• Head coach Matt Deggs is 100-57 all-time against in-state schools, including a 7-4 mark against the Privateers.
• Since the beginning of the Southern Miss series (April 10-12), the Ragin' Cajuns have posted a .293 batting average while averaging 7.7 runs per game and a +38 run differential.
• Louisiana leads the SBC in hits allowed per nine innings (8.16) and is second in the league in fielding percentage (.979) and shutouts (4).
• The Ragin' Cajuns are third among SBC schools in double plays (40), stolen bases (90), triples (11), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.36) and WHIP (1.33).
• Louisiana's 15 quality starts on the season – Andrew Herrmann (7), Sawyer Pruitt (3), JR Tollett (2), Cody Brasch (2) and Ty Roman (1) – have surpassed last season's total (10) set in 58 games.
• Herrmann's four complete games in 2026 is tied with Holy Cross' Jaden Wywoda for the national lead.
• Herrmann and Ty Roman are tied with 11 players for the national lead in starts with 13.
• Louisiana's combined 16 wins by its starting pitchers in 2026 surpassed last season's combined total (12).
• Louisiana has eclipsed the 100,000-mark in total attendance for the 11^th time in program history; the Ragin' Cajuns have drawn 110,991 fans in 28 home dates this season.
• Louisiana ranks 16^th nationally in total attendance and is 21^st among NCAA Division I programs in average attendance (3,963/28 dates)
• Right-hander Garret Carter became the ninth 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), Parker Smith (1) and Landon Victorian (1).

SCOUTING THE PRIVATEERS
• New Orleans secured a series win over Nicholls last weekend, finishing with a 12-10 victory in 11 innings on Sunday; UNO is now 4-2 in extra-inning games this season.
• The Privateers scored 32 runs over the weekend, hitting .304 as a team with a .544 slugging percentage and 14 extra-base hits.
• Dylan Biddick hit three home runs, and five players scored at least four runs in the series.
• Against the Colonels, New Orleans recorded 10 stolen bases, including seven in the finale – its most in a game since posting seven against UIW in April 2021.
• The surge moved the Privateers from ninth to fifth in the conference in stolen bases.
• Dathan Cummings has gone 13-for-33 over his last 10 games dating back to the opener against Houston Christian, scoring 11 runs and raising his batting average from .222 to .295.
• As a team, New Orleans is batting .344 (21-for-61) with the bases loaded. Evan Rogers is 4-for-6 in those situations, and the Privateers have totaled 111 two-out RBI this season. Owen Smith leads the team with 16 two-out RBI entering the final week of the regular season.
• This marks the first meeting with Louisiana since 2019, when New Orleans earned a 10-3 win at Russo Park.
• The Ragin' Cajuns have won five of the last seven matchups since the Privateers left the Sun Belt Conference after 2010.

WHAT'S ON TAP
• Louisiana heads 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).
• All three games will be available on ESPN+
• The Ragin' Cajuns will close out the regular season beginning on Thursday, May 14, at Russo Park against current league leader and 2025 national runner-up Coastal Carolina

Louisiana Baseball Preview: vs. New Orleans

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Players Mentioned

Lee Amedee

Cody Brasch

Colt Brown

Garret Carter

Andrew Herrmann

Noah Lewis

Drew Markle

Tyler Papenbrock

Sawyer Pruitt

Ty Roman

Parker Smith

Steven Spalitta

JR Tollett

Landon Victorian

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