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TROY, Ala. - As he walked off the field for the final time wearing a UL uniform, Scott Hawkins admitted that he cannot see the future for the Cajun baseball program. The senior first baseman/designated hitter has yet to buy a crystal ball. He doesn't regularly consult a swami.
Hawkins, though, knows this: The ups and downs endured by a young team in 2009 should pay big dividends for next season.
"Struggling only makes you better," Hawkins said following Saturday's 6-2 loss to No. 1 seed Middle Tennessee in a bracket final at the Sun Belt tournament. "The coaches do a great job. They've got a lot of position players returning.
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20090525/SPORTS/905250320/1006/Play+at+Sun+Belt+tournament+was+microcosm+of+UL+s++09+season" target="_blank">The rest of the story</a>
Joshua Parrott •
jparrott@theadvertiser.com • May 25, 2009
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"You're just going to have to see how the pitching, defense and hitting come together."
More often than not, those three facets of the game did not come together this year for the Cajuns (27-30-1, 14-15 Sun Belt). They won at least two in row five times, including a seven-game winning streak at midseason and a five-game stretch in the final two weeks that propelled them into a league tournament bracket final. They also had a 10-9 win on March 11 over third-ranked LSU - the program's first win over the Tigers in seven years and first win over a top-three opponent in nine years.
There was also a downside, however, as UL lost at least two in a row seven times. At one point, the Cajuns dropped eight of nine in April and six straight in May. They posted a losing overall record for the first time since going 25-33 in 1996 and were sub-.500 in league play for the first time since they went 12-15 in 2001.
The main culprit was inconsistency as hitters, fielders and pitchers. By the end of the regular season, UL ranked 10th in the 11-team league in batting average and ninth in runs scored. The Cajuns led the conference in team ERA but was seventh in errors, with most resulting in big innings. (They did set the single-season school record for double plays, though.)
When the numbers were added up, they won only four of their 10 league series and got swept three times by teams that finished lower in the standings.
UL did sweep New Orleans to close the regular season - coach Tony Robichaux got his 800th career win that weekend - and earn the No. 5 seed for the conference tourney. The Cajuns followed that up by upsetting No. 4 seed Florida International and top-seeded MTSU on the first two days in Troy.
The frustrations, though, that plagued UL all season returned on the final two days. After winning this season's first four matchups with MTSU and needing one win to advance to the league championship game, the Cajuns allowed 17 hits in a 17-8 loss to the Blue Raiders on Friday. They also committed three errors, which resulted in four unearned runs.
Few things went right in Saturday's season-ending loss as UL made two early errors and fell behind 5-0. The Cajuns managed only four hits and two runs in the 6-2 loss, which ended the team's dream of salvaging a frustrating season by winning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
"You've got to get critical outs at critical times of the game," Robichaux said. "I just don't think we were tough enough to do that all year. We've got to get better, and we've got to get more consistent.
"So that's what we've got to go work on."
For the most part, the pieces appear to be in place for the Cajuns to build on their late-season run. Hawkins, the program's career home runs leader, was the team's lone senior starter in the field, although he spent a portion of the year at designated hitter.
In all, the team loses seven seniors, with only four serving as big contributors in Hawkins and Blake Haagen, Greg Harmon and Luke Wagley out of the bullpen. The Cajuns must also play without outfielder/first baseman Travis Whipple, who was suspended for the final three weeks of this year and all of 2010 for violating team rules. The sophomore led the team in five offensive categories and was second in two others when he was suspended.
UL signed six recruits in the fall, including five pitchers expected to add depth to the team's rotation and bullpen. Two of last year's signees - junior college pitchers Garrett Larsen (ankle injury) and Taylor Hubbell (transcript issue) - are expected to contribute on the mound. Larsen threw in one game this year, while Hubbell was not eligible. The Cajuns will likely add two corner infielders and another pitcher through the junior college ranks before next fall.
Pitchers Zach Osborne, Justin Robichaux and Greg Wilborn could be picked in this summer's draft, but the Cajuns will have their top two pitchers in the weekend rotation back if both Osborne and Robichaux return. From there, they must find a third weekend starter, rebuild the bullpen and find some consistent arms to throw in mid-week games.
Mix in the high number of returning players that had a role in the team's late-season run with a strong group of newcomers and there is optimism that the Cajuns can improve in 2010.
"I think the guys can take some positives away from this year," Wagley said. "Besides the seven-game winning streak, we were playing our best ball late. We've got a lot of guys returning, and I think they can use this as momentum and carry it into next fall and the spring."
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