Louisiana Welcomes Arkansas State for Sun Belt Series
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Louisiana welcomes Sun Belt Conference foe Arkansas State to M.L. 'Tigue' Moore Field at Russo Park for the three-game series with the Red Wolves, starting on April 9 and running through April 11.
The Ragin' Cajuns (18-11, 5-1 Sun Belt) are riding a six-game winning streak, their longest since 2017.
Arkansas State (8-14-11, 3-3 Sun Belt) picked up a sweep last weekend, taking three games from its in-state and Sun Belt foe Little Rock.
Who: Louisiana (18-11, 5-1 Sun Belt) vs. Arkansas State (8-14, 3-3)
Where: M.L. 'Tigue' Moore Field at Russo Park
When: April 9-11
WATCH: Friday & Saturday - ESPN+
Sunday - No Stream
Listen: KPEL 96.5
On the Call: Jay Walker (play-by-play), Brad Topham (color)
Last Meeting: Louisiana won, 6-1, (4/6/2019)
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Spencer Arrighetti (5-1, 0.90 ERA, 40.0 IP, 50 K) vs. Brandon Hudson (2-0, 4.76 ERA, 17.0 IP, 11 K)
Saturday: TBA vs. Will Nash (1-2, 4.84 ERA, 22.1 IP, 16 K)
Sunday: TBA vs. Carter Holt (1-2, 6.48 ERA, 25.0 IP, 16K)
ACE
Coming into the weekend, Spencer Arrighetti is in elite company. The two-time Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week joins Jack Leiter (Vanderbilt) and Kumar Rocker (Vanderbilt) as the only three pitchers in college baseball to post a sub-1.00 ERA, minimum 40.0 innings pitched.
Carson Roccaforte is starting to heat up again. Roccaforte etched his name into the Louisiana record book by becoming the first player in school history to swipe five bases in a single game. The freshman also hit .471 in four games, collecting two-straight four-hit games against Coastal Carolina and ULM. With his impressive showing at the plate, Roccaforte climbed the Sun Belt rankings, moving into 12th place in total batting average (.337) and seventh place in total hits (37).
Multi-hit Tear
Tyler Robertson has seen an uptick in batting average lately, posting two hits in each of his last four games. Robertson joins Roccaforte as the only two Cajuns to collect multiple base knocks in four straight games this season.
Something to keep an eye on
With Louisiana's recent success on the diamond, the Ragin' Cajuns are projected to play in an NCAA Regional, according to D1Baseball. The projection has the Ragin' Cajuns traveling to Austin, Texas, for a regional that features Texas, Stanford and Fordham.
Scouting the enemy
Arkansas State currently owns an 8-14 record and sits at 3-3 in Sun Belt Conference play. The Red Wolves hit the ball a shade higher than the Ragin' Cajuns, owning a .263 team batting average. On the bump, Arkansas State owns a league-worst team ERA of 8.39 and it walks more hitters than it strikes out.
Against Arkansas State
Louisiana and Arkansas State have split the last two series, with both teams going 2–1 on its home field. Prior to the last two three-game series in 2018 and 2019, Louisiana was riding a seven-game win streak against Arkansas State, making the Ragin' Cajuns 10-3 in its last 13 meetings.
