Ragin' Cajuns Baseball Signs 14 To Early Commitments For The 2006 Season
<blockquote><p align=justify>LOUISIANA La. - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns head baseball coach Tony Robichaux announced Wednesday the signing of 14 players to National Letters of Intent. The signees will be eligible to compete for the Ragin' Cajuns in the 2005-06 academic year.
The class, which includes eight pitchers and six position players, will help Louisiana reload after losing 16 seniors off the current 2004-05 squad.
The group includes nine high school prospects and five junior college transfers. Seven states, with Louisiana leading the way with four representatives, and Canada are represented.
The pitchers announced Wednesday include right-hander Chad Beck of Panola (Texas) Junior College; right-hander Jared Bourque of LSU-Eunice and a native of Gonzales, La.; right-hander Danny Farquhar of Archbishop McCarthy (Fla.) High School; right-hander Jeremy Lucroy of Umatilla (Fla.) High School; left-hander Justin Randa of Barton (Kan.) Community College; left-hander Chase Richard of Central Private (La.) High School; right-hander Steven Schroeder of Bellaire (Texas) High School; and left-hander Greg Wilborn of Eldorado (N.M.) High School.
The position players joining the UL Lafayette program include infielder Grant DeRouen of Barbe High School in Lake Charles, La.; catcher Scott Hawkins of Collierville (Tenn.) High School; infielder/outfielder William Long of Pendleton (Fla.) High School; outfielder/infielder Ty Rasmussen of Enumclaw (Wash.) High School; infielder Tim Santiago of Bossier Parish (La.) Community College and a native of Lafayette; and outfielder/infielder Devery Van de Keere of Phoenix Junior College.
"This incoming class provides us with the combination of experience andtalent," Robichaux said. "The balance of pitching, hitting and defense will help the program reload from losing 16 seniors at the end of this season and protect us from the MLB Draft.
"In addition, our commitment to bringing in highly talented freshmen will continue to build a strong foundation for years to come," Robichaux noted.
Robichaux and his staff notched a pair of highly sought-after prospects. Hawkins (Collierville, Tenn.) is currently ranked as the 75th top high school prospect in the country by Baseball America.com while Beck (Woodville, Texas) was selected in the 42nd round of the 2004 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Cajuns also nabbed a pair of switch-hitters - Long (Valrico, Fla.) and Lafayette native Santiago.
The group is stocked with defensive versatility. DeRouen plays multiple infield positions, as does Long. There is also defensive flexibility in the middle-of-the-order type hitters Rasmussen (Sumner, Wash.) and Van de Keere (Barrhead, Alberta, Canada) who can both play corner outfield and corner infield positions.
With the Cajuns set to lose several key pitchers to graduation in 2005, the class provides immediate talent and depth from both the right and left sides. Beck and Bourque (Gonzales, La.) are both power right-handed throwers with proven success on the junior college level. Randa (Hays, Kan.) will provide the Cajuns with experience and a power arm from the left side to complement Beck and Bourque.
The pitching class in deep in high schoolers as well. Sunshine staters Farquhar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and Lucroy (Eustis, Fla.) are expected to make an immediate impact on Robichaux's staff in addition to Schroeder (Houston, Texas) who can also hit for power from the left side of the plate.
Lefties Wilborn (Albuquerque, N.M.) and Richard (Denham Springs, La.) will give the Cajuns talented southpaw options. Wilborn was one of the most highly sought prepsters in the early signing period in New Mexico while Richard pitched for the Louisiana All-Stars this fall.
"We feel very fortunate that these young men have chosen to further their baseball careers with us," Robichaux said. "It makes our staff feel very confident about the future."
There are two cousins of current Cajuns in the class. Bourque, the cousin of current Cajun infielder Devon Bourque, led all junior college pitchers in saves in 2004 with 13. Lucroy is the cousin of current Cajun catcher Jonathan Lucroy.
Louisiana-La, which just finished its fall season on Nov. 9, will open the 2005 campaign on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2005, with an exhibition game on Fan Day. The Ragin' Cajuns first regular season game for the upcoming season is set for Friday, Feb. 11, against former assistant coach Wade Simoneaux and Louisiana Tech at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field.
