Lady Cajuns leave for Friday's regional bout with Oregon
<! Louisiana Ready to get it done > <blockquote><p align=justify>When you've been to the Women's College World Series, anything less is a letdown.
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns know both sides of that equation, after the 2003 squad reached the WCWS and last year's team fell one game short in regional play.
"Those of us who have been to the World Series and all of us from last year's team have had that taste," outfielder Danyele Gomez said. "We want to get back, and we won't accept anything less."
Gomez and the rest of the Cajuns gathered their snacks, pillows, CDs and gear and boarded a charter bus on Wednesday for a nine-hour trip to Norman, Okla., where they will begin their NCAA Tournament drive on Friday against Pac-10 member Oregon.
The regional field has a familiar ring to it with host OU, the team that knocked the Cajuns out of the NCAA's last year and Oregon the Cajuns' last victim in the regional finals en route to the 2003 WCWS. They will be joined by Wichita State.
The next stage is also familiar, with the winner of the OU regional advancing to Super Regional play, likely against Arizona, a team UL ousted from the NCAA Tournament last spring.
"Now is just the time to go out and play," said second baseman Brittany Bryant. "We practice hard, and we work hard. Now we have to be ready to leave it all on the field.
"We've got to go out there relaxed and play our game."
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050519/SPORTS/505190338/1006">The rest of the story</a>
Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com <!--
"It's going to be a very exciting game," said Heather Bobbitt, who with All-American Brooke Mitchell provides a potent 1-2 pitching combination for UL. "We beat Oregon in the regionals two years ago, and we have a little rivalry going with Oklahoma.
"So, it's going to be very interesting."
"We've been working really hard the whole year," said infielder Tara Hamilton, who is on her first postseason trip as a Cajun after transferring into the program. "The fall, the spring ... now it all adds up. This is where all the blood, sweat and tears really pays off.
"I'm pretty excited about the bracket. Whoever wins the regional and next week has a good shot to win the whole thing."
"We know what to expect a little more, because we're familiar with the teams," Bryant said. "But, we're prepared for anybody right now. We'll be watching some videos on the bus on those teams."
"Michael (Lotief) has been working with the hitters this week, and we've got scouting tapes to watch," co-head coach Stefni Lotief said. "It helps that these teams have been on TV.
"If you look at it, it's almost the same exact bracket as last year. You take out Northwestern and add a Pac-10 team in Oregon. It might be a little more competitive. There are three very good teams there."
The No. 14 Cajuns (50-8) are coming off a sixth straight Sun Belt Conference Tournament title and remain unbeaten in that event with a 19-0 all-time mark. But the conference tournament was not a qualifier for NCAA play, more a stepping stone to a bigger challenge.
"We've stayed focused the whole time," Gomez said. "We've treated each weekend like a four-game regional. It's a little mind game we have to get mentally tough.
"The Sun Belt Tournament was another step, naturally. It helped us improve our defense and be clear on what we have to do at the plate. We have to go out and play ourselves, and leave everything on the field."
-->
Special players produce for Lady Cajuns
<! Mitchell (27-7, 0.78 ERA) has 20 double-digit strikeout games this season and 62 in her UL careeer. > <blockquote><p align=justify>If Jill Robertson finishes her career No. 2 in runs scored, then it's almost certain that Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns will finish off the 2005 softball campaign in the Women's College World Series.
Robertson, the swift center fielder who is playing better than ever after missing the 2004 season with a knee injury, enters this weekend's NCAA Regional action with 206 career runs.
No. 1 on the UL list is Jerie Alexander, who scored 230 times from 1999-2002. No. 2 is former Cajun All-American shortstop Alana Addison (1999-2002) with 216.
Robertson has served as the catalyst for UL's attack all season, leading the team in hitting (.384), hits (63), runs (55), on-base percentage (.490) and stolen bases (11-of-13) and is tied for the team lead in doubles with 11.
The former Acadiana High track star, who received her degree in mechanical engineering last weekend while in Bowling Green for the Sun Belt Tournament, has reached base either by a hit or base on balls in 52 of 58 games this season.
She has a streak of 22 straight games of reaching base at least one time.
The All-Sun Belt Conference performer has struck out just 15 times in 206 plate appearances.
Usually, if Robertson gets on base, things happen. And if the 50-8 Cajuns can bring her home on a regular basis this weekend, the chances are excellent that they'll advance to Super Regional play and perhaps beyond.
AMONG THE BEST: Danyele Gomez is well on her way to being mentioned with the best players in Louisiana Ragin' Cajun softball history.
The junior right fielder was the Freshman of the Year in the Sun Belt Conference in 2003, when she set a school record with 20 home runs including a tape measure blast against Cat Osterman of Texas in the Women's College World Series.
She was a first team All-Sun Belt honoree in 2004 despite moving from the outfield to third base and seeing her home run total drop to 13 while Holly Tankersley set a new school record of 21 homers.
This year, Gomez was named the Player of the Year in the Sun Belt.
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050520/SPORTS/505200329/1006">The rest of the story</a>
Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com <!--
With the game-winning two-run home run in last weekend's championship finals of the Sun Belt Tournament, Gomez enters NCAA play batting .354 with 19 home runs, 64 RBIs, a .743 slugging percentage, 62 hits, 46 runs scored, 11 doubles and a .422 on-base percentage.
Gomez is currently No. 2 in career home runs at UL with 52, trailing only Alana Addison's 57 hit between 1999 and 2002 (teammate Joy Webre is No. 4 with 33 circuit shots).
The Cabrini High product also has 177 career runs batted in, No. 5 in school history. If she can reach No. 4 Stepanie DeFeo's mark of 187, that will be another indicator that the postseason is going strong for the Cajuns.
p p p p
ASHLEY HEATS UP: Junior designated hitter Ashley Evans actually wondered earlier this year whether or not she had lost her stroke at the plate.
Plagued by an ailing back that defied treatment, Evans hit just .155 (11-for-71) in February and March. She had one double, two home runs and 10 RBIs.
Evans was an All-Sun Belt Conference player last year, batting .340 and posted an eye-catching .450 average in postseason play, so this year's start was aggravating.
But once April hit, Evans began finding her rhythm. Since then, she is hitting .355 (22-for-62) with two doubles, eight home runs and 18 RBIs.
That strong finish was enough for Evans to be named All-Sun Belt Conference once again.
p p p p
MARVELOUS MITCHELL: Senior All-American Brooke Mitchell, the three-time Pitcher of the Year in the Sun Belt Conference, enters NCAA action with a career record of 118-27 (.814).
Mitchell is two wins away from becoming just the seventh player in NCAA Division I history to post 120 victories. The all-time leader is former Nicholls State and Southern Miss star Courtney Blades (151).
Blades is also the career leader in strikeoouts with 1,773, while Mitchell is No. 9 on the all-time NCAA list with 1,305. No. 10, and also active in postseason this season, is Fresno State's Jamie Southern (1,291), while No. 8 is former UMass standout Danielle Henderson (1,343).
Mitchell (27-7, 0.78 ERA) has 20 double-digit strikeout games this season and 62 in her UL careeer.
With Mitchell battling a rib injury this year, her workload has been eased by the emergence of Heather Bobbitt. While Mitchell pitched 67 percent of the team's innings through 58 games in 2004, she's at 55 percent this year and Bobbitt is a perfect 18-0.
p p p p
SCORING BINGE: The 2005 Cajuns have scored 331 runs, the seventh straight season UL has exceeded 300 runs in a campaign. The record is 383 scored by the 1999 squad.
Many of those runs have come courtesy of home runs. The Cajuns have slugged 76 this year heading into NCAA Regional play.
Under co-head coaches Stefni and Michael Lotief, UL has hit 40, 76, 79, 88 and the current 76 home runs, a total of 359 round-trippers and an average of 71.8 per campaign.
p p p p
FAMILIAR FACES: Oklahoma sophomore Jamie Fox (Acadiana High) and freshman Tayl'r Hollis (St. Thomas More) are Lafayette products and both played for UL's Michael Lotief in youth softball.
Fox is batting .304 with seven home runs and 43 RBIs this season. She has 14 homers and 77 RBI in two years at OU.
Hollis is batting .295 with seven doubles, six homers and 22 RBI, including a solo homer in a 7-3 victory over UL in this year's Kia Klassic.
-->
Lady Cajuns 7, Oregon Ducks 5
Cajuns led 6 to 1 over Oregon in the 6th inning. Homeruns by Gomez, Bertucci and Hebert. Go Cajuns. Mitchell having major control problems due to rib injury, however has limited the damage.
Re: Lady Cajuns vs Oregon (SOFTBALL)
Now Cajuns 6
oregon 5
Mitchell gave up a grandslam, Bobbit now in to pitch.
Re: Lady Cajuns vs Oregon (SOFTBALL)
Re: Lady Cajuns vs Oregon (SOFTBALL)
Quote:
Originally Posted by cajunproud
What inning?
Bottom of 6th. Cajuns now led 7 to 5. Weber just hit a solo bomb.
Re: Lady Cajuns vs Oregon (SOFTBALL)
Hey. JMVCAJUNS. Check out my post on the Cajuns WKU thread and tell me what you think about my pitching suggestions. Thanks
Re: Lady Cajuns vs Oregon (SOFTBALL)
Game over Cajuns win 7 to 5 over Oregon. Don't really know who will start (pitcher) tomorrow, my guess Mithell but she will not be 100%. Mitchell is a big game pitcher and you want to get into the final game undefeated.
Re: Lady Cajuns 7, Oregon Ducks 5
Thanks goes out to Bil Ryckman for getting this game on the internet.
Ragin' Cajun and Lady Cajun fans everywhere are thankful.
Re: Lady Cajuns vs Oregon (SOFTBALL)
Quote:
Originally Posted by JMVCAJUNS
Game over Cajuns win 7 to 5 over Oregon. Don't really know who will start (pitcher) tomorrow, my guess Mithell but she will not be 100%. Mitchell is a big game pitcher and you want to get into the final game undefeated.
Brooke must really be hurting!! She hit a number of batters, and gave up a grand slam home run. Very, very uncharacteristic. I am hoping that she got tired from not having pitched lately. We need her, IMO, to get out of this Regional, and Super Regional. I'm pulling for her. She deserves better than this in the twilight of her career as a Lady Cajun!!
Re: Lady Cajuns vs Oregon (SOFTBALL)
Quote:
Originally Posted by CajunCharlie
Brooke must really be hurting!! She hit a number of batters, and gave up a grand slam home run. Very, very uncharacteristic. I am hoping that she got tired from not having pitched lately. We need her, IMO, to get out of this Regional, and Super Regional. I'm pulling for her. She deserves better than this in the twilight of her career as a Lady Cajun!!
I don't think the rib injury is affecting the velocity or movements of the pitche's just the control part, however the layoff could be affecting her stamina. I would also really feel good with Heather Bobbit in the circle she is 18-0 on the year just lacks big game experience. CharlieCajun did you get to attend Pete's sunday? If so any pictures? Thanks JMVCAJUN
Re: Lady Cajuns 7, Oregon Ducks 5
Yes, I have pictures, but I will not be able to post them until I return next weeK. I am presently at our "get away" in Bay St Louis, and did not transfer the photos to my laptop. I also have some photos of the MT game Sunday that I will post. They are not Turbine quality, but they are still viewable. :p
