Annual Vermilion & White Baseball Fan Day A Huge Success

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Advertiser Photos UL – Nearly 2,500 fans flocked through the front gates of M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team's annual Fan Day Saturday afternoon. Fans were given an up-close preview to this season's team. The first 600 fans that entered "The Tigue" received autograph booklets, hot dogs and complimentary Pepsi products. Fans also were given an opportunity to purchase licensed Ragin' Cajuns apparel at the park's H.O. Roy Gift Shop. Fan Day began with a 90-minute autograph and photograph session with former and current Ragin' Cajuns players. Then, the Cajuns held a home run derby followed by the Cajuns vs. Alumni game. Home Run Derby In the first event of the afternoon, five alumni and eight current Cajuns squared off in a 10-out home run derby. The Alumni team, which consisted of Jonathan Lucroy, Jefferies Tatford, Devery Van De Keere, Dallas Morris and Phillip Hawke, won the competition with 11 homers. Van De Keere hit a derby-high five bombs. Kolin Hatfield (Cypress, Texas) led the returning Cajuns with four home runs, while true freshman catcher Thad Griffen (Lake Charles, La.) hit four home runs for the newcomers. Ragin' Cajuns-Alumni Game Louisiana's Baseball Alumni scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning to defeat the 2008 Ragin' Cajuns 4-1 Saturday afternoon at "The Tigue". Preseason All-Sun Belt pick Hunter Moody (Clinton, La.) struck out four of the eight batters he faced in two innings. Former Cajun Matt Pilgreen earned the victory for the Alumni, retiring all three batters he faced in the fifth inning. Phillip Hawke went 3-for-4 with a double, while Devon Bourque went 1-for-2 with two RBI. Jonathan Lucroy was 1-for-3 with a walk and a single. The Alumni broke a 0-0 stalemate in the top half of the sixth inning as the former Cajuns scored four runs in the frame for a 4-0 lead. Hawke led off with a single through the left side followed by a Jefferies Tatford single to right field. Tatford later scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 Alumni edge. Bourque then knocked in two runs on an RBI single to shallow right field for a 3-0 lead. Two batters later, Lucroy singled to left field that allowed Bourque to score the fourth run. In the bottom of the seventh, freshman Brian Bowman (Lafayette, La.) broke up the Alumni team's no-hitter with a stand-up double down the left field line. Bowman later scored on an Andre Robichaux (Crowley, La.) RBI ground out. Louisiana opens the 2008 regular season on Friday, Feb. 22, when the Ragin' Cajuns travel to San Antonio, Texas, to participate in the UTSA Baseball Classic. The Cajuns open the tournament against the United States Military Academy on Friday at 10 a.m. RaginCajuns.com

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From the corner of his eye, UL pitcher Hunter Moody spotted the pint-sized fan running in his direction. The senior was conducting a media interview at the time Saturday afternoon, but politely excused himself for a moment to sign the young boy's T-shirt. Moody knew this was exactly what the UL baseball team's annual Fan Day was all about. Nearly 2,500 fans showed up at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field for an early preview of this season's Ragin' Cajun squad. "It's always good to see little kids smile and get all excited when they get your autograph," Moody said. "The best thing is the whole day. It's a bunch of fun." The rest of the story Joshua Parrott jparrott@theadvertiser.com