Eight weekends in the books, Louisiana and WKU will jockey for their positions in the Sun Belt Baseball Championship when the sixth-place teams battle this weekend in Bowling Green.

• Louisiana’s magic number to clinch a spot in the tourney is four, but the Cajuns’ postseason fate could be more clearly defined if FIU loses its series to South Alabama.

• Two Cajuns hurlers could further cement themselves in the school record book. Hunter Moody needs one victory to become the first Cajun and only the fourth SBC pitcher to win 30 games in his career. Moody enters his scheduled Friday start with a 29-7 career record. Justin Robichaux is currently tied for the most saves in a single season and his next save will give the sophomore the record all to himself (9).


ROBICHAUX REACHES ANOTHER CAREER MILESTONE. Tony Robichaux became the 33rd active NCAA Division I head coach to win 750 career games after a 5-4 extra-inning win over McNeese State...Robichaux joined an elite club that includes three current SBC coaches - Steve Kittrell (USA), Steve Peterson (MT) and Kevin Cooney (FAU). Robichaux is also one of only seven active coaches to reach win No. 750 prior to his 22nd season as a head coach.

MAGIC NUMBER: FOUR. Louisiana’s (12-12) magic number to clinch a spot in the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship is four...

The Cajuns are currently tied with Western Kentucky for sixth place. Louisiana and Middle Tennessee each have 12 wins, but the Blue Raiders have 14 defeats which would put them in eighth place. Ninth-place FIU is 9-15 in league play and a series loss to South Alabama could help clarify the tournament seeding.

CAJUNS CAP WILD FOUR-GAME STRETCH WITH BACK-TO-BACK ONE-RUN WINS. Each of Louisiana’s last four games have been decided by one run. Last weekend, the Cajuns lost a pair of one-run heartbreakers at No. 6 Nebraska. However, the Cajuns returned the favor during their two midweek games at home...

Facing a full-count with two out, frosh Matt Goulas crushed a three-run home run to left in the eighth inning to give the Cajuns a 4-3 win over Louisiana Tech on "Armed Forces Night"...

Another freshman delivered on Wednesday, Brian Bowman’s bases-loaded RBI single in the 10th inning gave the Cajuns a 5-4 come-from-behind win over McNeese State.

THE TIPPING POINT. Three times in five days, an early lead and a solid pitching performance squandered resulted in defeat for Louisiana as the Cajuns lost 5-3 at LSU and by identical 4-3 counts at Nebraska...

Tuesday at LSU, the Cajuns led 3-0 behind senior LHP Brent Solich after four innings, but three straight hits and back-to-back errors by Matt Hicks sank the Cajuns...

During game one of Saturday’s doubleheader at No. 6 Nebraska, Jordan Poirrier’s throwing error - the third for the Cajuns - with the score knotted a 3-3 proved costly as the Huskers scorered the go-ahead run in the eighth...

In game two, the Cajuns were one out away from an upset of No. 6 Nebraska, but Tyler Benzel’s throwing error allowed the tying run to score in the ninth. NU eventually won 4-3 in 14 innings.

LUCKY NO. 23. Wednesday’s come-from-behind win over McNeese State was the first time in 23 chances that the Cajuns won when trailing after eight innings. The Cajuns are now 1-22 when trailing after eight, but 21-2 while leading after eight innings.

HE’S FAST. Wednesday, Josh Logan became the 11th player in school history to hit two triples in a single game. Logan was the first Cajun since John Coker hit two triples vs. Middle Tennessee on May 14, 2005.

WHEN THE BOW(MAN) BREAKS...Freshman Brian Bowman entered Tuesday 1-for his last 11 trips to the plate, including an 0-for-7 outing at No. 6 Nebraska. On Tuesday, he went 1-for-3, but one of his best performances came Wednesday...

Bowman finished 2-for-6 with two RBI, driving in the winning run in the 10th inning for a 5-4 win. He also added a career-best two stolen bases.

AT BAT, TAKE TWO. Louisiana benefited from a bizarre turn of events that unfolded in the bottom of the eighth inning Tuesday night against Louisiana Tech. With two on and two out, Matt Goulas appeared to be hit by a 2-2 pitch to load the bases...

However, upon conferring with the first base umpire, the home plate umpire ruled that Goulas didn’t make an adequate attempt to avoid the pitch...

That could have negated momentum, but, on the very next pitch, Goulas crushed the 3-2 offering over the wall in left field for a 4-3 lead.

9 OF A KIND. In three games last week, Louisiana scored nine runs in 32 innings and committed an identical number of errors in that time (9)...

The Cajuns have scored 22 runs along with 17 errors in their last six games...

UL has committed three or more errors in 15 of its 49 games this season. In fact, fifty-one (51) of the 91 errors this season have come in those 15 contests.

IF IT ENDED TODAY...As a team, the Cajuns are batting .240, which would be the lowest since 1974 (.219) and the third-lowest in the program’s Division I era...

UL has scored 237 runs, which would be the fewest since scoring 215 in 1980...

Louisiana’s 42 home runs would be the fewest since hitting 31 in Tony Robichaux’s second season (‘96).

30-SOMETHING ON HOLD. Senior southpaw Hunter Moody will have to wait another week in his pursuit for career win No. 30 as he fought to a no-decision in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader at No. 6 Nebraska...

Nebraska hitters tagged Moody for three runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. Moody struck out a season non-conference-low three batters on 106 pitches.

MOODY’S 30 BLUES. Hunter Moody, the school and active Sun Belt career leader in victories (29), needs one more win to become just the fourth pitcher in league history to win 30 or more games on the mound...

UL is one of only two schools to with three different pitchers in the career top 10 in victories, joining former SBC member Old Dominion.

MOODY CONTINUES HISTORICAL PACE. Hunter Moody, who is the school’s career victories leader, continues to climb up the Cajuns leaderboard in three other career categories...

Moody needs three starts to tie the career record for games started on the mound (Eric Templet, 52). He also trails Andy Gros by 36.1 innings for career innings pitched...

The senior southpaw also ranks in the career top five in strikeouts with 269. He trails Templet by 21 for the fourth-most in school history. Moody is 84 strikeouts behind career leader Phil Devey.

WESTERN KENTUCKY SCOUTING REPORT. Since a home sweep of Arkansas State in April, the Toppers have struggled, losing six of their last eight contests - the last seven games being on the road...

A disappointing series loss at UALR last weekend has dropped Western Kentucky into a tie for sixth-place with the Cajuns...

The three previous Sun Belt series weekends at Nick Denes Field have resulted in a sweep. Troy swept the homestanding Toppers in March before WKU did it vs. FIU and Arkansas State...

WKU possesses several offensive threats, including Chad Cregar who leads the team in four categories - average (.360), hits (71), home runs (18) and RBI (65). Wade Gaynor leads the club with 20 doubles, followed by Jake Wells with 15. Gaynor is second on the club with 11 home runs...

Saturday starting pitcher Matt Ridings is enjoying a career season on the mound, posting an 8-2 record and a 4.39 ERA. He leads the staff with 71 strikeouts.

WESTERN KENTUCKY SERIES. Louisiana leads the all-time series 34-16, but is 10-8 in Bowling Green. The Cajuns’ last regular-season trip to Bowling Green was bittersweet as Louisiana clinched the 2005 Sun Belt Conference regular season title on Western Kentucky’s home field, but lost the weekend series to the Toppers...

Louisiana has won six of the last seven meetings - all away from Bowling Green. The Cajuns haven’t won a Sun Belt series at WKU since 2001.

LAST TIME VS. WESTERN KENTUCKY. Saturday, April 6, 2007 - After dropping game one of a doubleheader 6-5 in 10 innings, Louisiana fell behind 6-0 before rallying to a 10-6 win over Western Kentucky. UL scored 10 runs on the ninth despite collecting just six hits. Jefferies Tatford finished the game 3-for-4 with a game-changing grand slam in the sixth inning.

LAST TIME AT WESTERN KENTUCKY. Saturday, May 21, 2005 - It’s official, but it didn’t go as scripted. For the first since 1997, the Sun Belt Conference regular season trophy will reside in Lafayette as the 19th-ranked Ragin’ Cajuns secured the title with an 11-1 victory over Western Kentucky in game two of a doubleheader Saturday evening at Nick Denes Field. UL earned a twinbill split after dropping a 14-5 decision to the Toppers in the first game. Game 1 (Western Kentucky 14, #19 Louisiana 5): It wasn’t the way that Louisiana wanted to begin the front half of a doubleheader, as the Toppers scored 13 runs in the middle four innings to cruise to a 14-5 win in game one. The loss marked the second time this season that the Cajuns suffered back-to-back losses. The Cajuns lost at Hawai’i on March 5 and against McNeese State at home on March 9. Grady Hinchman (2-6) earned just his second win of the season, allowing five runs on seven hits with four walks and four strikeouts. After a couple of scoreless innings to lead off the first game by both teams, Louisiana took the first lead of the game thanks to the Cajuns’ hottest hitter in the lineup. Justin Merendino launched a solo home run over the left field bullpen fence, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead. The home run, which was the eighth of the season, extended his career-best hitting streak to 14 games. Game 2 (#19 Louisiana 11, Western Kentucky 1): Louisiana southpaw Austin Faught (11-0) became the first Cajuns pitcher since 2002 to win at least 11 games in a season after another strong outing on the mound. Faught added another outstanding performance to his stellar senior campaign, scattering six hits with a run and four strikeouts. Andy Gros, also a left-handed pitcher, was the last pitcher in school history to win 11 games in a season (11-4), when he led the Cajuns to an NCAA Regional berth. WKU left-hander J.C. Faircloth didn’t last very long, leaving after two innings with an apparent injury to his throwing hand. Faircloth allowed six runs on six hits with a walk and a strikeout.

UP NEXT - NEW ORLEANS. Because of final exams, the Cajuns will be off during the week until their final weekend series against the New Orleans Privateers at "The Tigue". The series will begin on Thursday...

Saturday’s game will be "Senior Day" - each of the Cajuns’ seven seniors will be honors prior to the series finale. Also, degrees will be conferred upon the graduating seniors.


SUN BELT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS ON SALE MAY 15 TO PUBLIC. Louisiana’s "Tigue" Moore Field will be the host site for the 2008 Sun Belt Baseball Championship May 21-24. The tournament will consist of a minimum of 13 games with as many as 15 games necessary to determine the conference tournament champion...

Four games will be played on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, while as many as three games will be played on Saturday. Tickets to individual games are $12 for reserved seats (box, patio box and chairbacks) and $8 for General Admission seating (bleachers). The stadium wil be cleared following the conclusion of each tournament contest...

The general public will be able to purchase booklets for all open seating beginning Thursday, May 15. For more information regarding the purchase of Sun Belt Baseball Championship tickets and tournament booklets, please contact the CAJUNDOME Ticket Office at (337) 265-2100.

SUN BELT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR SEASON TICKET HOLDERS. Beginning Wednesday, April 30, season ticket holders will be able to purchase tournament booklets for their regular season seats which will include all 15 potential games of the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship. Tournament booklets are $75 for reserved seats and $40 for General Admission. As a season ticket holder, your seats will be held for your purchase until Wednesday, May 14. At that time, all unsold seating will go on sale to the general public...

Because of SBC Championship requirements, some seats must be used for tournament personnel. Accommodations will be made for all those affected.

RaginCajuns.com

ChrisYandle