Magic Number. Louisiana’s magic number to clinch a spot in the SBC Baseball Championship is now two entering the final weekend of Sun Belt play.

• Senior Day. On Saturday, the Cajuns will honor their seven seniors for "Senior Day" - Josh Logan, Hunter Moody, Kolin Hatfield, Nolan Gisclair, Brent Solich, John Zorich, Buddy Glass and Jessica Landry (student assistant) will be honored during pre-game festivities.

• Free Passes. Louisiana pitchers combined to walk five WKU batters in Saturday’s 11-4 loss. Each of those five walks were responsible for nearly half of Western’s offensive production as each scored on a home run.

• Not Enough. The Cajuns’ three home runs Saturday were a season-high in Sun Belt play. It was also the ninth time the Cajuns’ had hit multiple home runs in a Sun Belt game. The Cajuns are just 3-3 when hitting multiple home runs in their last six Sun Belt contests.

• Ten Too Many. Ten (10) of Louisiana’s 14 Sun Belt losses have been decided by seven or more runs. In fact, Saturday was the Cajuns’ fifth SBC loss by seven runs.

• Double Vision. Louisiana’s Sun Belt opponents have scored nine or more runs 12 times against the Cajuns this season.

• Four. Since going 4-for-5 at South Alabama on April 20, Matt Hicks is enduring a rough stretch at the plate that has the junior just 4-for-his last 42 - one extra-base hit (a home run).

• Five Alive. UL’s five errors Friday night were the most the Cajuns committed in a victory this season. It was the 16th time this season that the Cajuns had committed three or more errors in a game (UL is 6-10 in those contests).

MOOD-MAN IN ELITE COMPANY. Hunter Moody continues his historical 2008 senior season as he joined elite company on Friday. Moody became the first Cajun and only the fourth Sun Belt pitcher to win 30 games in his career...

Moody joined USA’s Jason Norton (1995-98) and Old Dominion’s Jim Hvizda (1985-88) and Tommy West (1983-85) as 30-game winners. Norton owns the Sun Belt record with 34, while Hvizda is second with 33. Moody is tied with West after this 30th win on Friday...

However, Moody’s ascent up the Sun Belt charts are not limited in career victories. Moody also ranks in the top 10 in career innings pitched and needs five more strikeouts to move into the Sun Belt top 10...

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.

MAGIC NUMBER: TWO. Louisiana’s magic number to clinch a spot in the SBC Baseball Championship is now two entering the final weekend of Sun Belt play...

Any combination of a Louisiana (13-14) win and a FIU (11-16) loss would clinch a tournament spot for the Cajuns.

SENIOR WEEKEND. The final three-game series of the 2008 regular season is also "Senior Weekend". On Saturday, seven senior players will be honored for "Senior Day" festivities - Nolan Gisclair (Marrero, La.), Buddy Glass (Clermont, Fla.), Kolin Hatfield (Cypress, Texas), Josh Logan (Magee, Miss.), Hunter Moody (Clinton, La.), Brent Solich (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.) and John Zorich (Stafford, Va.)...

In addition, Moody, Zorich and student assistant Jessica Landry will be honored during the annual Graduation Day ceremony at home plate prior to Saturday’s game. However, they cannot receive their degrees before University’s graduation on May 24.

AUTEAUX ROBICHAUX. Sophomore Justin Robichaux became the school’s single-season saves leader with his team-leading ninth save Friday night...

He has become one of the most feared and dominant closers in the Sun Belt, possessing a 2.45 ERA, while striking out 29 batters in 25.2 relief innings...

Robichaux has not allowed an earned run in a save situation against Sun Belt teams this season. His only earned run in a save situation this season came at No. 6 Nebraska when he tossed a career-high 5.2 relief innings...

Perhaps even more impressive is that Robichaux has allowed only one extra-base hit in 95 at bats.


NOT ENOUGH. The three home runs Saturday were a season-high for the Cajuns in Sun Belt play. It was also the ninth time the Cajuns’ had hit multiple home runs in a Sun Belt game. The Cajuns are just 3-3 when hitting multiple home runs in their last six Sun Belt contests.

NEW ORLEANS POSES TOUGH TASK IN FINAL SUN BELT WEEK. The first-place UNO Privateers visit "The Tigue" two wins away from clinching the Sun Belt’s regular season crown this weekend. It is the third time that they will conclude the regular season in Lafayette...

In 1999, the Cajuns swept the Privateers, but the 2000 season saw UNO sweep the Cajuns at home to snap Louisiana’s 30-game home win streak.


ROBICHAUX’S ERASES 0-FOR-25 SLUMP. Justin Robichaux snapped an 0-for-25 slump with a grand slam in a 9-8 win at WKU on Friday. Robichaux replaced Chance Harst who was on the losing end of a collision at first base...

Ahead in the count 2-1, Justin launched an opposite-field grand slam that fell just inside the visitor’s right field bullpen for a 9-2 lead. It was Robichaux’s first hit since March 21 at UALR.

HAWKINS MOVIN’ UP. Scott Hawkins hit his 33rd career home run Saturday and moved into a fourth-place tie on the school’s career home run list.

ONE-RUN GAME STREAK ENDS AT FIVE. Louisiana played five consecutive one-run games that included a wild 9-8 win at Western Kentucky - the longest such streak in program history.

NEW ORLEANS SCOUTING REPORT. One of the nation’s hottest teams in college baseball will take the field at "The Tigue" when New Orleans faces the Ragin’ Cajuns this weekend...

UNO (38-13), which owns the nation’s longest current win streak at 13 games, faces LSU Tuesday in the Wally Pontiff, Jr. Classic at Zephyr Field in Metairie...

The Privateers are ranked 22nd in the latest Collegiate Baseball poll, moving up seven spots after debuting at No. 29 last week...

UNO is led offensively by junior catcher/designated hitter Jeff Lanning, who is hitting .415 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI...

Johnny Giavotella is batting .373 with 11 homers and 44 RBI, while UNO has also relied on Josh Vander Hey (.372, 11 HR, 64 RBI) and Joey Butler (.360, 10 HR, 54 RBI).

NEW ORLEANS SERIES. New Orleans is one of the Cajuns’ most storied rivals in school history. UL leads the all-time series 70-65, but has lost the last two meetings...

This weekend will be a rematch of last season’s Sun Belt championship game when UNO upset the No. 1 Cajuns 8-2 in Mobile...

The Cajuns are 36-30 at home in the series, sweeping the 2006 set at "The Tigue"...

Head coach Tony Robichaux is 30-16 all-time versus the Privateers.

LAST TIME VS. NEW ORLEANS. T.J. Baxter’s two-run double highlighted a six-run fifth inning, as UNO rallied for an 8-2 win over Louisiana in the finals of the Sun Belt Baseball Championship in Mobile, Ala....

It was UNO’s first tournament title since 1979...

Three Cajuns earned All-Tournament honors - Brent Solich, Jefferies Tatford and Matt Casbon. UNO’s Johnny Giavotella was named the Most Outstanding Player.

UP NEXT - SUN BELT TOURNAMENT. Following this weekend’s regular season finale with New Orleans, Louisiana will host the 2008 Sun Belt Baseball Championship at "The Tigue" May 21-24.

IF IT ENDED TODAY...As a team, the Cajuns are batting .239 which would be the lowest since 1974 (.219) and the third-lowest in the program’s Division I era...

UL has scored 254 runs, which would be the fewest since scoring 259 in 1983...

Louisiana’s 46 home runs would be the fewest since hitting 44 in 2006.

RaginCajuns.com

Chris Yandle