The Book: 2004 Baseball

[RaisingCajun08]

I have a bunch more pictures that will be posted in the morning.

I am just getting back from the basketball game. Its been a long day. Baseball / Basketball double header.

[NewsCopy]

LOUISIANA La. - Josh Kohrs picked up the win with Jeremy Whipple getting the save for the Cajuns squad in a Fan Day exhibition Saturday at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field. Former Ragin Cajuns pitcher Trey Bullinger took the loss for the pro team after walking in the go ahead run in the seventh.

Jered Salazar set the tone early in the game with two strikeouts while only allowing a pair of singles in the first two innings.

John Coker led off the bottom of the first inning with a stand-up triple. Josh Landry brought him around to score with an RBI double.

Coker came around to score again in the third inning for the Cajuns after being issued a walk by Andy Gros. Landry came through again, this time with a single, to advance the runner to second. A single off the bat of shortstop Michah Cockrell brought Coker around pulling the Cajuns ahead 2-0.

Kevin Ardoin entered the game to get work in during the third and fourth innings. He tallied two strikeouts in the third and gave up a homerun to former Cajun Ryan Gill with two outs in the fourth.

Sophomore lefty Brandt Sanders also put in two solid innings striking out the side in the sixth. The second run for the pro team came on a throwing error charged to Sanders with two outs in the fifth that allowed Walter Guillory to cross the plate for the veteran squad.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Trey Bullinger walked Brandon Montemayor, Justin Bourque and Justin Merindino to load the bases before settling down to strikeout Devon Bourque. Coker picked up an RBI as he watched ball 4 sail past him on a full count bringing in Montemayor.

For good measure in the eighth, relief catcher Justin Morgan doubled off of pitcher Ryan Gill and was brought around to score two batters later on a Montemayor single.

Whipple came in to seal the deal in the ninth inning by getting Corey Coles to fly out to second and Rick Haydel to ground out to the third base side. Whipple also struck out Chase Lambin to preserve the win and earn the save.

LOUISIANA SI

[NewsCopy]

Cajun pitchers show good signs in 4-2 victory over professional alumni team.

LOUISIANA La. — Ragin’ Cajun opponents and teams in the Sun Belt Conference better not underestimate Louisiana’s pitching staff for the 2004 season.

That unit ran four arms to the mound Saturday afternoon in the Cajuns’ annual contest against its professional alumni, and the pro squad managed a grand total of one earned run.

That effort, coupled with newcomer John Coker’s involvement in three scoring innings, helped give the current Cajun squad a 4-2 victory over the alumni group as the highlight of Fan Day activities.

“A lot of people may think we’re down pitching-wise because of people that aren’t here any more and people that are hurt,” said Cajun coach Tony Robichaux. “But we have guys that can throw the baseball.”

The only earned run for the professional and ex-pro squad was a fourth-inning solo home run by Ryan Gill off Kevin Ardoin, the second of six pitchers used by Robichaux in the last full Cajun tuneup before next Friday’s Opening Day against Sam Houston State.

Jered Salazar threw two strong innings as the starter and Ardoin had the next two innings. Both fanned two, as did Brandt Sanders in the fifth and sixth innings. Josh Kohrs, Bubba Olivier and Jeremy Whipple worked the final three innings and allowed only two base runners as a group.

Coker, meanwhile, was the offensive key. The junior college signee and starting center fielder led off the game with a triple and scored on Josh Landry’s double. He then added a run in the third inning when he walked, moved up on Landry’s single and scored on Micah Cockrell’s RBI single.

The Cajuns then scored the eventual winning run in the seventh inning when Coker drew a bases-loaded walk that plated Brandon Montemayor.

“He is absolutely going to be a catalyst for us,” Robichaux said. “He gets things going offensively, and he’s going to be able to keep us in double-play situations defensively because of his range and his arm.

The rest of the story

Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com

[NewsCopy]

This is the second of a four-part series of stories on Louisiana’s 2004 baseball squad. The Ragin’ Cajuns open their season at 6:35 p.m. Friday against Sam Houston State. Today: The Outfield.

LOUISIANA La. — The big man in a revamped Louisiana outfield for the 2004 baseball season isn’t a big man at all.

That’s until you watch John Coker play.

The 5-foot-8 dynamo from Oklahoma exploded for the Ragin’ Cajuns during the fall, and goes into the season opener as the starting center fielder, leadoff hitter and team sparkplug.

“We needed to make sure we recruited a very athletic center fielder because we lost a good one,” said Cajun coach Tony Robichaux, referring to pro draftee and Lafayette product Corey Coles. “John Coker was a great sign for us. He’s a true leadoff guy and is going to do a lot for us, and not just in stolen bases. In the outfield, he’s going to turn doubles into singles and triples into doubles.”

Robichaux said that Coker, a junior college standout at Seminole (Fla.) State, provides a multi-tooled player to an outfield that needed help with the departure of two stalwarts in Coles — a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference pick — and Jason Wilson.

“It’s usually hard for us to get a guy like that,” he said. “I think some people missed on him in the draft because of his size, but he’s a big piece to our puzzle. Next year, with the maturation of all these juniors, it lines up to be something very special, and a lot of that starts and ends with John Coker.”

The Cajun outfield has two regular performers back in fourth-year senior Kevin Preau and sophomore Josh Landry, and that pair will likely start the season in right field and left field respectively.

The rest of the story

Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com

[RaisingCajun08]

As promised, here are some pics of the Fan Day festivities for those who were unable to attend.

We had a great time. Weather was beautiful & the beer was cold.

[RaisingCajun08]

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[Turbine]

Ron played?

[RaisingCajun08]

He threw for the HR contest.

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Ron Guidry throwing for the HR Hitting contest

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Ryan Core during HR Contest