Cajuns open Sun Belt softball season with key road challenge at South Alabama
Louisiana starts Sun Belt play on the road in Mobile, Alabama visiting South Alabama for a series at Jaguar Field from Friday-Sunday, March 15-17.
Louisiana (15-12, 0-0 SBC) at South Alabama (14-8-1, 0-0 SBC)
Fri., Mar. 15 – 6:00 p.m. (CDT)
Sat., Mar. 16 – 3:00 p.m. (CDT)
Sun., Mar. 17 – 1:00 p.m. (CDT)
Television: ESPN+ | Talent: Pat Greenwood, PxP
Radio: The Goat 103.3 FM/1420 AM and Varsity Network | Talent: Cody Junot, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, analyst
LEADING OFF
Louisiana starts Sun Belt play on the road in Mobile, Alabama visiting South Alabama for a series at Jaguar Field from Friday-Sunday, March 15-17.
It's the start of the 24th season of softball within the Sun Belt Conference. UL has won its SBC opening series each year since 2014.
Louisiana, the four-time defending regular season champion, begins its SBC title defense and quest for the program's 20th regular season title.
The Cajuns carry a streak of 81 consecutive Sun Belt Conference series won into the South Alabama series.
The SBC series won streak, which dates back to March 2013, is the nation's longest active streak of consecutive conference series won.
UL arrives in Mobile riding a season-high, six-game win streak.
A LOOK AT THE SERIES
Series Record: Louisiana leads, 45-11
Last: 4/9/23 – UL 2, USA 0 (Lamson Park)
Streak: Louisiana, +23
- Louisiana carries a series-best, 23-game win streak into this weekend's meeting in Mobile.
- First time the Cajuns and Jags meet on Sun Belt Opening Weekend since the 2016 season.
- The Ragin' Cajuns have won every matchup in the series dating back to the 2016 season.
- Last loss to USA was 2015 Sun Belt Tournament championship game in San Marcos, Texas.
- Louisiana won 13 of the previous 16 Sun Belt series (split in 2007, USA won in 2009 and 2013).
- UL swept the last three series held at Jaguar Field in Mobile (2017, 2019, 2022).
- Louisiana is 17-0 vs. USA in the Gerry Glasco era.
- Two programs met for SBC Tournament championship in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2021.
THIS 'N THAT
The Cajuns batted .407 with 41 runs off of 46 hits at UCA's Milisa Moore Tournament. Nine (9) different players posted multiple base hits.
UL sat at No. 24 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings report (March 11).
Louisiana is 14-2 when scoring first (scored first last eight games).
Entering March, Louisiana had faced the nation's toughest schedule – sitting at No. 1 in strength of schedule.
Sam Roe was named SBC Player of the Week on March 5 after batting .333 with six (6) hits including a two-run insurance booster in extras at OU.
Cajuns pitching sported a sub-3.00 ERA in February against a schedule that included 11 games against Power 5 competition.
Chloe Riassetto emerged in the circle vs. Baylor, taking a two-hit shutout to the seventh on Friday and tossing 2-2/3 scoreless relief Sunday.
Two-out hitting was contagious for UL on Opening Weekend, scoring 30 of 45 runs (67%) in two-out situations.
Sam Landry began the season with 10-plus consecutive scoreless innings pitched, highlighted by the no-hitter of California.
Louisiana was preseason ranked in all four major polls: No. 21 in NFCA, ESPN/USA Softball and D1Softball and No. 23 by Softball America.
Louisiana was the unanimous choice as the favorite to win the 2024 Sun Belt Conference softball title in a vote of the league's 12 head coaches.
Mihyia Davis, the 2023 SBC Freshman of the Year and NFCA All-American, was chosen as the SBC Preseason Player of the Year.
Sophie Piskos, Lauren Allred, Alexa Langeliers, Brooke Ellestad and Sam Landry joined Davis on the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team.
NUMBERS TO KNEAUX
0: Over her last three starts, Sam Landry has not allowed an earned run and held foes to six hits over 16-1/3 innings.
2: Chloe Riassetto owns two (2) wins over ranked teams: No. 22 Baylor and No. 1 Oklahoma.
6: UL enters the USA series with a season-best, six-game win streak (since March 3 at OU).
10: The Cajuns averaged 10-plus runs and base hits in the four-game sweep of UCA's Milisa Moore Tournament.
20: Mihyia Davis (11) and Maddie Hayden (9) have combined for 20 multiple-hit games.
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Re: Softball: Cajuns and Jaguars Meet on Sun Belt Softball Opening Weekend
Originally Posted by CajunsSball22
