Louisiana continues the first leg of its current 15-game road trip with a midweek game in Starkville, Mississippi on Wednesday, March 5.

Starkville is the second stop on a 10-day stretch away from campus that began last weekend at Auburn's Jane B. Moore Memorial.

After facing MSU, the Cajuns return to this week's headquarters in Tuscaloosa to await games with Iowa and Alabama at Rhoads Stadium.

UL seeks to avenge last season's February doubleheader loss to the Bulldogs at Nusz Park in Starkville.

Personnel-wise it's a different squad that MSU faced last February – 14 of the 24 roster members for Louisiana are newcomers.

Louisiana posted winning marks in the first four non-conference weekends to build is current 11-6 record.

Wednesday's contest in Starkville marks the first midweek game of the season and the first of four in March (MSU, LSU, McNeese).

UL ranks Top 50 nationally with a .326 batting average.

Louisiana leads the nation in double plays turned per game (1.0) and is a close second with 17 double plays turned (Wofford has 19).


A LOOK AT THE SERIES
Series Record: Louisiana leads, 12-5
Last Meeting: 2/13/24 // MSU 2, UL 1 (Starkville, Miss.)
In Starkville: Louisiana leads, 5-3
Last Time at Nusz Park: 2/13/24 // MSU 2, UL 1
Streak: MSU, +2

Second straight season meeting at Nusz Park.
Ninth (9th) all-time matchup in Starkville with Cajuns sporting a 5-3 record on the MSU campus.
Bulldogs swept DH (9-1, 2-1) last February.
2024 twinbill sweep marked first MSU wins in the series since Bulldogs re-instated program in 1997.
Cajuns had a six-game series win streak snapped in the February 2024 doubleheader.
Prior to the current two-year run of matchups, programs hadn't met since February 2013.

Series dates back to 1980s when programs met nine times from 1982-86


THIS 'N THAT
UL posted a combined six double plays turned in the matchups with No. 19 Auburn, capped off by a season-high four turned on Sunday.

Maddie Hayden is two (2) hits shy of her 200th career base hit. She'll join older sister Haley Hayden (2014-17) in posting 200 collegiate hits.

Kayla Falterman has reached base in all 17 games (sports .561 OB%).

Cecilia Vasquez, with a team-best 20 RBI, has posted at least one RBI in 11 of 17 games and has a team-leading six (6) multiple-RBI games.

Maddie Hayden, Kayla Falterman and Cecilia Vasquez, Nos. 1-3 in the lineup, have combined for 61 hits on a .415 average.

Bethaney Noble has thrived as the go-to reliever, yielding only five (5) runs and tallying 22 strikeouts over 19.0 IP in relief opportunities.

Bethaney Noble is 2-0 with 1.84 ERA over her six relief appearances.

Freshman pitcher Mallory Wheeler has headlined UL's pitching staff early, sporting a 4-1 mark through a team-leading 37-1/3 innings pitched.

Freshman Emily Smith, who homered in her first collegiate at bat, leads the team with 5 home runs and is second with 15 RBI.

Mallory Wheeler (D1Softball and Softball America) and Emily Smith (Softball America) were named to national Freshmen Watch Lists.

Maddie Hayden, Sam Roe and Cecilia Vasquez represented the Louisiana on the 2025 Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference team.

The Cajuns, who received the most first-place votes, were picked to finish second in the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.

2025 marks the 45th season in Louisiana Softball's storied history. UL has recorded 1,900 wins, a total that ranks Top 5 in NCAA history.


UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana finishes out a 10-day stay away from campus when the Ragin' Cajuns compete in the Spring Break Showdown in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at Rhoads Stadium from Friday-Saturday, March 7-8.

Louisiana meets Iowa and Alabama once each day while at Rhoads Stadium. Matchups start at 2:00 p.m. on Friday (March 7) and are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday (March 8) – UL facing the Hawkeyes first and Crimson Tide last both days.

Head coach Alyson Habetz returns to where her collegiate coaching journey began, serving as an assistant and associate head coach for Alabama from 1999-2023. Assistant coach Lacy Prejean returns to where she played as a collegiate athlete, donning the Crimson Tide uniform from 200-03.

After the Spring Break Showdown, the Ragin' Cajuns return to the state of Louisiana for a midweek game at No. 5 LSU on Tuesday, March 11 at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge before opening Sun Belt Conference play from Friday-Sunday, March 14-16 in Huntington, West Virginia at Marshall.