BB Louisiana vs. UC San Diego
The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team continues its nine-game homestand this weekend, hosting Big West Conference member UC San Diego in a three-game nonconference series beginning on Friday at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.
First pitch in Friday's opener is scheduled for 6 p.m., followed by a 2 p.m. start on Saturday and a 1 p.m. finale on Sunday.
All three games will be available on ESPN+ and be heard locally on KPEL-FM (96.5) and worldwide on the Varsity Network app.
Louisiana (7-2) enters the weekend having won six of its first eight games at home. A three-game sweep of Big 10 member Maryland last weekend featured a pair of walk-off wins before Louisiana completed a two-game, midweek sweep of Kansas State.
Stellar pitching and key hits helped in claiming the series over the Big 12 Wildcats with three pitchers combining on a three-hit shutout on Tuesday before Drew Markle's walk-off homer in the 11th inning capped a 3-2 win on Wednesday.
Skip Ad
The Cajuns are hitting .240 as a team with 75 hits, 15 doubles and six home runs through nine contests while averaging 5.8 runs per game. Defensively, Louisiana has posted a .983 fielding percentage to rank second among Sun Belt Conference teams.
Rigoberto Hernandez leads the Cajuns at the plate with a .323 average, collecting 10 hits, including two doubles and two home runs, while driving in six runs. Blaze Rodriguez is batting .294 with 10 hits and seven RBI, and Colt Brown has added a team-high five doubles.
On the mound, Louisiana owns a 4.05 team ERA with 99 strikeouts in 91 innings pitched.
Southpaw Ty Roman (0-1, 5.40 ERA) will start in Friday's opener for Louisiana with Andrew Herrmann (1-0, 2.38 ERA) slated to start on Saturday.
Right-hander JR Tollett (1-0, 7.36 ERA) will start in Sunday's finale.
UC San Diego (3-4) dropped two of three games at the Tony Gwynn Legacy series. After their opening game against Utah was rained out on Thursday, the Tritons defeated Creighton, 8-7, in the home opener on Friday.
The Tritons scored five runs in the fifth inning but came up just short in the comeback against BYU on Saturday, 9-7. Western Michigan took the Sunday finale, 5-2, to wrap up the weekend.
The Tritons bounced back on Tuesday with a 10-inning walk-off win against crosstown foe, San Diego. It marked the Tritons' first Division I victory over the Toreros in 12 meetings, with true freshman Shane Cannon scoring the winning run in his collegiate debut.
Gabe Camacho leads the Big West in on-base percentage (.571) and ranks first in the conference and second in the nation in hit by pitch (9). He also leads the conference with four home runs, good enough for 17th in the NCAA.
The Tritons' first baseman ranks second in the Big West with 10 runs batted in (1.43 per game) and second in slugging percentage (.909), which ranks 43rd in the country.
A trio of right-handers will start on the mound for UCSD, beginning with Steele Murdock (0-0, 7.71 ERA) in Friday's opener. Nic Gregson (0-2, 5.79 ERA) is slated to pitch Saturday with Austin Bowker (0-0, 0.00 ERA) set to start in Sunday's finale.
GAMES 10-12 PREVIEW
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (7-2) vs. UC San Diego Tritons (3-4)
TIMES (dates and times are subject to change)
Friday (February 27) – 6 p.m.
Saturday (February 28) – 2 p.m.
Sunday (March 1) – 1 p.m.
LOCATION/SITE
M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park (6,015) | Lafayette, La.
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY - 6 p.m.
LOUISIANA | LH Ty Roman (6-3, 215, Jr., Diboll, Texas)
'26 Stats – 0-1, 5.40 ERA, 10.0 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 9 K,.231 OppBA)
UC SAN DIEGO | RH Steele Murdock (6-2, 210, r-Soph., Herriman, Utah)
'26 Stats – 0-0, 7.71 ERA, 7.0 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 6 BB, 9 K, .300 OppBA
SATURDAY – 2 p.m.
LOUISIANA | LH Andrew Herrmann (6-3, 215, Gr., Kennesaw, Ga.)
'26 Stats: 1-0, 2.38 ERA, 11.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 8 BB, 13 K, .114 OppBA
UC SAN DIEGO | RH Nic Gregson (5-11, 175, Gr., Sacramento, Calif.)
'26 Stats: 0-2, 5.79 ERA, 9.1 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 12 K, .278 OppBA
SUNDAY – 1 p.m.
LOUISIANA | RH JR Tollett (6-3, 210, Jr., Ruston, La.)
'26 Stats – 1-0, 7.36 ERA, 11.0 IP, 11 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 2 BB, 15 K, .250 OppBA
UC SAN DIEGO | RH Austin Bowker (6-3, 210, r-Fr., Lone Tree, Colo.)
'26 Stats: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, .214 OppBA
RANKINGS
Louisiana – None
UC San Diego – None
RADIO/TV/LIVE STATISTICS
RADIO (Pregame Show starts 30 minutes prior to first pitch)
Station – KPEL-FM 96.5 / The Varsity Network App
Talent – Jay Walker (pxp – Saturday/Sunday); Ian Auzenne (pxp - Friday); Brad Topham (color)
TV/STREAMING (ESPN+)
Talent – Dan McDonald (pxp); Brennan Breaux (color)
LIVE STATS
CajunStats.Statbroadcast.com
SERIES RECORD
First meeting
CAJUNS AT #THETIGUE
Since its opening in 1978, Louisiana has recorded a 1,039-429-2 record at M.L."Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park and will eclipse the 2.5-million fan mark against UC San Diego on Friday.
WHAT'S ON TAP
Louisiana wraps up its nine-game homestand on Wednesday when it hosts in-state rival and reigning national champion LSU to #TheTigue.
First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. with the game available on ESPN+.
The game against the Tigers marks the first in Lafayette between the schools since the 2021 season.
Quote
Re: Bb Louisiana vs. UC San Diego
Originally Posted by CajunRed
