Louisiana foes face tough chore on mound vs. Cajuns.

Purdue, Mississippi Valley State and Nicholls State face a daunting task this weekend - trying to derail Louisiana's Lady Cajuns in the 19th Louisiana Classics at Ragin' Cajun Softball Park.

The Cajuns are off to an 8-0 start, outscoring those eight previous foes by a dominating 67-4, and are ranked No. 5 in the nation in both collegiate softball polls.

It's the best start yet under co-head coaches Stefni Lotief and Michael Lotief.

"We've done some good things in the early going with the bat," said Michael Lotief, whose team is hitting a combined .371.

"The part I like is the fact that those players who have been in the program are making adjustments from the beginning to the end of the game. That's encouraging. It shows they're growing up and they understand the game."

But the Cajuns are coming off a 60-8 season that ended one game short of a second straight Women's College World Series appearance, so their perspective is not altered by winning eight straight contests at home.

"We're realistic, too," Lotief said. "We're going to go on the road, where that strike zone grows, and we're going to face a little bit of adversity. It's still a game where the pitcher can dominate.

"The kids understand what's in front of them. It's been easy to this point."

UL fans know all about dominant pitching. All-American Brooke Mitchell is the school's career strikeout leader (1,023) and is second only to Kyla Hall in wins (104-97). She has 56 strikeouts in 31 innings.

But this year's Cajuns also boast an improved Heather Bobbitt (0.00 ERA) and transfer Ashley Kirchberg, who have been impressive.

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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com