Game experience might be the key for the University of Louisiana's baseball team this weekend during its own UL Invitational Tournament. That, and an ever-growing home-field advantage.

The Ragin' Cajuns, still 3-0 for the season thanks to a suspended-by-darkness Wednesday road game, will welcome nearly neighbors Southern University and Northwestern State and Big East Conference power St. John's for a three-day round-robin event beginning today at Moore Field.

The Cajuns meet Southern's Jaguars, who open their 2005 season, tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the second game of the event. St. John's, which also will take the field for the first time this year, meets Northwestern (1-3) in the tournament opener at 2 p.m.

"Out of fairness, I'm sure that St. John's will be happy to be able to get outside and play in good weather, probably for the first time," said UL coach Tony Robichaux. "Southern hasn't played yet, but they've at least been able to get outside. We feel like we're bringing in some good competition."

St. John's hasn't seen game action, but that hasn't stopped the Red Storm from getting votes in most of the national polls after finishing second in the Big East last year. And NSU's 1-3 mark could be deceiving since the Demons opened their season at 24th-ranked Wichita State and lost three games there.

Each of the four teams in the tournament finished at least 10 games over .500 last year, and they combined for a 131-83 record.

"We know what kind of test we're in for against Southern and how well-prepared Roger Cador's teams always are," Robichaux said. "And Mitch (Northwestern coach Mitch Gaspard) always plays a strong schedule at the start of the year. We respect those teams no matter what their record may say."

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com