Captain can hit now too

[NewsCopy]

Justin Morgan adds bat to arsenal

They've always called him "Captain."

To his University of Louisiana teammates it's a sign of respect, and not just because Justin Morgan is hitting .429 over his last 12 games after a career of offensive struggles.

Before he caught his first inning this year, before he got his first hit, he was "Captain." The members of the Ragin' Cajun baseball team had one of their happiest moments of the season when he tied two school hitting records at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, because they think so much of "Captain."

He's one of the elder statesmen on the squad, a fifth-year senior, and Cajun coach Tony Robichaux says that "Captain" has done more to live up to that moniker than just about anyone he's ever coached.

"They respect him because of who he is and how he goes about handling his business," Robichaux said. "They know that he's been through the wars and how hard he works every day."

There was no election. Morgan is "Captain" ... has been for a while, and will be until the time that he plays his final UL game this season.

But he was "Captain" way back in his freshman season, before he had a chance to impress coaches and teammates with his devotion and work ethic, and it wasn't because of any fondness for a particular brand of rum.

But it was that character on that bottle, and the quick wit of former Cajun pitcher Bubba Olivier, that combined to create the nickname.

"I had a clock that had a picture of the Captain Morgan character on it when I came here," Morgan said. "When I met Bubba, he saw the clock, and he put that and my last name together."

That was in the fall of 2000, one year after the Cajuns made their historic trip to the College World Series. "Captain" redshirted his first spring in 2001, and since then Morgan has built a reputation for defense and for his ability to handle pitchers and call a game.

The rest of the story

Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[Turbine]

"I remember watching the World Series in 2000 at my house," Morgan said, "and I remember how much the commentators talked about how well Danny (Massiatte) called the game and how much confidence coach Robe had in him. They had a great pitching staff and Danny did a great job, and maybe that changed the way some of them think."

Wow you never know what will stick with and influence a player.

Geaux Captain

[snote]

coach scefz said that it's raining up in jonesboro and is 50/50 that they will get the game in today

[NOCajun]

BOP posted on the Delphi board just a short while ago that the skies have cleared and the game is a GEAUX!!!