Freshman Lucroy makes most of chance

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When Tony Robichaux cleared his University of Louisiana baseball bench Sunday, starting a mostly-reserve lineup and throwing nine different pitchers against Texas-Pan American, the Cajuns' head coach talked about how good it was for his team.

Jonathan Lucroy could appreciate that. For most of the first month of this season, he was one of those guys ... sitting patiently, waiting for a chance, any opportunity to get playing time.

He was a happy guy after the Cajuns' 5-3 Sunday win.

"That was huge for us," Lucroy said. "Those guys that hadn't gotten a lot of time came out and did a great job. It's tough to come in after sitting for that long."

Of course, it didn't hurt Lucroy's spirits that he went four-for-four at the plate with a pair of doubles and three RBIs, including the two game-winners in the seventh inning. And in a rare start at catcher, the freshman from Umatilla, Fla., picked off one base runner and didn't allow a steal, a wild pitch or a passed ball while handling eight of the nine pitchers.

"He's been doing that all year for us at the plate," Robichaux said. "He's just a pure hitter, and Sunday he got a big hit in a key spot."

Lucroy had been turning heads of the squad and staff with his offensive performances in the fall and early spring, but he had to work his way into a veteran lineup. He finally got a couple of starts during the Cajuns' title run in the First Hawai'i Rainbow Tournament, but he didn't show his true offensive abilities until a start against Lamar in late March.

In that Moore Field game, Lucroy homered in his first at-bat to give UL a 1-0 lead. His sacrifice fly one inning later made it 5-0, and he added a bases-clearing double and an RBI single in a nine-run sixth inning.

"I watched him in high school and I saw what kind of hitter he was," said Cajun assistant Anthony Babineaux. "He makes solid contact, and the best thing is that he uses the whole field but still can hit with power."

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[RaisingCajun08]

I have been impressed with his hitting from day one. Lucroy will be something special. The next 3 years will be fun to watch him behind the plate.

[JMV JustMyView]

Hope Lucroy Stays For The Next Three Years, This Guy Might Leave After His Jr Year, He Really Is Something Special I Agree.

[Zeebart21]

Hope Lucroy Stays For The Next Three Years, This Guy Might Leave After His Jr Year, He Really Is Something Special I Agree.

He is truly an amazing talent....

Did you get my email the other day...

Didnt necessarily need you to reply, just wanted to make sure you received it... :o

Z.

[NewsCopy]

NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajun baseball team had a point to prove this weekend, according to catcher Jonathan Lucroy.

Through the first two games of the Cajuns' Sun Belt Conference series against New Orleans, that point has been brought home in a big way.

The Cajuns rapped out 18 hits Saturday against a Privateer team that entered the weekend leading the league in conference-game hitting, and rarely looked back after the first inning in a 13-5 victory.

The win, coupled with Friday's 6-0 victory, puts UL (31-7, 6-2 Sun Belt) one win away from a road sweep of a UNO team that was tied with the Cajuns for the league's top spot as of Friday.

"There's definitely a message being sent," said Lucroy, who tied a school record with five hits Saturday including a pair of doubles. "That's what we came in here to do."

The Privateers (10-23, 6-5) entered the weekend hitting .358 as a team in Sun Belt play compared to UL's .268 league hitting mark. But the Cajuns have 31 hits in two games, and UNO didn't score in the series' first 13 innings - and didn't tally on Saturday until the visitors already led 8-0.

"They (UNO) haven't played conference teams like us," said Cajun starter Austin Faught (7-0), who scattered seven hits in six innings. "And honestly, I expect us to do the same thing tomorrow. We've got the pitching and the hitting to take care of that."

The teams play the finale of the three-game series today at 1 p.m. at Maestri Field at Privateer Park, with Micah Cockrell (2-2) getting the start opposite UNO's Michael Jones (2-4).

Faught allowed only a pair of singles through four innings before finally giving up a run in the fifth on Brandon Bowser's two-out triple down the right-field line. UNO got two more in the sixth on an error and Matt Rogers' RBI double before the senior southpaw coaxed an inning-ending double-play grounder.

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

Jonathan Lucroy Named to Louisville Slugger's Freshmen All-American Team

LOUISIANA La. - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns designated hitter Jonathan Lucroy was named to the 2005 Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American Team Wednesday, as chosen by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.

The Umatilla, Fla., native led the Cajuns with a .379 batting average, while hitting five home runs with 48 RBI to guide Louisiana-Lafayette to a 48-19 overall record and the Sun Belt Conference regular season championship.

Lucroy, who tied the school record with five hits in a game earlier this season, was a second team All-Sun Belt selection. He was also the only Cajun named to the Sun Belt All-Tournament Team.

Lucroy also became only the second player in school history named to the Freshmen All-American team.

In 2000, Andy Gros was a Collegiate Baseball Freshmen All-American honorable mention selection after helping guide the Cajuns to a third place finish in the 2000 College World Series.

Lucroy's selection marked the second All-American selection for a Louisiana- Lafayette player this season.

Last week, senior left-hander Austin Faught (12-0, 2.40 ERA) was named to the Louisville Slugger All-American Second Team and was the only undefeated pitcher named to any of the three teams.

Lucroy was one of six players from Louisiana to receive the honor and one of only two Sun Belt players named to the team.

Northwestern State's Derek Cloeren and Kyle Broughton were named to the team as starting pitchers, while McNeese State's Bryan Cartie was named as a shortstop and Tulane's Brad Emaus and McNeese State's Taylor Faul as third basemen.

New Mexico State first baseman and Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year Luke Hopkins was also named to the Freshmen All-American squad.

For a complete list of Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-Americans, please log on to www.baseballnews.com.

LOUISIANA SI

[NewsCopy]

Jonathan Lucroy's first collegiate at-bat was, by his own admission, ugly.

One pitch that jammed him, a second that he tapped only a few feet in front of the plate, with Louisiana Tech catcher Mims Boyce throwing him out at first in the University of Louisiana's third game of the season on Feb. 12.

"That was an embarrassment," said the highly-regarded Umatilla, Fla., product.

His next at-bat, though, was a pinch-hit home run against eventual NCAA Tournament participant Marist College, and there was no looking back.

Four months later, Lucroy is the second-ever Ragin' Cajun baseball player to earn Freshman All-America honors, and coach Tony Robichaux says he deserves it.

"There aren't many other freshmen in the country that had the kind of year he had," Robichaux said. "No one can debate some of the things that he did."

Collegiate Baseball magazine didn't debate it, naming Lucroy as the designated hitter on the 2005 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team Wednesday.

"I was pretty surprised," said Lucroy, who got word of his selection from Cajun assistant Anthony Babineaux Wednesday. "I always have high expectations of myself and I expect to do well. I've always been one to try to achieve as much as I can. But I really didn't expect anything like this."

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[JMV JustMyView]

A true superstar in the making..(already a superstar)

[NewsCopy]

Ex-Umatilla High baseball standout Jonathan Lucroy is named to the Freshman All-America team.

UMATILLA -- Jonathan Lucroy got an early birthday gift when he was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team last Wednesday following his first season at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

"Of course making the Freshman All-America team surprised me," said Lucroy, who turned 19 Monday. "I didn't expect to get anything. When my coach called me and told me last week, it surprised me that I got that honor."

Lucroy, a catcher who graduated from Umatilla High School a year ago, spent much of the season playing as the Ragin' Cajuns' designated hitter. He hit .379 with five home runs and 48 RBIs for a team that went 48-19 during the season and won the Sun Belt Conference regular-season championship.

During the season, Lucroy tied a school record with five hits in one game and was named to the all-conference second team. He also was the only Cajun named to the Sun Belt's all-tournament team.

He also is only the second baseball player from Louisiana to be named to the Freshman All-America team. Andy Gros was named to the all-freshman team in 2000.

"I really didn't expect to do that well," Lucroy said of his season. "I mean, I always expect myself to do well, but I did better than I thought I would for my first year in college.

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By Joe Williams | Sentinel Staff Writer