LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Baseball team officially opens its 2024 season on Friday when it faces defending Horizon League champion Wright State in a three-game series at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field at Russo Park.
First pitch for Friday’s opener is scheduled for 6 p.m. The series will resume on Saturday at 2 p.m. before Sunday’s finale at 1 p.m.
All three games can be heard in the Lafayette area on KPEL-FM (96.5 – Friday/Sunday) and KFTE-FM (105.1 – Saturday). All games can be heard worldwide on the Varsity Network App. Ian Auzenne and Brad Topham will provide commentary.
Friday’s opening game and Sunday’s finale will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Dan McDonald (play-by-play) and Brennan Breaux (color) on the call.
Live stats for all three games will be available at CajunStats.com.
Louisiana (41-24 in 2023) earned its second consecutive berth – and 18th overall – to the NCAA Regionals while eclipsing the 40-win mark for the first time since 2016. The Ragin’ Cajuns set single-season, school-records for stolen bases (166) and fielding percentage (.982).
Preseason All-American shortstop Kyle DeBarge (.371-7-38) leads a group of 18 returning letterwinners for fifth-year coach Matt Deggs. Outfielder Conor Higgs (.324-7-35) and second baseman John Taylor (.304-7-48) also return to their starting roles for the Ragin’ Cajuns, which welcomed 22 newcomers to the roster.
Right-hander Jack Martinez will start in Friday’s opener for Louisiana with freshman left-hander Chase Morgan earning the start in his collegiate debut on Saturday. Right-hander Carson Fluno (4-1, 4.69 ERA) will earn the start in Sunday’s finale for Louisiana.
Wright State (39-23), the Horizon League preseason favorite, claimed the Horizon League regular season and tournament championships on the way to its sixth trip to the NCAA Regionals in the last eight seasons.
The Raiders placed six players on the All-League First Team, including returners Jay Luikart, Andrew Patrick, Sammy Sass, and Jake Shirk, while Patrick Fultz and Joey Valentine collected All-Freshman Team honors.
Head coach Alex Sogard was named the 2023 Horizon League Coach of the Year, becoming the first-ever Raider head coach to win three HL Coach of the Year honors.
Patrick, a top-50 prospect for the MLB Draft, claimed the team’s Triple Crown last season with a .326 average, 20 home runs and 59 RBI. Patrick swiped 31 bases on the season as WSU recorded 110 as a team to finish 24th nationally.
Shirk (5-5, 4.67 ERA in 2023) will earn the start in Friday’s opener for Wright State with right-hander Ty Roder (2-1, 5.27 ERA) expected to start on Saturday. Sunday’s starter is to be determined.
Tickets for Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Baseball are available for purchase on-line at RaginCajuns.com/tickets [ragincajuns.com] or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685).
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here [apps.apple.com] for iOS/Apple platforms and here [play.google.com] for Android platforms.
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GAMES 1-3 PREVIEW
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (41-24 in 2023) vs. Wright State Raiders (39-23 in 2023)
DATE/TIMES (dates and times are subject to change)
Friday – February 16, 6 p.m.
Saturday – February 17, 2 p.m.
Sunday – February 18, 1 p.m.
LOCATION/SITE
M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field at Russo Park (6,015) | Lafayette, La.
TICKETS
Available on-line at RaginCajuns.com/Tickets [ragincajuns.com] or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685)
PROMOTIONS
FRIDAY
• Lafayette Roofing Friday Night Bingo
• Schedule Poster Giveaway
SATURDAY
• Warning Track Horse Racing
• Schedule Poster Giveaway
SUNDAY
• Kid’s Day / YRCC Junior Announcer
• Schedule Poster Giveaway
PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY – 6 p.m.
LOUISIANA | RH Jack Martinez (6-4, 220, Jr., Corpus Christi, Texas)
’23 Stats (at Trinity): 6-0, 2.12 ERA, 6 Sv., 51.0 IP, 30 H, 15 R, 12 ER, 26 BB, 81 K, .163 OppBA
WRIGHT STATE | RH Jake Shirk (6-2, 200, Sr., Fort Wayne, Indiana)
’23 Stats: 5-5, 4.77 ERA, 83.0 IP, 93 H, 56 R, 44 ER, 14 BB, 71 K, .278 OppBA
SATURDAY – 2 p.m.
LOUISIANA | LH Chase Morgan (6-3, 195, Fr., Cypress, Texas)
Collegiate debut
WRIGHT STATE | RH Ty Roder (6-3, 205, R-Soph., Waterville, Ohio)
’23 Stats: 2-1, 5.27 ERA, 27.1 IP, 28 H, 23 R, 16 ER, 13 BB, 23 K, .267 OppBA
SUNDAY – 1 p.m.
LOUISIANA | RH Carson Fluno (6-1, 185, Jr., Sun Prairie, Wis.)
’23 Stats: 4-1, 4.69 ERA, 3 Sv., 63.1.0 IP, 69 H, 37 R, 33 ER, 21 BB, 64 K, .275 OppBA
WRIGHT STATE | TBA
RANKINGS
Louisiana – Receiving Votes (NCBWA)
Wright State – Unranked
RADIO/TV/LIVE STATISTICS
RADIO (Pregame Show starts 30 minutes prior to first pitch)
Stations – KPEL-FM (96.5 – Friday/Sunday) / KFTE-FM (105.1 – Saturday) / The Varsity Network App
Talent – Ian Auzenne (pxp); Brad Topham (color)
STREAMING (ESPN+ | Friday/Sunday only)
Talent – Dan McDonald (pxp); Brennan Breaux (color)
LIVE STATS
CajunStats.com
SERIES RECORD
Overall: Wright State leads, 2-1
In Lafayette: Wright State leads, 2-1
In Dayton: Never met
Neutral Sites: Never met
LEADING OFF
• Louisiana opens the 2024 season with a three-game series against Wright State at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field at Russo Park.
• Friday and Sunday’s games will be streamed live on ESPN+. Dan McDonald and Brennan Breaux will provide commentary. Saturday’s game will not be streamed.
• All three games can be heard in the Lafayette area on KPEL 96.5 FM (Friday/Sunday) and Classic Rock 105.1 (Saturday) and worldwide on the Varsity Network app. Ian Auzenne and Brad Topham will call the games.
• Live stats for all three games are available at CajunStats.com.
• The University of Louisiana is celebrating its 125th anniversary during the 2023-24 academic year. The baseball program was established in 1903 and has competed in 111 seasons since (including 2024).
• Louisiana opens its fifth season under head coach Matt Deggs, who is 118-79 at UL and 305-197 in his 10th season overall.
• Deggs has guided the Ragin’ Cajuns to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Regionals - the 17th and 18th trips overall for Louisiana to the postseason.
• Louisiana ended the 2023 season with a 41-24 record and 18-12 mark in the Sun Belt Conference. The Ragin’ Cajuns reached the championship game of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament for the second consecutive year and earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Coral Gables Regional.
• In the final 2023 team rankings by WarrenNolan.com, Louisiana was 48th overall with Wright State listed at No. 80.
• As a league in 2023, the Sun Belt Conference was rated the fifth-best among 30 conferences during the season and trailing the Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 and PAC-12.
• Louisiana finished second in the Sun Belt and 17th nationally in average home attendance last season, marking the ninth time in the past 10 seasons (COVID in 2021) that the Cajuns were in the top-20 nationally.
WHAT’S ON DECK
• Louisiana will open its 2024 road schedule on Tuesday when it travels west along I-10 to face McNeese in a 6 p.m. game at Joe Miller Ballpark in Lake Charles. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns will return to M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field at Russo Park on Friday (Feb. 23) when it opens a three-game series against Rice.
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