No. 22 Louisiana (45-11, 23-4 Sun Belt) in NCAA Clemson Regional
Dates: Friday-Sunday, May 20-22, 2022
Location: Clemson, S.C.
Stadium: McWhorter Stadium (1,616)
Tournament Opener:
Fri., May 20 vs. Auburn – 1:30 p.m. (CDT) // ESPN+
Next Matchup:
Sat., May 21 vs. Clemson/UNCW – 12:00 or 2:30 p.m. (CDT)
MEDIA INFORMATION
NCAA Clemson Regional Headquarters [clemsontigers.com] // NCAA Clemson Regional Bracket (PDF) [ragincajuns.com] // NCAA Tournament Bracket (PDF) [ncaa.com]
Season Stats (PDF) [ragincajuns.com] // Roster [ragincajuns.com] // Schedule and Results [ragincajuns.com]
Radio: ESPN Lafayette 103.3 FM & 1420 AM [espnlafayette.com] · Talent: Ian Auzenne, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, analyst
Television: ESPN Networks [espn.com] · Talent: Jenn Hildreth, PxP; Carol Bruggeman, analyst
Live Stats: NCAA.com [ncaa.com]
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsSB [twitter.com]
NCAA CLEMSON REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, May 20
Game 1: Clemson vs. UNCW – 11:00am (CDT) – ACC Network
Game 2: Auburn vs. Louisiana – 1:30pm (CDT) – ESPN+
Saturday, May 21
Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs Game 2 Winner – 12:00pm (CDT)
Game 4: Game 1 Loser vs Game 2 Loser – 2:30pm (CDT)
Game 5: Game 3 Loser vs Game 4 Winner – 5:00pm (CDT)
Sunday, May 22
Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs Game 5 Winner – 11:00am (CDT)
Game 7: (if necessary) – 1:30pm (CDT)
TEAM INFORMATION
Louisiana RAGIN' CAJUNS
NFCA: RV | USA: RV | SBA: 23 | D1S: 22 | RPI: 27
Head Coach: Gerry Glasco [ragincajuns.com] (Illinois, '80)
Record at Louisiana: 203-51 (5th season)
Career Record: Same
Team Slash Line (AVG / SLG / OBP): .358 / .615 / .430
Team ERA: 2.05
Auburn TIGERS
NFCA: 17 | USA: 21 | SBA: 22 | D1S: 19 | RPI: 32
Head Coach: Mickey Dean (Elon, '87)
Record at Auburn: 162-88 (5th season)
Career Record: 640-260 (16th season)
Team Slash Line (AVG / SLG / OBP): .303 / .570 / .382
Team ERA: 2.64
Clemson TIGERS
NFCA: 14 | USA: 13 | SBA: 10 | D1S: 16 | RPI: 8
Head Coach: John Rittman (New Mexico State, '86)
Record at Clemson: 102-31 (3rd season)
Career Record: 852-382-3 (21st season)
Team Slash Line (AVG / SLG / OBP): .274 / .473 / .369
Team ERA: 1.87
UNCW SEAHAWKS
NFCA: -- | USA: -- | SBA: -- | D1S: -- | RPI: 110
Head Coach: Kristy Norton (UNCG, '02)
Record at UNCW: 217-248-1 (10th season)
Career Record: Same
Team Slash Line (AVG / SLG / OBP): .271 / .382 / .361
Team ERA: 1.73
THE BASICS
>> No. 22 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball is set to make the program's 23rd consecutive and 31st appearance overall in the NCAA Tournament, competing in the NCAA Clemson Regional at McWhorter Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina from Friday-Sunday, May 20-22.
>> It's the 31st appearance overall in the past 32 editions of the NCAA Tournament for the Ragin' Cajuns. Since 1990, Louisiana has missed the NCAA's postseason event only once (1998).
>> Louisiana, the Sun Belt Conference's regular season and tournament champions for the third consecutive completed season (2019, 2021-22), secured its spot in collegiate softball's premier postseason event by capturing the league's automatic bid on Saturday, May 14 in Mobile, Alabama.
>> The Ragin' Cajuns used their power at the plate to clinch the SBC title, and secure the auto bid, by launching four home runs in a six-run fifth inning that put Texas State away in the 7-1 championship-game triumph. It marked Louisiana's 17th overall SBC Tournament title in the 22-year history of the event.
>> Heading into the NCAA Tournament, Louisiana carries a season-high, 13-game winning streak and has won 22 of its past 23 games dating back to April 8.
>> The NCAA Clemson Regional features No. 10 national seed Clemson (39-15), Auburn (38-15), Louisiana (45-11) and UNCW (32-13).
>> The winner of the regional will play the winner of the NCAA Stillwater (Okla.) Regional which features No. 7 national seed Oklahoma State (41-12), Nebraska (40-14), North Texas (35-14) and Fordham (30-20) in the super regional round the following week for a trip to the Women's College World Series scheduled for June 2-10 in Oklahoma City.
>> Louisiana makes its first trip to Clemson for an NCAA Regional. It is also the program's first-ever appearance in the state of South Carolina in the NCAA postseason.
>> The trip to Clemson, South Carolina marks the furthest distance Louisiana has traveled for the regional round of the NCAA Tournament since the super regional format was introduced in 2005. The 704 miles to Clemson tops the previous furthest traveled back in 2005 when the program was sent to Norman, Oklahoma (578 miles).
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
31st overall appearance (1990-1997, 1999-2019, 2021-22)
All-Time NCAA Tournament Record: 81-63 (.563)
NCAA Regionals Record: 69-40 (.633)
NCAA Regional Championships: 11
Last NCAA Regional Championship: 2016 (NCAA Lafayette Regional)
NCAA Super Regional Appearances: 7 (2008, 2010, 2012-16)
WCWS Appearances: 6 (1993, 1995-96, 2003, 2008, 2014)
NOTABLES AUBURN SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: Auburn leads, 2-1
In NCAA Tournament: Auburn leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: 5/23/15 // AUB 6, LA 3 (Auburn, Ala. - NCAA Super Regional)
Streak: Auburn, +2
Series Notables
- Last series meeting occurred in the 2015 NCAA Super Regional hosted by Auburn
- Tigers swept the Super Regional and hold a 2-0 edge in NCAA Tournament meetings
- Two programs have met only once in a regularly scheduled contest: Feb. 16, 2003 in Monroe, La. (ULM Mardi Gras Classic)
CLEMSON SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: First Meeting
UNCW HISTORY
Series Record: First Meeting
HEADLINERS
RAGIN' SUCCESS: Louisiana's season-best, 13-game winning streak is the nation's third-longest active streak entering the NCAA Tournament, trailing only BYU (17) and Florida State (14).
ALL GROWN UP: For a team that has only two seniors (Raina O'Neal [ragincajuns.com] & Melissa Mayeux [ragincajuns.com]) and at times features as many as six freshmen on the field, a 16-8 start to the season was reflective of the youthfulness. Since then, the squad has gone 29-3 and has the look of a veteran ball club.
BATTLE TESTED: An extremely young team was put to the test early with a combined seven (7) games against Alabama, LSU and Texas before the end of March. Also, the unit was tested both physically and mentally during a week-long Spring Break trip (April 18-24) that saw them play six games over seven days.
A "STAFF" APPROACH: In what could be considered an unconventional method in the softball world, Louisiana's coaching staff committed in the fall to a plan of using its three high-quality arms in Meghan Schorman [ragincajuns.com], Kandra Lamb [ragincajuns.com] and Sam Landry [ragincajuns.com] to form a baseball-like three-man rotation. All three have worked at least 100 innings (and no more than 122 innings). They each have been utilized as a starting pitcher and as a relief pitcher, accepted the roles and excelled.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE: There are 13 different players who have combined to give Louisiana its 78 home runs. Ten (10) members of the group have posted multiple home runs, led by Karly Heath [ragincajuns.com] and Alexa Langeliers [ragincajuns.com] who have both clubbed 13 home runs.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE (Part 2): A total of 15 Ragin' Cajuns have produced double digits in base hits. There are seven players who have posted 40-plus base hits led by Stormy Kotzelnick's [ragincajuns.com] team-leading 65 base hits.
WINNING DIFFERENT WAYS: In the four Sun Belt Conference Tournament wins, Louisiana showed the ability to win both low-scoring games — 4-2 over Coastal Carolina and 1-0 over Texas State — and higher-scoring contests, like 9-1 over Troy and 7-1 over Texas State in the finals.
POWER SURGE: The 78 home runs hit by the 2022 Ragin' Cajuns mark the highest amount generated in the Gerry Glasco [ragincajuns.com] era (2018-present), besting the previous high-water mark of 66 set last season. The total ranks 15th nationally this season.
CATCH 'EM WHILE YOU CAN: Louisiana has scored in the first inning 30 times (out of 56 games) and generated 55 runs in its first at bat.
CATCH 'EM WHILE YOU CAN (Part 2): Louisiana owns a 37-2 record when scoring first. Only once has the team relinquished a lead when ahead after five innings (28-1).
MARVELOUS IN MOBILE: Pitcher Meghan Schorman [ragincajuns.com] is entering the NCAA Tournament coming off her best week of the season at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Schorman yielded only one run and eight base hits over 15 innings of work in pitching the Ragin' Cajuns to the championship game, the highlight being a complete game, eight-inning shutout of Texas State in the winner's bracket final.
ZONED IN: Since the calendar flipped over to May, Meghan Schorman [ragincajuns.com] (15-4, 1.73 ERA) has risen to the forefront in the circle for Louisiana. Over 23-2/3 innings of work so far in May, Schorman has held foes to a .151 average and surrendered only two runs (one earned), 13 base hits, and struck out 30.
RAINA'S RETURN: After being handcuffed by an injury from late-February through late-April, senior Raina O'Neal [ragincajuns.com] is now back and providing a young Ragin' Cajuns team with valuable veteran presence and leadership. That leadership was none more present than at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament when O'Neal batted .500 (6-for-12) with a pair of home runs including the clutch home run in the eighth inning of the winner's bracket final that snapped a scoreless tie.
MELLIE'S MAGICAL RIDE: Melissa Mayeux's [ragincajuns.com] rise as Louisiana's top impact player - and the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year - began when she stepped up during Alexa Langeliers' [ragincajuns.com] nine-game absence at shortstop from March 20-April 6, beginning her season resurgence by hitting .440 (11-for-25) with six extra base hits (2 doubles, 4 home runs) and nine RBI while fielding all but two of the 23 chances seen at shortstop cleanly during the stretch. Over the 28-game stretch from March 20 through the regular season's end, Mayeux totaled 28 base hits (17 for extra bases), scored 29 runs, posted 24 RBI and fielded 63 of 65 fielding chances cleanly, leading the charge in Louisiana's 25-3 run.
- Louisiana's 31 NCAA Tournament appearances rank eighth (8th) in NCAA history.
- Louisiana is just one of nine schools to play in the NCAA Tournament every year since 2000. The list includes: Alabama, Arizona, Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, UCLA and Washington.
- The Ragin' Cajuns are 69-40 all-time in the NCAA Regional round, including a 35-13 mark in claiming regional championships and advancing to the super regional round in seven of the previous 13 appearances (2008-19, 2021).
- The program's all-time overall record in the NCAA Tournament stands at 81-63, representing the 13th-most wins in NCAA history.
- Louisiana has advanced to Championship Sunday of a NCAA Regional in each of its last 13 appearances (2008-19, 2021).
HOMECOMING: The trip to Clemson marks a return home for junior designated player/outfielder Karly Heath [ragincajuns.com] who is from North Augusta, South Carolina, a mere 110 miles away. Heath, who transferred to Louisiana after beginning her career at South Carolina, enters the 2022 NCAA Tournament with career-highs in home runs (13) and RBI (38).
FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE: The 2022 season brought the much-anticipated debut for Louisiana's 2021 recruiting class, which was ranked No. 1 by Extra Inning Softball and includes the No. 4-rated recruit in pitcher Sam Landry [ragincajuns.com] and the No. 15-ranked prospect in Louisiana native Maddie Hayden [ragincajuns.com].
NUMBERS TO KNEAUX
0.30: ERA for Meghan Schorman [ragincajuns.com] in the month of May (spans 23-2/3 innings).
.193: The Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff has limited the opposition to a .193 average. Opponents hit sub-.200, combined, over the first five weeks of the season and have been back below the mark since the Troy series (April 8-10).
2: Louisiana is two home runs shy of posting the program's first season of 80 home runs since 2017.
2.05: Team ERA for Louisiana which ranks Top 25 nationally along with fellow NCAA Clemson Regional foes Clemson and UNCW.
2.38: Louisiana enters the NCAA Clemson Regional ranked No. 6 nationally averaging 2.38 stolen bases per game (133 swipes in 56 games).
6: The six triples posted by Stormy Kotzelnick [ragincajuns.com] are two shy of the program record (8) set by Lana Jimenez both in 1995 and 1997.
13: The Ragin' Cajuns have active streak of 13 consecutive NCAA Regional appearances advancing on to Championship Sunday.
21: The Ragin' Cajuns offense has generated double-digit runs in 21 games (20-1 record). Louisiana ranks Top 5 nationally averaging 7.3 runs per game.
23: Louisiana is appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the 23rd consecutive edition (streak dates back to 1999).
25: The team total of 25 triples produced marks the most by a Louisiana Softball squad since the program-record amount of 31 was recorded in 1995 – also the last time a Ragin' Cajuns team posted 20-plus triples in a single season.
26: Louisiana's pitching staff has yielded only 26 home runs to the opposition through 362 innings.
29: Stormy Kotzelnick [ragincajuns.com] leads the Ragin' Cajuns with 29 extra base hits (14 doubles, 6 triples, 9 home runs).
30: The Ragin' Cajuns offense has produced double-digit hits in 30 games.
31: The Clemson Regional marks Louisiana's 31st overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
34: The Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff has held the opposition to two runs or less in 34 games. The team sports an undefeated mark in this situation.
.358: Louisiana ranks second nationally with a .358 team batting average, trailing only Oklahoma (.367). The figure has been .350 or above the entire season.
36: Louisiana is 36 base hits shy of matching the program record (572 in 2012). Currently, the 536 base hits marks a second consecutive season with 500-plus and the Glasco-era best total (surpassing 507 in 2021).
37-2: Louisiana's record when scoring first.
78: Home runs generated by the Ragin' Cajuns offense, the third straight completed season of the Glasco era surpassing 50 home runs (2019, 2021, 2022).
178/176: Over the season's 56 games, the Ragin' Cajuns hitters have drawn more walks (178) than they have struck out (176).
203: Total number of extra base hits produced by Louisiana's offense (100 doubles, 25 triples, 78 home runs).
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