MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Baseball team begins defense of its 2022 Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship on Wednesday when it faces fifth-seeded Texas State at Riverwalk Stadium.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and can be heard in the Lafayette area on KPEL-FM (96.5) and worldwide on the Varsity Network app.
The winner of Wednesday’s game will advance to play on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of top-seeded Coastal Carolina (37-17) and No. 8 seed Georgia State (30-27). The loser will play the CCU-GSU loser in an elimination game on Thursday at 12:30 p.m.
SCOUTING LOUISIANA
The No. 4 seed for the second straight year, Louisiana (36-20) enters the postseason winning seven of 10 games in the month of May. The Ragin’ Cajuns swept a three-game series against Texas State (35-21) two weeks ago in Lafayette.
Louisiana makes its 28th appearance in the Sun Belt Championships where it has posted a 51-42 record. The Ragin’ Cajuns have won five SBC Tournament titles, including three straight from 2014-16.
Kyle DeBarge and Julian Brock – both named to the All-Sun Belt Conference team on Monday – lead Louisiana in the top three offensive categories. DeBarge, named to the second-team at shortstop, leads Louisiana at the plate with a .357 average while Brock, a second-team pick at catcher, leads the Ragin’ Cajuns in both home runs (11) and RBI (59).
Conor Higgs (.367-6-27), Heath Hood (.344-6-38), Carson Roccaforte (.318-5-44), John Taylor (.311-6-40) and Max Marusak (.272-10-28) are among the top hitter for Louisiana, which leads the Sun Belt and is third nationally in stolen bases (157).
Right-hander Jackson Nezuh (8-5, 6.72 ERA) will earn the start in Wednesday’s opener for Louisiana.
The meeting with Texas State will be the 10th between the schools in the SBC Championships with Louisiana holding a 7-2 lead. The Ragin’ Cajuns are 2-0 against the Bobcats in games played in Montgomery (12-6 in 2021; 3-2 in 2022)
SCOUTING TEXAS STATE
Defending regular-season champion Texas State took two of three games last weekend against ULM, earning a 17-0 victory in Saturday’s finale.
The Bobcats, who reached the NCAA Stanford Regional final a year ago, have claimed wins this season over Coastal Carolina (No. 13 RPI), Texas (No. 23 RPI), Southern Miss twice (No. 28 RPI), Troy (No. 35 RPI) and TCU (No. 38 RPI).
Davis Powell (.353-5-32) is Texas State’s top hitter with freshman Chase Mora (.322-17-54) leading the team in home runs. Jose Gonzalez (.294-13-58), August Ramirez (.287-10-31), Cade Manning (.263-10-26) and Daylan Pena (.239-10-39) join Mora with 10 or more home runs on the season.
Levi Wells (8-3, 4.76 ERA), a second-team All-SBC selection, will start on the mound for Texas State.
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GAME 57 PREVIEW
2023 GUARDIAN CREDIT UNION SUN BELT CONFERENCE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
No. 4 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (36-20) vs. No. 5 Texas State Bobcats (35-21)
DATE/TIMES (dates and times are subject to change)
Wednesday – May 24, 7:30 p.m.
LOCATION/SITE
Riverwalk Stadium (4,500) | Montgomery, Ala.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
WEDNESDAY – 7:30 p.m.
LOUISIANA | RH Jackson Nezuh (6-1, 180, Jr., St. Cloud, Fla.)
’23 Stats: 8-5, 6.72 ERA, 76.1 IP, 80 H, 60 R, 57 ER, 26 BB, 84 K, .272 OppBA
TEXAS STATE | RH Levi Wells (6-0, 191, Jr., La Porte, Texas)
’23 Stats: 8-3, 4.76 ERA, 75.2 IP, 71 H, 43 R, 40 ER, 28 BB, 90 K, .246 OppBA
RANKINGS
Louisiana – Not ranked
Texas State – Not ranked
RADIO/TV/LIVE STATISTICS
RADIO (Pregame Show starts 30 minutes prior to first pitch)
Station – KPEL-FM (96.5) / The Varsity Network App
Talent – Jay Walker (pxp); Anthony Babineaux (color)
STREAMING (ESPN+)
Talent – Matt Stewart (pxp); Ty Harrington (analyst)
LIVE STATS
CajunStats.com
SERIES RECORD
Overall: Louisiana leads, 28-21
In Lafayette: Louisiana leads, 17-10
In San Marcos: Texas State leads, 10-5
Neutral Sites: Louisiana leads, 6-1
Last 10: Louisiana, 6-4
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