LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball team battles Sun Belt Conference-leading Marshall in a three-game series at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park from Friday-Sunday, April 24-26. It's the Ragin' Cajuns' final home conference series of the 2026 regular season.
The series opener is set for 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Play continues Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and concludes on Sunday with the series finale at 12:00 p.m.
The entire series airs on ESPN+ with Dan McDonald and Yvette Girouard calling the action. Radio coverage is available on The GOAT 103.3 FM and 1420 AM in the Acadiana region and worldwide on Varsity Network with Cody Junot (pxp) and Bobby Neveaux (analyst) providing commentary.
Louisiana (25-23, 8-10 SBC) is coming off its first SBC series sweep, producing 32 base hits on .421 hitting in generating a 28-12 runs scored advantage over Coastal Carolina. The Thundering Herd (35-12, 15-3 SBC) has won 10 of its last 11 conference games.
UL Softball is celebrating Senior Day on Saturday, April 25 highlighted by the annual Bats and Bugs Crawfish Boil which follows the contest. Tickets for the crawfish boil can be purchased during Friday’s game or online at RaginCajuns.com/BatsBugs [ragincajuns.evenue.net].
Louisiana (25-23, 8-10 SBC) vs. Marshall (35-12, 15-3 SBC)
Dates: Friday-Sunday, April 24-26
Location: Lafayette, La.
Stadium: Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park
Series Schedule:
Fri., Apr. 24 – 6:00 p.m. (CDT) | ESPN+ | 103.3 FM & 1420 AM
Sat., Apr. 25 – 2:00 p.m. (CDT) | ESPN+ | 103.3 FM & 1420 AM
Sun., Apr. 26 – 12:00 p.m. (CDT) ) | ESPN+ | 103.3 FM & 1420 AM
MEDIA INFORMATION
Season Stats (PDF) [s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com] | Roster [ragincajuns.com] | Schedule/Results [ragincajuns.com] | SBC Standings [sunbeltsports.org]
Television: ESPN+ [espn.com] | Talent: Dan McDonald, PxP; Dawson Eiserloh, analyst
Radio: The GOAT 103.3 FM/1420 AM and Varsity Network [ragincajuns.com] | Talent: Cody Junot, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, analyst
Live Stats: CajunStats.StatBroadcast.com [statbroadcast.com]
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsSB [x.com]
TEAM INFORMATION
LOUISIANA Ragin' Cajuns
NFCA: -- | USA: -- | SBA: -- | D1S: -- | RPI: 55
Head Coach: Alyson Habetz (Louisiana, '95)
Record at Louisiana: 54-48 (2nd season)
Team Slash Line (AVG / SLG / OBP): .308 / .492 / .390
Team ERA: 4.03 | Opponent Batting Average: .283| Strikeouts (Pitching): 180
Stolen Bases: 45-for-61
MARSHALL Thundering Herd
NFCA: -- | USA: -- | SBA: -- | D1S: -- | RPI: 25
Head Coach: Morgan Zerkle (Marshall, '17)
Record at Marshall: 91-63 (3rd season)
Team Slash Line (AVG / SLG / OBP): .292 / .543 / .377
Team ERA: 2.92 | Opponent Batting Average: .264 | Strikeouts (Pitching): 247
Stolen Bases: 49-for-59
SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: Tied, 2-2
Last: 3/15/25 – MAR 12, UL 4 (6) (Huntington, W.Va.)
In Lafayette: UL leads, 1-0
In SBC Play: MAR leads, 2-1
Streak: MAR, +1
- Series began after Marshall’s entry into the SBC in 2023.
- Second SBC series, overall; first at Lamson Park.
- Marshall took 2-of-3 in Huntington last season in the first-ever SBC series meeting.
- Marshall was not on UL’s SBC schedule its first two years in the league.
- Programs first met in 2023 SBC title game at Lamson Park.
LEADING OFF
>> Louisiana plays its final home series of the season and celebrates Senior Weekend during a three-game SBC set with Marshall at Lamson Park.
>> UL and Marshall meet for just the second time in SBC play. It’s the first series at Lamson Park.
>> Only prior Ragin’ Cajuns-Thundering Herd contest at Lamson Park came in the 2023 Sun Belt Tournament title game.
>> Louisiana completes a six-game SBC homestand that began last weekend with a sweep of Coastal Carolina.
>> The Cajuns have won all of their home SBC series this season: took 2-of-3 from Texas State and Troy and swept Coastal.
>> UL has excelled at Lamson Park this spring, sporting a 15-6 mark behind .327 hitting and a 3.57 ERA.
>> Five different players are hitting .370-plus at home, led by Haley Hart’s .475 average (28-of-59).
>> Louisiana stands 33-14 at home in Alyson Habetz’s tenure (16-5 in SBC play).
>> Entering the weekend, Kennedy Marceaux carries a 13-game hitting streak in SBC play. Mia Liscano has reached base in 17 straight SBC games.
NOTEWORTHY
>> Kennedy Marceaux posted team-high totals in hits (7) and runs scored (8) vs. Coastal, increasing her team lead in SBC play in hits (27) and runs (18) and raising her league-play average to .466.
>> Kennedy Marceaux is 13 hits shy of the program record for hits in SBC play (40 by Lexie Elkins in 2015) and is on pace the most since 2024 (Brooke Ellestad, 37).
>> Kennedy Marceaux has recorded hit in 16 of the last 17 games, batting .475 (28-of-59) – raised her batting nearly 90 points (from .268 to .355).
>> Mia Liscano has generated a team-best 14 multi-hit games. She paces the Cajuns with a .424 batting average, 50 hits, and 32 runs scored.
>> The team-leading 12 doubles, 11 home runs and 45 RBI all represent career-high totals for Brooke Otto.
>> Brooke Otto posted a series-high eight RBI vs. Coastal, elevating her SBC play total to 20 RBI – a Top 3 mark in the league.
>> Freshman Haley Hart has emerged this spring with nine home runs and of the top slugging marks (.674). She's generated 51 hits with .386 hitting and posted 36 RBI.
>> Haley Hart’s six RBI vs. Coastal brought her conference-play RBI total to 15, second-higest on the team.
>> Sage Hoover and Bethaney Noble turned in shutdown relief efforts vs. Coastal. Hoover tossed the final 3.0 innings and struck out six in the clincher, while Noble tossed 4.0 scoreless frames to secure the sweep.
ABOUT LOUISIANA
>> Haley Hart's fifth-inning, walk-off single in the Coastal Carolina series opener marked UL’s sixth walk-off win of the season.
>> Four Cajuns are batting .375-plus in SBC play, led by Kennedy Marceaux’s conference-best .466 mark.
>> Louisiana is 20-2 when producing six runs or more and 20-4 when out-hitting the opposition.
>> The Ragin' Cajuns are unbeaten when leading after five innings (17-0) and six innings (17-0).
>> Louisiana's offense ranks Top 100 nationally in average (.308), runs (269), total hits (378), home runs (45), RBI (250), slugging percentage (.492) and scoring (5.6).
>> The Ragin' Cajuns have involved four arms in the circle with Sage Hoover (104.2), Bethaney Noble (90.0), Julianne Tipton (52.1) and Lexie Delbrey (45.0) each having worked 40-plus innings.
THIS 'N THAT
>> The Ragin' Cajuns seek a return to their championship and postseason ways in the 2026 season. Last season, UL finished third in the SBC and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999.
>> Louisiana was picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.
>> 2025 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year Emily Smith is the top returner on offense looking to build upon a 50-hit, 40-RBI debut in her collegiate rookie season.
>> The two-time reigning national leader in total double plays turned, Louisiana's defense crafted 81 double plays over the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
>> The double play tandem of Cecilia Vasquez and Mia Liscano highlights an infield defense that has led the nation in double plays turned the past two seasons.
>> Acadiana-area softball star Kennedy Marceaux of Kaplan, the 2024 Louisiana Gatorade Softball Player of the Year, headlines the newcomers.
>> The 2026 campaign marks the 46th season in the storied history of Louisiana Softball. The program debuted in 1981 and since has recorded 1,941 wins, a total that ranks Top 5 in NCAA history.
>> The Louisiana Softball program's rich tradition includes six Women's College World Series appearances, eight NCAA Super Regional berths and 33 NCAA Regional appearances which ranks as eighth-most in NCAA history.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana heads east on I-10 to Mobile, Alabama to complete regular season play with a three-game series against South Alabama at Jaguar Field from Thursday-Saturday, April 30-May 2.
The Ragin’ Cajuns and Jaguars face off at 6:00 p.m. on both Thursday and Friday before concluding the series with a 1:00 p.m. matchup on Saturday.
All games will be televised on ESPN+ with a radio broadcast available on The GOAT 103.3 FM and 1420 AM in the Acadiana region and worldwide on Varsity Network.
The trip to Mobile marks the final opportunity for Louisiana to position itself for the May 6-9 SBC Championship being held at Lamson Park. The Ragin' Cajuns have won every matchup in the USA series dating back to the 2016 season, claiming 29 straight victories.
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Facebook (/RaginCajunsSB [facebook.com]), Twitter (@RaginCajunsSB [twitter.com]) and Instagram (@Louisiana.SB [instagram.com]) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Softball.
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.
Louisiana Softball season and single-game tickets are currently on sale, outfield general admission seating only, available for purchase online at RaginCajuns.com/tickets [ragincajuns.evenue.net] or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685). Fans can support the softball student athletes, and invest in the program's future, through The Cajuns Edge Fund (click here [ragincajuns.evenue.net]) to contribute directly to the Louisiana Athletics and Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Foundation's revenue-sharing initiative or by joining the Centerfield Club (click here [ragincajuns.evenue.net]).