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Louisiana Baseball Opens Five-Game Week at Surging Louisiana Tech

Posted at 3:16 PM, Apr 24, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-24 16:16:35-04

PRESS RELEASE

By: Jeff Schneider, Associate Director of Athletics Communications

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THE MIDWEEK GAMES
Dates: Tuesday, April 24/Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Location: Ruston, La./Lafayette, La.
Site: J.C. Love Field (3,000)/Russo Park (4,850)
Times: 6 p.m./6 p.m.
Opponent: Louisiana Tech (29-13)/New Orleans (18-24)
Radio: ESPN 1420-AM
Television: none
Live Stats: www.RaginCajuns.com
 
STARTING PITCHERS
Tuesday: TBA (LA) vs. RHP David Leal (LT)
Wednesday: TBA (LA) vs. TBA (UNO)
 
LAFAYETTE, La. – The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team is set to open a five-game week with a pair of non-conference matchups starting Tuesday at 6 p.m. against a surging Louisiana Tech team in Ruston, La. at J.C. Love Field.
 
Following game against the Bulldogs, Louisiana will host New Orleans on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.
  
Where to Listen/Watch
 
Fans can also listen to both games on ESPN 1420-AM. Jay Walker and Jeff Schneider will be on the call in Ruston, while Brad Topham will join the call on Wednesday at Russo Park. Live stats and video are available on RaginCajuns.com.
 
Schmidt Earns Second LSWA Honor
 
Senior Colten Schmidt had another strong outing in a 1-0 shutout of Little Rock this past weekend to earn his second LSWA honor of the year as he was named the Co-Pitcher of the Week. Schmidt faced three over the minimum in the outing tossing 8.0 shutout innings to claim his fifth win of the season for the Ragin’ Cajuns.
 
The left-hander limited the Trojans to two hits with a walk and six strikeouts. The combined shutout is the second of the season for Schmidt who has gone at least eight innings in his last four starts. He now leads the Sun Belt Conference with a 1.36 ERA.
 
The Series
 
Louisiana holds a 79-66 lead in the all-time series against Louisiana Tech after falling 15-2 last week to the Bulldogs. The Cajuns are 28-12 all-time against La Tech under head coach Tony Robichaux having won just two of the last nine meetings in Ruston.
 
The Ragin’ Cajuns hold an 82-68 edge in the all-time series against New Orleans. Louisiana routed the Privateers in the last meeting between the two teams with a 17-3 victory in seven innings in New Orleans.
 
The Cajuns are 41-17 against the Privateers with Robichaux at the helm including a 17-8 mark at home.
 
Scouting Louisiana
 
Louisiana (21-18) is coming off of a series win over SBC West Division leader Little Rock claiming the first two games of the series 1-0 and 4-0. The Cajuns saw the sweep slip away in the series finale falling 9-7 in 11 innings.
 
Offensively, the Ragin’ Cajuns are hitting .224 with 57 doubles, nine triples and 12 home runs. Junior Daniel Lahare has a .296 average and 14 RBI coming on five doubles, two triples and three home runs, while Gavin Bourgeois is second on the team in average hitting .291 with 10 doubles and 16 RBI.
 
Senior Kennon Fontenot is riding a 21-game on base streak and has his average up to .275 for the season with a team-best 28 RBI.
 
Scouting Louisiana Tech
 
Louisiana Tech (29-13) comes into the contest having won five games in a row while scoring double-digit runs in each game. The Bulldogs swept conference foe Marshall over the weekend by a combined score of 37-11.
 
La Tech is hitting .280 with 72 doubles, 15 triples and 35 home runs while averaging 6.1 runs per game. Hunter Wells paces the squad with a .339 average, eight doubles, two triples, two home runs and 23 RBI. Dalton Skelton has a team-best eight home runs to go with 25 RBI and Tanner Huddleston is one of seven players with 20-plus RBI on the year with 34 in 42 games.
 
On the mound, Louisiana Tech ranks third in the nation with a 2.58 ERA. Starter David Leal ranks 18th nationally with a 1.55 ERA and is third in WHIP (0.75).
 
Scouting New Orleans
 
New Orleans (18-24) had a seven-game losing streak come to an end on Sunday with a 4-1 victory over No. 21 Texas on the road.
 
The Privateers are hitting .264 with 70 doubles, 13 triples and 24 home runs while 5.3 runs per game. Owen Magee has a team-best .347 average with 13 doubles, three triples, four home runs and 26 RBI.
 
Up Next
 
The Ragin’ Cajuns close out their five-game week with a road series at Georgia State starting Friday at 5 p.m. CT. Game two of the series is set for Saturday at 1 p.m., while the two teams close things out with a noon CT series finale.
 
For the latest updates on Ragin’ Cajuns baseball, follow Ragin’ Cajuns baseball on Facebook (RaginCajunsBaseball), Twitter (@RaginCajunsBSB) and Instagram (@RaginCajunsBSB) or check RaginCajuns.com.