Softball: Eight Cajuns Earn Academic Honor

Eight Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns softball players were named National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America Scholar-Athletes for the 2009-10 academic year.  Ashley Brignac, Kelly Cormier, Megan Waterman, Brittany Cuevas, Sarah Draheim, Vallie Gaspard, Katie Smith and Courtney Trahan were honored for their excellence in the classroom.  Brignac, Cormier and Waterman all earned perfect 4.0 GPA’s in the 2009-10 academic year.

The Cajuns ended the year with a 45-18 overall record, finishing the year ranked 16th in the nation.  The 45 wins marked the 18th time in program history UL has amassed 45-plus wins on the year and the tenth time under the Lotiefs. 

UL finished the season with their ninth regular season Sun Belt Conference title; their tenth SBC Tournament championship; their 20th NCAA Regional berth and their second Super Regional berth in three years, before falling to eventual National Champion UCLA.

The Ragin’ Cajuns had six players named All-Sun Belt Conference on the year, with Stefni and Michael Lotief earning Co-Coach of the Year honors.  Gaspard and Christi Orgeron were named to the NFCA All-South Region team while Donna Bourgeois was named second-team All-Region.  Six Cajuns were also named to the All-Louisiana team.

Brignac, Waterman, Draheim, Smith, Bourgeois and Orgeron will all return for the Cajuns in 2011.

The NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete award recognizes those student-athletes who have earned a 3.5 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) for an academic year.