Baseball: Cajuns honor seven seniors

Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • May 10, 2009

UL’s baseball team honored its seven seniors before Saturday’s game on Senior Day against Western Kentucky.

The seniors playing in their final home series are pitchers Matt Broussard, Corey Chapman, Blake Haagen, Gregory Harmon and Luke Wagley and second baseman/third baseman Matt Hicks and designated hitter Scott Hawkins. All seven players received a senior scrapbook and jersey.

"Overall, this is a good group of guys," UL coach Tony Robichaux said. "You hate to see them go."

Chapman (general studies) and Hicks (business management) will earn a bachelor’s degree this week.

Broussard, a Breaux Bridge native, played the past two years for UL after two seasons at LSU-Eunice. The righty has made three starts this season, including a one-hit shutout against McNeese State.

Chapman spent the past two seasons with the Cajuns following two years at LSU-Eunice. The lefty has made three appearances this season. He was a member of the 2007 Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List and the 2008 Sun Belt Conference Honor Roll.

Haagen started his college career with a two-year stint at Chipola College before spending the past two seasons at UL. The lefty has made a team-high 25 appearances – 13 of which he’s held opponents to fewer than two hits. He earned victories over Middle Tennessee and Tulane.

Harmon, a native of Crowley and Notre Dame grad, played four seasons at UL. The righty set career highs with 45 innings and 40 strikeouts as a sophomore. Going into the weekend, the righty had the team’s lowest ERA for a reliever at 3.73 in 16 appearances.

After two years at LSU-Eunice, Wagley played the past two seasons with the Cajuns. The righty has a career-best 48 strikeouts this season in 38.1 innings. He has earned three saves and three victories, including one over LSU.

Hicks played four seasons at UL. As a sophomore, he hit .309 with seven doubles and six home runs and started 26 of the season’s final 28 games. Hicks started 50 games last season, finishing second on the club in total bases and sacrifices. He entered the weekend fifth in school history with 19 sacrifice bunts.

Hawkins became the school’s career home run leader (40) on Saturday and ranks among the top five in program history in games started, at-bats, runs scored and total bases. As a sophomore, he had a career-high 16 homers and 49 RBIs and was first team all-conference and a second team all-American.

Former Cajun players Buddy Glass and Josh Logan are also expected to graduate this week.

Odds and Ends

UL catcher Thad Griffen left the game after getting hit by a pitch on his left hand in the eighth inning on Saturday and will not be available today. It was feared that the sophomore had a broken pinkie finger, but Robichaux said initial X-rays did not show any breaks … Despite two losses this weekend, UL still leads the all-time series with the Hilltoppers, 35-20. That includes a 20-6 edge at home. The Cajuns had never lost a weekend series at home to WKU. UL has still won 11 of the 16 series between the two teams … UL starter Justin Robichaux has gone 27 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. That span includes all four of his starts this season. UL has committed 11 errors that resulted in 12 runs in his starts. UL Monroe was the last team to score an earned run against Robichaux with three in the sixth inning of an 8-7 win over the Cajuns on April 11 … UL pitcher Zach Osborne celebrated his 21st birthday on Saturday … WKU is now 29-1 this season when its opponent scores fewer than six runs. The Hilltoppers are 27-1 when holding a lead going into the ninth inning.