Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns, who earned a share of the 2010 Sun Belt Conference title and are one of the hottest teams in Division I baseball, will begin play in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at 4 p.m., on Wednesday, May 26 at Reese-Smith Field in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on the Middle Tennessee State University campus.

The Ragin’ Cajuns (37-18, 21-9 Sun Belt), enter the 2010 tournament as the No. 2 seed and will face seventh-seeded Arkansas State (28-26, 16-14 Sun Belt) in the opening round of the event.

Louisiana closed out the second half of the regular  season with a 23-4 mark and won 17 of the final 18 Sun Belt games on the schedule, sweeping all but one opponent.

The hot stretch vaulted the Cajuns from 4-8 in SBC play and a ninth place standing on April 4 to 21-9 and a first place standing on May 22. The 21 conference wins are tied for the third-most in UL history and mark the fifth 20-win campaign in SBC play, all coming under Tony Robichaux.

The regular season title is the first for the Cajuns since 2007 and third in the past six seasons (2005, 2007, 2010). Louisiana has now won four SBC regular season titles in the Robichaux Era (1997, 2005, 2007, 2010).

The Cajuns lead the SBC in pitching with a staff earned run average of 3.32 and seek their first tournament title since 1998.

The eight-team field features some of the top players and teams in the nation as Sun Belt baseball is among the best in the country, currently rated as the fifth-best Division I conference in the NCAA. Only four other conferences have more teams among the top 100 in the RPI. This season seven teams have won 30 or more games marking only the third occurrence since 2000 that the league has seen seven teams with as many wins.

The Sun Belt Conference champion was determined by the team who finished the regular season with the best won-loss percentage in conference games during the season. Seeding for the 2010 SBC Baseball tournament was determined by each team’s rank within the league based on the team’s won-loss percentage in conference games.

Tournament action will begin Wednesday, May 26 and run through Saturday, May 29 with four games per day until the championship game on Saturday. Prior to the start of tournament play, the SBC along with Middle Tennessee will host Championship Family Night. Family Night is free and open to the public. Family Night festivities will include an awards ceremony, home run derby by student-athletes, a fireworks show and autograph opportunities. Gates will open to Reese Smith Jr. Field at 7:30 p.m.

Visit the 2010 SBC Baseball Championship Central on www.sunbeltsports.org for complete information on each and every game of the baseball championship.

Fans can catch all of the 2010 SBC Baseball Championship live courtesy of SBC Extra. For just $9.95 you can enjoy each game leading up to the championship game. Saturday’s championship game will be broadcast by CSS/CST as part of the SBC Network.

2010 Sun Belt Baseball Tournament Seeds
1. Florida Atlantic (21-9, 0.700)
2. Louisiana-Lafayette (21-9, 0.700)
3. Middle Tennessee (18-12, 0.600)
4. FIU (17-13, 0.567)
5. USA (17-13, 0.567)
6. Troy (16-14, 0.533)
7. Arkansas State (16-14, 0.533)
8. WKU (16-14, 0.533)

2010 Sun Belt Baseball Tournament Schedule – all times CT

Wednesday, May 26
9:00 AM	G1 – No. 4 FIU vs. No. 5 South Alabama
12:30 PM	G2 – No. 1 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 8 WKU
4:00 PM	G3 – No. 2 Louisiana vs. No. 7 Arkansas State
7:30 PM	G4 – No. 3 Middle Tennessee vs. No. 6 Troy
Thursday May 27
9:00 AM	G5 – Loser G1 vs. Loser G2
12:30 PM	G6 – Loser G3 vs. Loser G4
4:00 PM	G7 – Winner G1 vs. Winner G2
7:30 PM	G8 – Winner G3 vs. Winner G4
Friday May 28
9:00 AM	G9 – Winner G5 vs. Loser G7
12:30 PM	G10 – Winner G6 vs. Loser G8
4:00 PM	G11 – Winner G7 vs. Winner G9
7:30 PM	G12 – Winner G8 vs. Winner G10
Saturday, May 29
2:00 PM	G13 – Winner G11 vs. Winner G12

 

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With a 13-1 win over La.-Monroe Saturday evening at Warhawk Field in Monroe, Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns claimed a share of the 2010 Sun Belt Conference regular season championship.

Louisiana completed the journey from 4-8 in SBC play and a ninth place standing on April 4 to a 21-9 league mark and first place on May 22. Florida Atlantic rallied to defeat FIU and also finished 21-9 in SBC play to share the title with UL.

The Ragin’ Cajuns (37-18, 21-9 Sun Belt) will be the No. 2 seed at the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Murfreesboro, Tenn., being held Wednesday-Saturday, May 26-29. UL will meet seventh-seeded Arkansas State on Wednesday at a time which will be announced on Sunday.

The Ragin’ Cajuns ended the second half of the regular season with a 23-4 mark and won for the 17^th time in their final 18 Sun Belt games.

Taylor Hubbell pitched six scoreless innings and the offense built a quick 4-0 lead. The Warhawks (17-38, 7-23 Sun Belt) never threatened managing only an unearned run in the eighth inning.

Matt Goulas and Jordan Poirrier led Louisiana each finishing with three RBI and a 3-for-5 showing. Greg Fontenot also tallied three hits and the Cajuns pounded out 16 hits off of six Warhawks pitchers.

UL posted seven extra base hits in the contest which included home runs from Goulas and Justin Robichaux.

The Cajuns won their seventh consecutive weekend series and posted their fifth series sweep in Sun Belt play.

The Cajuns started the second inning with a pair of extra base hits to plate the game’s first run.

Chad Keefer doubled over left fielder Kelvin York’s reach then after two unsuccessful bunt attempts Tyler Frederick tripled down the right field line for a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, Fontenot laid down a push bunt toward first base to allow Frederick to score the second run.

Goulas’ homer came in the third inning and Robichaux went yard in the fourth and the Cajuns lead grew to 4-0.

La.-Monroe would create traffic on the basepaths in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Hubbell struck out Judd Edwards looking to end the fifth inning and double play balls ended the Warhawks’ opportunities in the sixth and seventh innings.

Goulas lifted a two-out RBI single to left center in the seventh to score Kyle Bostick who led off with a double to left center. That upped the Cajuns lead to 5-0 and with Jordan Poirrier, a lefty, coming to bat the Warhawks pulled Josh Miller and brought in left hander Matt Cawthon.

Poirrier singled through the right second after Goulas stole second on Cawthon’s first pitch to plate another run and it was 6-0 Cajuns.

La.-Monroe saw the first two batters of the eighth inning reach and an errant throw on a potential double play by Cajuns reliever Ryland Parker allowed pinch runner Boomer Blanchard to score an unearned run.

The Ragin’ Cajuns put the game away in the top of the ninth. Bostick reached on a fielding error by Nick Wade who had moved over to shortstop and then the next six Cajuns hitters reached base, five of them posting base hits, allowing Louisiana to plate six additional runs which increased the lead to 12-1.

Parker retired the Warhawks in order in the bottom of the ninth and Louisiana wrapped up the championship.

BASES NOTED: The Ragin’ Cajuns picked up their second Sun Belt sweep at Warhawk Field, the other coming in 2007…Louisiana collected its fourth Sun Belt regular season title under Tony Robichaux…In the Robichaux Era, the Cajuns have won the league in 1997, 2005, 2007 and 2010…UL now leads La.-Monroe 7-5 in SBC play and 61-45 overall…The Cajuns are now 29-6 when out-hitting the opposition…Louisiana is 34-7 when holding the opponent to five runs or less, 16-2 when the run total is two or less…Taylor Hubbell extended his consecutive scoreless innings streak to nine dating back to last Sunday’s relief appearance against Western Kentucky…UL took advantage of its opportunities stranding only three base runners in the contest…The Cajuns finished 9-for-17 with runners in scoring position…Taylor Hubbell and Ryland Parker combined to force 14 ground ball outs (11 by Hubbell).

— Ragin’ Cajuns —