Baseball: Ready for crowds

Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, May 31, 2013

BATON ROUGE — If LSU beats Jackson State and UL beats Sam Houston State in today’s and tonight’s first-round NCAA Tournament baseball games at LSU’s Alex Box Stadium here, the Ragin’ Cajuns and Tigers would meet at 7 p.m. Saturday in the winner’s bracket of the four-team, double-elimination Regional.

And if that’s the case, UL wound wind up in front of its largest crowd of the season – likely a sold-out 10,000-plus – against LSU.

But the Cajuns figure their experience this season at Tigue Moore Field, where they played in front of an average of 2,144 fans per game, should go far in helping them at LSU’s Alex Box Stadium, where the Tigers averaged a national-high 10,885 per game.

“I think it’s a lot similar to here, with our fans,” said Kjerstad, who played his freshman year at Texas. “We (the Cajuns) get big crowds. Loud. On their feet. They’re in the game – and I think we’ve kind of experienced (what it will be like in Baton Rouge) here throughout the season.”

“These (UL’s) are the best fans in the country, by far. I went to University of Arkansas games growing up, Texas A&M, Baylor, all that – and I love our fans. They’re better than anybody. I love it,” designated hitter Caleb Adams added. “I don’t see (LSU) fans being a distraction, or a big factor in it, to us. We just want to go out there and play ball.”

UL first baseman Jace Conrad has no fear of stage fright for the Cajuns, either.

“We’re not gonna get nervous over there,” Conrad said. “You can put as many fans as you want in front of these guys and they’re all gonna hustle.

“We’re not gonna get tight. We’re just gonna keep playing our game, keep hustling, keep giving everything.”

ON A ROLL

Kjerstad, UL’s and the Sun Belt’s top hitter by average at .398, enters the Regional on a roll, going 11-for-16 (.688) over four games in last week’s Sun Belt Tournament.

Kjerstad is just seven hits shy of Nathan Nelson’s school record of 101, set in UL’s 2000 College World Series-appearance season.

He ranks sixth in the nation in hits with 94 (six off the lead), is tied for 10th in total bases with 149 and is 11th in batting average (Bradley’s Mike Tauchman leads at .425).

 

KEEP IT GOING

After making four straight NCAA Regionals from 1997 through 2000, the Cajuns missed a season before getting back to a Regional in 2002, missed two before returning in 2005, missed one more before making in 2007, missed two more before making in 2010, and missed two again until this year’s bid.

“We need to keep this going now,” Cajuns coach Tony Robichaux said, “and not have a two-year break before we get back to a Regional again.”

WHAT A BLAST

After hitting just 18 home runs in 53 games last season, UL leads the nation with 72 through 59 games this year.

Western Carolina is second with 71 through 59 games, but it did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The next-closest team that’s still playing is fourth-place San Diego with 64.

BY THE NUMBERS

UL leads the nation in home runs per game (1.22) and slugging percentage (.513), and are third in batting average at .323, with New Mexico leading at .336, and third in total hits with 666, 26 behind New Mexico. … UL catcher Michael Strentz is tied for 11th in the country in doubles with 23, and has been hit by a pitch 20 times this season. Only 16 others nationally have been hit more times. … … UL is 33-4 when posting double-digit hits and 16-0 when scoring double-digit runs.