It’s hard to imagine that an athlete the stature of UL senior pitcher Ashley Brignac could still be experiencing new things in her fifth season in the program.

After all, this is a pitcher who came to UL as the National Player of the Year and amazingly found herself beating No. 1-ranked Florida in the College World Series as a true freshman.

Since then, she’s seemingly been through it all — from injuries to painful rehab to being named Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year on the other side.

And yet as Brignac addressed the media at Wednesday’s weekly UL softball media luncheon, the team’s first 12 games and her first eight appearances have produced more new experiences.

A few of them anyway were realized this past weekend’s during UL’s 5-0 showing at the NFCA Leadoff Classic.

For starters, there was the team experience of finally beating Michigan. Since Brignac’s been at UL, the Cajuns have lost to the Wolverines — 7-2 and 9-0 in 2008, 9-1 in 2009 and 6-0 in 2010.

"When the game was over, you could see it in faces of Ashley and the fifth-year kids — finally," UL co-head coach Michael Lotief said.

"It was a four-year process. I know it’s nothing more than one win, but it was a good win."

Early in the game, Brignac could see herself in true freshman starter Jordan Wallace, who was down after giving up five runs in five innings in the 10-7 win over Michigan.

Brignac had been there. She too had gotten lit up as a freshman against Michigan in a 9-0 loss

"I told her the team was going to have her back," Brignac said.

"It’s not going to be the (last) time. It’s how you fight back. I feel like a big sister."

Wallace is learning what Brignac had to — that at the college level, "it’s the great athletes that win with their ‘C’ games. In high school, you never really have an off day."

The weekend also produced Brignac’s first save since the 2008 season. For the weekend, she threw 20 innings, including two complete games in her two starts and had a 1.05 ERA.

"I’m feeling good," Brignac said. "He (Dr. James Andrews) told me the first year would have my ups and downs and that the second year I’d feel a lot better. He was right."

More than the physical aspect of it, Brignac has added more of a finesse approach to her old power rise game.

"I’ve learned that you have to mix up speeds and change planes," she said. "I have a lot more confidence in what I have to do."

Being a team player, all wins for UL during his career have been good, but this hot start has Brignac feeling nostalgic.

"I’m feeling really good about this team," said Brignac, who is 6-0 with a 1.34 with a save with 40 strikeouts in 36.2 innings thus far this season. "It kind of feels like ’08 again (UL’s last World Series team).

"It’s not just one person. It’s everybody. The defense is very strong. It’s all of us."

Lotief remains amazed at Brignac’s commitment having already graduated as UL’s top graduate.

"Ashley has the heart of a lion," he said. "There’s no pro contract for her when this is over.

"Whether it’s medical school or her beautiful boyfriend or a beautiful family, she reminds committed to his university and to her teammates."

For UL co-head coach Stefni Lotief, seeing Brignac pitch as much and as effectively as she did this past weekend was a great sign.

"To see Ashley being able to close a game after having pitched earlier in the day shows some definite progress," she said.