Softball: Cajuns’ bulldog has set the tone for ’09 season

Brady Aymond • baymond@theadvertiser.com • February 16, 2009

At this rate, Donna Bourgeois is going to make Stacey Nelson’s 2008 season seem like child’s play.

Last year, the Florida hurler went 47-5 with a 0.75 ERA and 363 strikeouts in 352.1 innings of work.

Through the first eight games of the season, Bourgeois has a 5-1 record with a 0.54 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 38.2 innings.

The sophomore from Teurlings Catholic is averaging 11.5 strikeouts per seven innings and is on pace to strike out 441 batters.

"I would like to, but I haven’t really thought about it that way," Bourgeois said when asked if she was trying to top Nelson’s 2008 numbers.

Because of schedule restrictions (teams are limited to 56 regular-season games), and the fact that the Cajuns have a very deep pitching staff, Bourgeois likely won’t approach Nelson’s high standard.

But if this weekend’s Louisiana Classics proved anything, it’s that Bourgeois is not to be thought of as Robin to Ashley Brignac’s Batman.

"It’s good for that kid to get some swagger early in the season so she knows she’s got that confidence in herself," UL coach Michael Lotief said. "She’s worked extremely hard in the fall and extremely hard in the preseason.

"I think it’s good for the game to reward her."

Bourgeois threw 21.2 of her team’s 33 innings this weekend. She finished the weekend with 344 pitches – 229 for strikes.

Naturally, the concern of over-throwing her this early in the season is there.

"You worry about that in the preseason and offseason, that’s why you train, so you won’t fatigue," Bourgeois said. "And when the time comes that you do fatigue, mentally you’re still there and you can overcome things."

If any coaching staff understands the fatigue factor, it’s the UL staff.

In each of the last two seasons, UL’s top-returning pitcher – Brittany Cuevas and Brignac – were hampered by injuries in the offseason and had their regular season debuts pushed back.

After going 31-11 with 46 appearances in 2007, Cuevas pitched in only 18 games last year and compiled a 5-3 record.

Brignac is coming off a 31-7 record with 44 appearances in 2008. This summer, Brignac discovered she had a partial tear in her labrum and spent most of the summer rehabbing that injury.

She made her debut on Saturday against Providence and struck out five batters in three innings.

Lotief said the concern is a legitimate one, but doesn’t think it applies in this case.

"Donna is the healthiest and she has the stamina," Lotief said. "She’s been the rock of the staff – a lot last year and so far this year. She eats up a lot of innings. She’s in incredible shape.

"She’s a different type of pitcher. That’s a valid argument when you throw that around for different types of pitcher. She’s a down pitcher and you’re going to see the more she throws, she’s going to be more effective. I can understand people saying that, but it’s the wrong argument for the wrong kid."

Bourgeois didn’t know she was pitching the second game on Sunday and actually found out while she was eating a late lunch.

"It was after I finished the first game. I was eating and they told me I was going to start the second game," Bourgeois said.

The bulldog made the quick turnaround, giving up only two hits and striking out 11 in six innings against McNeese.

"Coach Mike is a really good motivator and he knows exactly what to say at exactly the right time," Bourgeois said. "It’s not even what he says, it’s more the way he says it.

"It wasn’t directed to me, it was directed to the entire team. You take that to heart as a team player and that definitely helped me."

Lotief said his mindset in bringing Bourgeois back for the final game of the tournament comes from a desire to consistently play at a high level.

"We need to play at a high level. We have to understand that we need to play at a high level," Lotief said. "We’re not playing our opponent, we’re playing to our standard.

"She don’t mind going in that circle and setting the standard, and that’s fine with me. If she has to set the tone, she will set the tone. And she did it all weekend."

Bourgeois said she feels much more confident than she did a year ago, when she was making the transition from high school to big-time college softball.

"It’s completely different," Bourgeois said. "The growth does not come from me. It comes from someone always pushing you and not telling you ‘Good job’ and babying you. It’s someone telling you that you can always do better."

Lotief said he’s definitely witnessed the maturation process over the course of a year.

"She did have a tough transition from high school to college," Lotief said. "I think the coaching staff did a good job of bringing her along slowly, never letting her lose her confidence.

"She pitched well for us in the heart of the season, she got a taste of the postseason and she came back motivated to be even better. I think her potential is unlimited."