Softball: Cajuns Finish Ranked For Eighth Straight Year

LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns softball team finished the 2015 season ranked No. 11 in both the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 polls released on Tuesday.
 
USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll
ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll
 
The Ragin’ Cajuns (42-12, 20-3 Sun Belt) finished the year ranked in one of the national polls for the eighth straight season (2008-15) and 23rd time in the past 26 seasons (1990-2015).
 
Louisiana, preseason ranked No. 9 in both polls, was ranked as high as No. 5 in the NFCA listing (Feb. 24) and No. 6 in ESPN.com/USA Softball (Feb. 24) during the 2015 season.
 
Michael Lotief‘s squad spent the entire season, and postseason, amongst the nation’s Top 15.
 
The Cajuns were ranked inside the Top 10 of the NFCA listing in 11 of the 12 weeks during the regular season. In the USA Softball ranking, the squad spent the first 11 weeks of the season (Feb. 10-Apr. 21) in the Top 10 establishing a school record for the number of consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of either national poll.
 
In 13 seasons with Lotief as head coach, the Ragin’ Cajuns have finished Top 15 nationally seven times: 2003, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
 
The current stretch of four straight seasons in the Top 15 is second-longest period in program history trailing only eight straight seasons from 1990-97.
 
Louisiana claimed its second straight Sun Belt Conference regular season championship – and 13th in the 15 years of league competition since 2001 – during the 2015 season. The squad appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the 17th straight year and 25th time in the past 26 years dating back to 1990. Louisiana hosted an NCAA Regional at Lamson Park for the third time in the past four years (2012, 2014, 2015) and advanced to an NCAA Super Regional for the fourth straight year (2012-15).

For info and updates on Ragin’ Cajuns softball follow the team on twitter @RaginCajunSB.
 

RAGIN’ CAJUNS IN THE 2015 POLLS
Week                    NFCA      ESPN/USA
Preseason               9                  9
Feb. 9-15                 7                  8
Feb. 16-22               6                  6
Feb. 23-Mar. 1         5                  6
Mar. 2-8                   7                  7                                                                 
Mar. 9-15                 7                  7
Mar. 16-22               7                  7
Mar. 23-29               9                  8
Mar. 30-Apr. 5         12                10
Apr. 6-12                 10                 9
Apr. 13-19                9                  9
Apr. 20-26                9                  9
Apr. 27-May 3         10                11
May 4-10                10                11
May 11-17              11                11
FINAL (June 9)       11                11
 

EIGHT STRAIGHT YEARS IN FINAL RANKINGS (2008-15)
Season                NFCA      ESPN/USA
2008                        6                  6
2009                       25                 –
2010                       16                17
2011                       23                25
2012                       12                 9
2013                       12                15
2014                        8                  8
2015                       11                11
 
#GeauxCajuns
—
Matt Hebert
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
Sports Information Assistant
Office: (337) 482-6329
Cell: (337) 288-6023
www.RaginCajuns.com
@ULRaginCajuns