Michael Lotief, however, can’t wholeheartedly do that until he comes to terms with the recent past.

And for the co-head coach of the UL softball team, now just five days removed from a Super Regional round loss at Arizona State that kept the Ragin’ Cajuns out of the NCAA Women’s College World Series that gets under way this week in Oklahoma City, that remains a work in progress.

"This is a tough time for coaches," Lotief said Tuesday, "and it should be a tough time for our team.

"In my mind, I’m not ready to fast-forward to next year. There is this sting in your gut. And I know people want the sting to go away, but there is nothing wrong with that sting staying there, at least until the World Series is over.

"I know that’s the way I’m gonna be. I’m gonna let it sting me for another week. I don’t want to start thinking about next year. I just don’t. I still want to go through this process of trying to figure out in my mind what we could have done better, and things that we need to do better, if we want to compete at the level that we keep talking about."

That so-called "level" truly is the apex.

"It’s easy to say you want to win a national championship. It is," Lotief said. "That’s the easy part. "» Going through the process of doing it, and getting the commitment that you need in order to do it, is different.

"And if we just fast-forward to next year, start talking about ‘next year we’re gonna win this championship,’ without understanding things we have to have in place in order to do it, we’re gonna come up short again."

Even for a program that’s been to the Super Regionals three of the last five years, and that’s made it to the NCAA postseason 14 straight times, there’s plenty to improve upon.

That’s especially the case for a Cajun club losing its heart, Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and starting rightfielder Christi Orgeron; its soul, fifth-year senior starting pitcher Ashley Brignac; and some other very important pieces, especially starting leftfielder and leadoff hitter Katie Smith.

All three were first-team All-Sun Belt picks.

The trio is among seven seniors the Cajuns lose, along with Erikka Murphy, the club’s designated player throughout the season and a proficient base-stealer throughout her career; Paige Cormier, UL’s starting second baseman the past two seasons and someone who produced a career-high 12 home runs this season; infielder Megan Granger, a pinch-hitter and key defensive reserve this year; and Callie Philen, UL’s backup catcher.

That group led the Cajuns to a 194-48 record over the past four seasons, including 53-6 in 2012.

"This year was an amazing year," Lotief said after UL won 40-plus for the 20th time in 21 years. "What these kids were able to do was incredible."

Whether 2013’s Cajuns can come close to doing it again remains to be seen.

Orgeron’s national team-caliber presence and home run-hitting power will be gone, as will Brignac’s grit and Smith’s speed.

"How do you replace those kids? The same way we’ve always done it in this program, which is hard work and next-person-up," Lotief said. "Once upon a time Christi was one of those redshirt freshmen. Once upon a time Katie Smith was a kid nobody knew about.

"I think we have a lot of young, athletic kids, and, given the opportunity, given the chance to develop, to grow," he added, "they’re going to step in."

So, even if he doesn’t want to dwell on it quite yet, Lotief can at least concede he has something to build around.

"We’ve got a great nucleus," he said.

"And I think the journey and experience (of 2012) is only going to help them grow and learn, and become better people."

The Cajun future revolves largely around pitcher Jordan Wallace, who went 27-2 as a freshman.

"As she matures she is going to have to develop some more pitches," Lotief said, "but I felt like she battled (in UL’s Super Regional-ending loss to ASU) and we are proud of what she was able to accomplish this season."

It’s not just Wallace, though, around whom the Cajuns can build.

Senior-to-be Nerissa Myers is a rising star at shortstop, Arizona transfer Matte Haack stepped in and contributed immediately as a junior at first base and Natalie Fernandez — who could fill Smith’s leadoff spot — had a solid sophomore season at third.

Myers, Haack and Fernandez all were first-team All-Sun Belt picks, while returning catcher Sarah Draheim, another senior-to-be, was a second-team all-conference selection.

Starting centerfielder Brianna Cherry will be back too.

But UL also will have 15 or 16 freshman next season — nine 2012 redshirts, and another six or seven fresh recruits.

"We go from a team that’s very experienced," Lotief said, "to a team full of youth."

But, he added, "We’re still going to have "» some leadership and some experience."

Lotief is counting on that to help UL remain a group that, by this time next year, will have been to the NCAA postseason at least 15 straight times.

Only Cal (27 straight), Arizona (26), Oklahoma (19) and Washington (16) have longer active streaks.

Yet he also knows it will take more than mere leadership and experience to make the biggest leap.

"The first thing we have to do, we must do, we all have to do, said Lotief, whose Cajuns were seeded No. 14 when facing the No. 3-seed, defending national-champion Sun Devils, "is take personal responsibility ourselves — that we had an opportunity to go in there and beat Arizona State, and didn’t take care of our own business."

It seemingly hurts Lotief to say that, perhaps because deep down he knows the Cajuns — who won Game 1 in a best-of-three series, only to lose Friday’s doubleheader to ASU — could easily still be playing.

"I firmly believe in my heart," he said, "that we’re as good, or better, than them — and if we could have done some things differently, executed a little better, that we could have beat them.

"I think we’re one of the best eight teams in the country. I really do."

But the Cajuns aren’t one of the eight still alive.

And now he’ll have to prove his point all over again — if, that is, UL remains good enough.

"The makeup of the team may be a little different — maybe a little less speed, and more power," Lotief said. "We just have to go through the fall, and figure out what the personality’s gonna be, and figure out how we’re going to continue to compete at the level we were just competing at without dropping down and having to go through this process of rebuilding.

"In athletics, it’s all about ‘the next game.’ Unfortunately, we have to wait a while for the next one. But "» the challenge is going to be in front of all these kids, and they’ll understand exactly what they have to do in order to take the next step, or even duplicate what happened this season.

"It’s gonna be important," the Cajun co-coach added, "for those kids to understand what the standard of excellence is here in this program. But I feel comfortable with this group."

Athletic Network Footnote:
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