Softball:Season-Opening Weekend Arrives for Louisiana Softball + Adds Feb. 23 Home Game
8th-ranked Ragin’ Cajuns on the road at UAB Green and Gold Classic
No. 8 Louisiana (0-0) at UAB Green and Gold Classic
Dates: Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 20-21, 2021
Location: Birmingham, Ala.
Stadium: Mary Bowers Field
Louisiana’s Schedule:
Sat., Feb. 20 – vs. Jacksonville State, 12:30 p.m. (CST)
Sat., Feb. 20 – at UAB, 5:30 p.m. (CST)
Sun., Feb. 21 – vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 10 a.m. (CST)
Sun., Feb. 21 – at UAB, 3 p.m. (CST)
MEDIA INFORMATION
Streaming Video (UAB games only): Blazer Vision
Radio: ESPN 1420-AM | Talent: Steve Peloquin, PxP; Bobby Neveaux, analyst
Live Stats: CajunStats.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsSB
LEADING OFF
>> After having one additional week added to its wait for the 2021 season opener, the 8th-ranked Louisiana Softball team officially opens play Feb. 20-21 at the UAB Green and Gold Classic.
>> The Ragin’ Cajuns were originally scheduled to start the season at home last weekend with 35th Annual Louisiana Classics, but the recent winter weather canceled that event and also postponed the doubleheader at Lamar which was set for Feb. 16.
>> Louisiana enters the fourth season of the Gerry Glasco era.
>> For the second straight season, the Ragin’ Cajuns appear in a tournament hosted by UAB in Birmingham. Last year, the squad participated in the Blazer Classic (Feb. 21-23, 2020) and collected wins over Oklahoma State and Ole Miss.
>> This is the latest season-opening date for Louisiana since 1996 when the first contest was held on Feb. 23 vs. Oklahoma at Lamson Park.
THIS ‘N THAT
>> Louisiana begins the season on the road for the first time since 2016. That year the program started off in Foley, Ala., at the Sand Dollar Classic.
>> The Green and Gold Classic is the first of back-to-back reunions for Gerry Glasco as he meets former assistants Joe Guthrie and Courtnay Foster, who now lead the UAB program, then on Tuesday, Feb. 23 his daughter Tara (Glasco) Archibald brings Eastern Illinois to Lamson Park.
>> Heading into the 2021 season, Louisiana seeks to continue building the momentum gained in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. The Ragin’ Cajuns scored ranked wins over Louisiana State, Oklahoma State, Texas and Florida (twice) in addition to two victories over Ole Miss, leading the squad to a No. 1 ranking in the lone RPI ranking of the year.
>> Starting with Saturday’s season opener vs. Jacksonville State, the Ragin’ Cajuns quickly begin making up for lost time. The team will play 12 games before the month of February expires (nine-day stretch).
>> Louisiana returns all but one individual (Sarah Hudek) who started at one of the nine positions on the field in 2020. All-Sun Belt performers Summer Ellyson, Alissa Dalton, Julie Rawls and Raina O’Neal, plus last season’s leading hitter Kaitlyn Alderink, headline the list of returners.
>> Six (6) Division I transfers, a group which includes the Georgia duo of Ciara Bryan and Justice Milz added in November, add to the veteran presence on the roster and also bring valuable postseason experience. Jade Gortarez (Arizona State) and Jenna Kean (Arizona) are other impact transfers to watch.
NUMBERS TO KNEAUX
347: Number of days since Louisiana last took the field (3/11/20 vs. Sam Houston St.)
9: Nine Ragin’ Cajuns began their collegiate career at a Power 5 program
4: Louisiana’s active winning streak which dates back to the 2020 season
50: Wins crafted by Summer Ellyson the past two seasons (led nation with 39 in 2019)
14: Louisiana has a strong veteran presence with 14 upperclassmen on the roster
10: The Ragin’ Cajuns were preseason ranked in the Top 10 for the second straight year
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
An extremely busy schedule awaits No. 8 Louisiana next week with a total of eight games over six days on the docket. All but two of the contests will be at home inside Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.
The week begins with the home opener at Lamson Park on Tuesday, Feb. 23 vs. Eastern Illinois at 4:30 p.m. The matchup is highlighted by head coach Gerry Glasco and his daughter, EIU head coach Tara (Glasco) Archibald, coaching against one another collegiately for the first time.
The busy stretch continues with a single game vs. McNeese on Wednesday, Feb. 24, and will be followed by a combination of six games against Louisiana State, Buffalo and Oklahoma State from Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 25-28.
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Louisiana Softball Adds Home Game with Eastern Illinois on February 23
Contest will be the 2021 home opener and features father-daughter coaching matchup
LAFAYETTE – The 8th-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball team has a new home opener for the 2021 season after announcing an added contest against Eastern Illinois set for Tuesday, Feb. 23 at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.
First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., for the matchup that will see Louisiana head coach Gerry Glasco welcome his daughter and EIU head coach Tara (Glasco) Archibald to Lamson Park.
The game is being added to the Vermilion season ticket package, as a makeup for the canceled Louisiana Classics tournament.
Fans can access new tickets for the Eastern Illinois matchup, automatically loaded into their Account Manager, through Ticketmaster. Additionally, previously printed tickets for the Friday, Feb. 12 Louisiana Classics tournament games can be utilized. Fans can also visit the Louisiana Ticket Office at the CAJUNDOME or the Lamson Park gate to receive new ticket printouts.
The newly added game will mark the start of a busy week for the Ragin’ Cajuns that now features eight games over six days, continuing with a single game vs. McNeese on Wednesday, Feb. 24 followed by a combination of six games against Louisiana State, Buffalo and Oklahoma State from Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 25-28.
