Last week, Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns baseball traveled to Houston to compete in the Astros Foundation College Classic. Some of the most talented teams in the country, including the Vanderbilt Commodores, the Houston Cougars and the Texas State Bobcats would head to Minute Maid Park to compete in the tournament.
Head coach Matt Deggs felt optimistic about the team’s offense heading out of the series against the Rice Owls.
“Until you get that cohesion and get rolling, that’s baseball, man” Deggs said in a Feb. 26 press conference. “That is hitting, and every good hitting team I’ve had, you don’t bang the entire season. There’s gonna be some ups, there’s gonna be some downs, and you’ve gotta adjust and respond to that.”
Deggs also spoke on what his team getting to experience playing in places like Houston meant to them.
“You embrace those opportunities, and for most of us, that’s the only opportunity you’ll get to play in a big-league venue… above and beyond playing in a beautiful, beautiful cathedral like Minute Maid, it’s one of the nicest ballparks in the big leagues, and all of us for the most part are Astros fans, and so there’s sentimental value there, is the competition we’re gonna get to play,” Deggs said.
In Friday’s matchup against Vanderbilt, LP Langevin drew the start for the Cajuns, and held down the Commodore lineup through four innings, where he got out of a bases-loaded jam off a fielder’s choice out to second base. In the meantime, Louisiana’s offense had coaxed three runs off of Commodores starter Carter Holton, with RBI from Caleb Stelly, Clay Wargo and Zach Storbakken.
The tide would soon change, though, as Steven Cash was handed the reins in relief for the Cajuns and Calvin Hewett would blast a triple RBI in the bottom of the sixth to equalize, 3–3.
The Cajuns’ Jack Martinez took over pitching in the next inning and he would sadly be saddled with a loss with a three-run blast from Alan Espinal putting the game out of reach, the eventual final score marking 4–7.
The next day’s match would see the Cajuns take the field against the No.3-ranked LSU Tigers. Junior lefty Andrew Herrmann would start for the Cajuns. He and LSU’s starter Gage Jump would keep the offense silent through five innings.
The Cajuns would be lucky to escape the fifth having accrued just a four-run deficit, as a wild pitch and RBI from Hayden Travinski and Jared Jones would start the show offensively.
Then, with two outs early, the Cajuns would rally in the top of the sixth to set up a three-run home run by Duncan Pastore to put themselves right back in the game.
Things would get shut down again until the seventh, where the Tigers would secure an insurance run going into the later stages of the match. A one-run homer from Jose Torres would start a comeback push for the Cajuns in the ninth, but the rally would fall short, 4–5.
Coach Deggs had nothing but good things to say about the recent fan attendance at Russo Park. “I know our fans will travel, our fans too, this weekend. I was so impressed the way they stuck with us, they just kept packing that place out,” Deggs said.
“We didn’t play very well offensively or defensively and they just kept showing up, and that tells me something, because I’ve been around this place long enough to know they believe in this team, and rightfully so. This is gonna be a good ball club, we’ve just gotta work a couple things out,” Deggs said.
Next up at home for the Cajuns is a three-game series against the Tulane Green Wave starting Friday, March 8, followed by a midweek match against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on March 13.