The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns women’s softball team dropped two of their games last weekend in their conference series against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in Conway, S.C.
These losses put the Cajuns at a losing 16–17 overall record and dropped their conference standing to 3–5. The Cajuns had not totaled five conference losses in an entire season since 2018.
In a press conference held Mar. 24, Head Coach Alyson Habetz talked about the state of the Sun Belt Conference and the advantage the parity gives a team like the Cajuns this year.
“That’s the good news, despite losing the first series, then losing a game in [the Monroe] series, the goal of winning the Sun Belt is still achievable,” Habetz said.
“We have to take care of business every day. It’s about one pitch at a time, one game at a time, not focused on other people and what they’re doing, let’s take care of business and everything else will take care of itself.”
When asked about the team’s reaction to a concussion injury senior Kayla Falterman sustained during the Monroe series, freshman Gabbie Stutes talked about the team’s support of their teammate through their play.
“With Kayla, I think [we’re] just playing for her, really,” Stutes said. “They’re playing to have her back, and to play for her while she’s out.”
Habetz also commented on Falterman’s status, stressing the team’s mentality in testing and believing in their depth of talent.
“It’s day-to-day with her. We talk about the ‘it factor’, she’s brought ‘it’ to the table and found ways to win games for us, but it’s next woman up,” Habetz said.
“We have Gabbie Stutes, who’s been tremendous on base. We have Dayzja Williams, who’s come off the bench and provided some good offense for us,” Habetz said. “No matter who’s out there, we’re gonna have her back.”
Coming off a huge walk-off home run against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks the previous weekend, Cajuns’ senior Sam Roe talked about her confidence as a hitter and the mentality of the team offensively.
“I feel like I’m in a really good spot, not only physically but mentally,” Roe said. “Coach Shellie [Landry] has been working with me for countless hours, not only on my swing, but the mental side, the mental approach to that.”
“I feel like a big thing that we’ve taken away from this week and weeks prior is that we are on offense. We get to swing, and we need to swing hard, and we need to attack.”
Roe also echoed the sentiments surrounding Falterman and the unity it gives the team.
“As a team, we’re just focusing on playing hard, and like Gabbie said, we’re doing it for Kayla, we’re doing it for each other,” Roe said
“She’s a senior, it means a lot to her, this could be her last chance to get to do this; we’re gonna do our best for her and for each other.”
In the matchup on Friday, the Cajuns took an early lead off of a single up the middle from freshman Emily Smith. Coastal top pitcher Nicolette Picone was unlucky early on, as her team gave up two more runs off unforced errors.
Louisiana held onto a 4–1 lead until the final inning, when Carolina smoked a two-run home run and collected a walk-off two-RBI double in a brutal Cajuns collapse.
Saturday’s outing featured even more offense by both teams, as the Cajuns again took a first-inning lead off another Smith hit, this time a left-center home run, and a Laney Credeur RBI single for a 3–0 lead.
Coastal tied the game up in the third and began to pull away one run at a time down the stretch.
The Cajuns ate into the four-run lead in the sixth, though, with a home run from Credeur and wild sequence from Mia Liscano on the basepaths where she managed to steal home.
This rally would be short-lived, as a clutch Carolina two-run home run brought the game to 10–5, providing just enough cushion to render a three-RBI double from Smith moot. A pair of Coastal groundouts iced the game, 10–8.
Next up for the team is a trip to Troy, A.L. for the Cajuns’ first weekend series against the conference rival Trojans on Friday and Saturday, Apr. 5-6.
