2020 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball team explained
| Mode: | softball |
| Year: | 2020 |
| Team: | Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns |
| Conference: | Sun Belt Conference |
| Short Conf: | SBC |
| Coachrank: | 8 |
| Record: | 18–6 |
| Conf Record: | 2–1 |
| Head Coach: | Gerry Glasco |
| Hc Year: | 3rd |
| Asst Coach1: | Mike Roberts |
| Asst Coach2: | Lacy Prejean |
| Stadium: | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park |
| Champion: | NCAA RPI National Champions |
The 2020 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in the 2020 NCAA Division I softball season. The Ragin' Cajuns played their home games at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park. The Cajuns were led by third year head coach Gerry Glasco.
On March 12, the Sun Belt Conference announced the indefinite suspension of all spring athletics, including softball, due to the increasing risk of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] On March 13, Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards signed an executive order banning gatherings of over 250 people until as early as April 18, thus ending all possible future 2020 home or in-state games until that time if the season were to restart.[2] On March 16, the Sun Belt formally announced the cancelation of all spring sports, thus ending their season definitely.
The Cajuns finished the abbreviated season 1st in the only-released RPI in the NCAA, thus making them the claimed "RPI National Champions".
Preseason
Sun Belt Conference Coaches Poll
The Sun Belt Conference Coaches Poll was released on January 29, 2020. Louisiana was picked to finish first in the Sun Belt Conference with 100 votes and 10 first place votes, all first place votes available.[3]
| Coaches poll |
| 1 | Louisiana | 100 (10) |
| 2 | Troy | 85 |
| 3 | UT Arlington | 77 |
| 4 | Texas State | 74 |
| 5 | Coastal Carolina | 56 |
| 6 | Appalachian State | 47 |
| 7 | Georgia Southern | 36 |
| 8 | South Alabama | 31 |
| 9 | Louisiana-Monroe | 26 |
| 10 | Georgia State | 18 |
|
Preseason All-Sun Belt team
- Summer Ellyson (LA, SR, Pitcher)
- Megan Kleist (LA, SR, Pitcher)
- Julie Rawls (LA, SR, Catcher)
- Reagan Wright (UTA, SR, Catcher)
- Katie Webb (TROY, SR, 1st Base)
- Kaitlyn Alderink (LA, SR, 2nd Base)
- Hailey Mackay (TXST, SR, 3rd Base)
- Alissa Dalton (LA, SR, Shortstop)
- Jayden Mount (ULM, SR, Shortstop)
- Whitney Walton (UTA, SR, Shortstop)
- Tara Oltmann (TXST, JR, Shortstop)
- Courtney Dean (CCU, JR, Outfield)
- Mekhia Freeman (GASO, SR, Outfield)
- Sarah Hudek (LA, SR, Outfield)
- Raina O'Neal (LA, JR, Outfield)
- Bailey Curry (LA, JR, Designated Player/1st Base)
Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player of the Year
- Alissa Dalton (LA, SR, Shortstop)
Sun Belt Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year
- Summer Ellyson (LA, SR, Pitcher)
National Softball Signing Day
[4]
Roster
Coaching staff
Schedule and results
| Legend |
|---|
| | Louisiana win |
| | Louisiana loss |
| | Postponement/Cancellation/Suspensions |
| Bold | Louisiana team member | |
| 2020 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball game log |
|---|
| Regular season (18-6) |
|---|
| February (13-5) |
|---|
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | TV | Attendance | Overall record | SBC record |
|---|
| Louisiana Classics |
|---|
| Feb. 7 | | No. 10 | | W 3-2 | Ellyson (1-0) | Rothwell (0-1) | Kleist (1) | Ragin' Cajuns Digital Network | | 1-0 | | | Feb. 7 | | No. 10 | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | W 8-0 (5 inn) | Kleist (1-0) | Carpenter (0-1) | None | Ragin' Cajuns Digital Network | 2,173 | 2-0 | | | Feb. 8 | | No. 10 | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | L 1-2 | Trautwein (1-1) | Kleist (1-1) | None | Ragin' Cajuns Digital Network | | 2-1 | | | Feb. 8 | UTSA | No. 10 | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | W 11-1 (5 inn) | Ellyson (2-0) | Cortez (1-1) | None | Ragin' Cajuns Digital Network | 2,033 | 3-1 | | |
|---|
| Feb. 11 | | No. 13 | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | W 8-0 (6 inn) | Ellyson (3-0) | Kyle (0-2) | None | Ragin' Cajuns Digital Network | 1,875 | 4-1 | | | Feb. 14 | | No. 13 | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | W 9-1 (5 inn) | Kleist (2-1) | Pica (1-1) | None | Ragin' Cajuns Digital Network | 1,904 | 5-1 | | | Feb. 15 | | No. 13 | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | W 7-0 | Ellyson (4-0) | DeCelles (1-2) | None | | 3,107 | 6-1 | | | Feb. 15 | | No. 13 | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | W 2-1 | Kleist (3-1) | Gorsuch (1-1) | None | | 3,107 | 7-1 | | | Feb. 16 | at No. 7 LSU | No. 13 | | L 3-4 | Kilponen (2-0) | Kleist (3-2) | None | | 2,246 | 7-2 | | | UAB Blazer Classics |
|---|
| Feb. 21 | | No. 11 | | L 0-1 | Eberle (4-1) | Kleist (3-3) | None | | 174 | 7-3 | | | Feb. 22 | vs. No. 14 Oklahoma State | No. 11 | Mary Bowers Field • Birmingham, AL | W 3-2 | Ellyson (5-0) | Maxwell (2-3) | None | | 176 | 8-3 | | | Feb. 22 | | No. 11 | Mary Bowers Field • Birmingham, AL | W 5-3 | Kleist (4-3) | Jacobsen (2-3) | Ellyson (1) | | 194 | 9-3 | | | Feb. 23 | vs. Ole Miss | No. 11 | Mary Bowers Field • Birmingham, AL | W 8-1 | Ellyson (6-0) | Borgen (2-1) | None | | 308 | 10-3 | | | Feb. 23 | | No. 11 | Mary Bowers Field • Birmingham, AL | W 7-4 | Ellyson (7-0) | Woodham (3-3) | None | C-USA.TV | 268 | 11-3 | | |
|---|
| Feb. 25 | | No. 10 | | W 3-2 | Kleist (5-3) | Elish (7-2) | None | | 1,036 | 12-3 | | | Feb. 25 | at No. 3 Texas | No. 10 | Red and Charline McCombs Field • Austin, TX | L 1-2 | O'Leary (4-0) | Ellyson (7-1) | Elish (1) | | 1,036 | 12-4 | | | Feb. 28 | | No. 10 | | L 0-6 | Chronister (1-0) | Kleist (5-4) | None | | 1,186 | 12-5 | | | Feb. 29 | at No. 7 Florida | No. 10 | Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium • Gainesville, FL | W 7-5 | Ellyson (8-1) | Trlicek (7-2) | Kleist (2) | | 1,484 | 13-5 | | |
|
| March (5-1) |
|---|
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | TV | Attendance | Overall record | SBC record |
|---|
| Mar. 1 | at No. 7 Florida | No. 10 | Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium • Gainesville, FL | W 7-6 | Ellyson (9-1) | Lugo (6-2) | None | | 1,509 | 14-5 | | | Mar. 4 | | No. 8 | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Game cancelled due to heavy, continued rains in Lafayette | | Mar. 6 | | No. 8 | | L 1-7 | Marcano (3-0) | Kleist (5-5) | None | | 243 | 14-6 | 0-1 | | Mar. 7 | at Coastal Carolina | No. 8 | St. John Stadium–Charles Wade-John Lott Field • Conway, SC | W 5-0 | Ellyson (10-1) | BeasleyPolko (4-4) | None | | 356 | 15-6 | 1-1 | | Mar. 8 | at Coastal Carolina | No. 8 | St. John Stadium–Charles Wade-John Lott Field • Conway, SC | W 10-2 (5 inn) | Kleist (6-5) | BeasleyPolko (4-5) | None | | 342 | 16-6 | 2-1 | | Mar. 11 | | No. 8 | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | W 19-0 (5 inn) | Ellyson (11-1) | Bailey (1-4) | None | Ragin' Cajuns Digital Network | 17-6 | ,031 | | | Mar. 11 | Sam Houston State | No. 8 | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | W 15-0 (5 inn) | Kleist (7-5) | Sanchez (2-5) | None | Ragin' Cajuns Digital Network | 18-6 | 2,031 | | | Mar. 13 | | | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Mar. 14 | Appalachian State | | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Mar. 15 | Appalachian State | | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Mar. 18 | | | | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Mar. 20 | | | | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Mar. 21 | at Georgia State | | Robert E. Heck Softball Complex • Atlanta, GA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Mar. 22 | at Georgia State | | Robert E. Heck Softball Complex • Atlanta, GA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Mar. 27 | | | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Mar. 28 | Texas State | | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Mar. 29 | Texas State | | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | |
|
| April (0–0) |
|---|
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | TV | Attendance | Overall record | SBC record |
|---|
| Apr. 1 | McNeese State | | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 3 | | | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 4 | South Alabama | | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 5 | South Alabama | | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 7 | | | | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 9 | | | | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 10 | at Troy | | Troy Softball Complex • Troy, AL | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 11 | at Troy | | Troy Softball Complex • Troy, AL | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 13 | | | | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 14 | at Florida State | | JoAnne Graf Field at the Seminole Softball Complex • Tallahassee, FL | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 15 | | | | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 17 | | | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 18 | Georgia Southern | | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 19 | Georgia Southern | | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 24 | | | | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 25 | at UT Arlington | | Allan Saxe Field • Arlington, TX | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 26 | at UT Arlington | | Allan Saxe Field • Arlington, TX | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 29 | | | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | Apr. 30 | | | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | |
|
| May (0-0) |
|---|
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | TV | Attendance | Overall record | SBC record |
|---|
| May 1 | Louisiana–Monroe | | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | | May 2 | Louisiana–Monroe | | Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park • Lafayette, LA | Season suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic | |
|
| Post-Season (0-0) |
|---|
| |
Schedule Source:[5] *Rankings are based on the team's current ranking in the NFCA/USA Softball poll.
Rankings
See main article: 2020 NCAA Division I softball rankings.
Notes and References
- Web site: Conference . Sun Belt . Sun Belt Statement on Spring Sports Competitions . sunbeltsports.org . en.
- Web site: Louisiana schools closed until April 13, halts public gatherings over 250 people . KLFY.
- Web site: Rodgers . Scottie . Louisiana, Ragin' Cajuns' Dalton, Ellyson Top Softball Preseason Honors . sunbeltsports.org . en . January 28, 2020.
- Web site: Gerry Glasco Welcomes Seven to Louisiana Softball on Signing Day . Ragin' Cajuns Athletics . University of Louisiana at Lafayette . 22 December 2019.
- Louisiana Releases 2019 Softball Schedule. UL Department of Athletics. August 7, 2018. February 23, 2019.
