Ragin' Cajuns softball is preseason Sun Belt Conference favorite

Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns softball was selected as the preseason Sun Belt Conference favorite for the 2017 season.
The poll, released by the conference office Monday, was voted upon by the league’s 10 head coaches.
The Ragin’ Cajuns received all 10 of the first-place votes in the Sun Belt Conference’s preseason poll and sat atop the ranking with 100 total points. Texas State, the opponent in last season’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship game, came in second place with 87 points.
Louisiana finished the 2016 season with a 46-9 overall record and with a 21-2 Sun Belt mark, claimed its 14th championship in the 16 years of league competition since 2001.
The Ragin’ Cajuns return two National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Americans (Aleah Craighton and Alex Stewart), five starters in the lineup and the entire pitching staff from last season’s squad, which collected the program’s fifth consecutive NCAA Super Regionals appearance.
The core group of returnees includes career .360-hitter Haley Hayden, home-run threats Craighton and DJ Sanders, who both clubbed 18 last season, and Kara Gremillion, who finished the 2016 season as one of the team’s hottest hitters (hit .457 in May).
Stewart (29-6, 1.94 ERA), the 2016 All-American and Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year, is joined by veterans Victoria Brown, Macey Smith and Kylee Jo Trahan, as well as sophomore Alison Deville and redshirt freshman Summer Ellyson.
Stewart posted a 13-0 start in Sun Belt play to lead the Ragin’ Cajuns to the conference championship by April 30 last season, and she ended the season with a Sun Belt-best 16 conference victories (16-1, 0.66 ERA).
Louisiana opens the 2017 season Feb. 10 at 3 p.m. vs. DePaul in the 31st Annual Louisiana Classics at Lamson Park. It will mark the beginning of a season-opening 23-game home stand at Lamson Park that runs through March 7 and includes three tournaments, a Top 25 weekend series against Alabama (Feb. 17-19) and a midweek doubleheader with Baylor (March 7).
Season tickets remain on sale and can be purchased at 337-265-2357, at RaginCajuns.com using Account Manager or by visiting the Cajundome Box Office Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and extended hours during Ragin’ Cajuns basketball events.