Lafayette Region 2014 Baseball World Series Breakdown
#6 Louisiana, Mississippi State, San Diego State, Jackson State
Louisiana may not play in the most prestigious conference in the country, but they are certainly one of the best teams. The Ragin’ Cajuns have racked up an NCAA leading 53 wins and feature the most prolific offense in the country. Louisiana leads the country in slugging percentage and triples per game, is second in batting average and home runs per game, is third in doubles per game and is fourth in scoring offense. Eight Ragin’ Cajun players have batting averages over.300, led by Caleb Adams at .386. Adams also leads the team in home runs, with 11 and has 36 RBI’s. Jace Conrad and Seth Harrison have both driven in over 50 runs and Harrison and Michel Strentz have added nine home runs apiece. All three of Louisiana’s starting pitchers, Cody Boutte, 8-0 with a 2.75 ERA, Austin Robichaux, 7-2 with a 3.01 ERA, and Carson Baranik, 10-1 with a 3.30 ERA, have been dominant this season, as has the bullpen. Matt Hicks, 7-1 with a 1.62 ERA, Ryan Wilson, 5-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 7 saves, and Reagan Bazar, who has 6 saves and can throw 100 m.p.h., have anchored the bullpen all season. The Ragin’ Cajuns are also solid defensively with a .978 fielding percentage. This team is an all-around good ball club that is a serious contender for the national title.
Heading to Lafayette is Mississippi State, San Diego State and Jackson State. Mississippi State, last year’s national runner-up, will be looking to win a regional again this season. The Bulldogs are led by their pitching staff and their solid defensive play. Starter Ross Mitchell leads the way with an 8-4 record and a 2.10 ERA. The Bulldogs like to rely on their bullpen a lot and Jacob Lindgren and Jonathon Holder have been excellent out of it. Lindgren is 6-1 with a 0.88 ERA in 25 appearances out of the pen and Holder has a 2.38 ERA with seven saves. Mississippi State features a top-notch defense that has a fielding percentage of .980 and a big time talent at second base, Brett Pirtle, who is hitting .341 with 27 RBI’s on the season. San Diego State is led by a role switch of their two best players. Bubba Derby, last year’s closer, has gone 8-3 with a 2.69 ERA as a starter this year, while Michael Cederoth, last year’s ace, has gone 6-2 with a 2.28 ERA and 20 saves as the closer this season. Offensively, Brad Haynal and Ty France have both driven in over 40 runs and Greg Allen adds speed on the base paths, stealing 25 bags this season. Haynal has also added 12 home runs. Jackson State could be in trouble in this regional. They have not played since May 18 when they won the SWAC Tournament and they will hope that Desmond Russell, who has thrown eight complete games this season, can keep them in the game.
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