UL Ragin’ Cajuns Advance to NCAA Regional Finals with Dominant Win Over Texas
The UL Ragin’ Cajuns powered their way into the NCAA College Station regional finals with a commanding 10-2 victory over the Texas Longhorns on Sunday at Olsen Field.
Next, the Cajuns will face top-seeded Texas A&M in the championship game at 7 p.m. on Sunday. UL (42-19) will need to defeat the Aggies twice to advance to the super regionals, with a potential if-necessary game scheduled for Monday at a yet undetermined time.
Sunday’s win marked UL’s first appearance in the regional finals since 2016 and ended a three-game losing streak against Texas in regional play dating back to 1999.
“We were able to use our short game really well as well,” UL coach Matt Deggs said. “That opened up some stuff for us and I think that kind of wore on them as the game went. We were able to collect some knocks because of that.”
The Cajuns held a narrow 2-1 lead over the Longhorns until exploding for seven runs in the eighth inning. John Taylor’s clutch two-out single and Jose Torres’ three-run home run were pivotal moments that propelled UL to victory.
“Belief and confidence and momentum are real,” Deggs added. “You might not be able to see them, but they’re real in baseball.”
Torres finished the game 3-for-5 with four RBIs, including a run-scoring single in the ninth inning. Bryan Broussard also contributed with a three-run home run.
The game was a tight contest until the eighth inning, with UL opening the scoring in the second inning on Duncan Pastore’s RBI single. Freshman starter Chase Morgan delivered a solid performance, allowing one run over 5.1 innings.
After the game, Texas coach David Pierce praised UL’s performance: “Credit Louisiana, I thought they had great energy today. The rest definitely helped them. They were the better team today.”
UL’s bullpen held strong, with LP Langevin pitching 2.2 innings and Matthew Holzhammer closing out the game to secure the win.
Overall, the victory was a statement for the Ragin’ Cajuns, who showed resilience and strength in advancing to the regional finals.
