Cajuns Open Three Game Series at App State

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns are 5-1 since the halfway point of the season and they'll try to improve that mark this weekend as they take on Appalachian State in a three game Sun Belt Conference Series in Boone, NC.  Game one is scheduled for Friday at 5:00 pm at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium on the App State campus.

Louisiana (17-17, 5-7 SBC) is coming off a pair of midweek wins against McNeese State and Southeastern Louisiana.  App State is only 8-23 on the year and 1-11 in the league, but played its first three series on the road.  They defeated Troy in the opener of their three game series last weekend.

While App has struggled since joining the league, the Cajuns have had some problems with the Mountaineers.  Louisiana only leads the series 5-4 and dropped two of three games in the 2015 season, the last time the teams played in Boone.

You'll have to listen closely to differentiate the pitchers for game one.  Louisiana sends Colten Schmidt (3-0, 1.26) to the mound toinght, while App State will counter with lefty Colin Schmid (2-3, 4.34).  Schmidt has been named the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week the past two weeks, while Schmid has allowed two earned runs or fewer in six of his eight starts.

Saturday's pitching matchup will feature RHP Jack Burk (2-4, 4.70) for the Cajuns with LHP Andrew Vaccacio (1-7, 5.79).  LHP Hogan Harris (1-1, 4.11) will get the ball for the Cajuns in game three, while App State is undecided.

Both teams have struggled to score runs this season.  The Cajuns are hitting .225 overall and averaging 4.05 runs per game.  In league play, Louisiana hits .241 and scores 4.33 runs per game.

App State hits just .199 overall, averaging 3.19 runs, while batting just .183 in conference, averaging 1.83 runs per game.

Game times are scheduled for 2:00 pm Saturday and 11:00 am Sunday, but expected inclement weather on Sunday could mean a schedule change although nothing is official as of now.