It’s a new era for Cajuns softball with Gerry Glasco now at the helm. There have been a lot of changes the last few months from top to bottom and that creates a little bit more intrigue as they get ready for their season opener on Thursday.
Without further ado, let’s preview the season ahead for the Cajuns.
Fresh New Lineup
After all the changes that happened back in November, the Cajuns roster went through a lot of changes, including losing DJ Sanders and Alyssa Denham. When fans make their way into Lamson Park this weekend for the Mardi Gras Classic, they’ll see quite a few new faces amongst some familiar players like Kara Gremillion, Lexie Comeaux, and Kelli Martinez.
These three players will be the glue that holds this team together in 2018. With the departures I mentioned before, there’s a ton of opportunity for younger plyers like Kourtney Gremillion, who took a redshirt in 2017, to get more playing time than they might have if things stayed the same.
Pitching Depth in Question
The pitching staff for the Cajuns is interesting to say the least. Only two players on the pitching staff this year saw time inside the circle as a starter and one other player only pitched two games in 2017. The losses of Alex Stewart and Denham will undoubtedly hurt the pitching staff, but there’s still some talent that will have more time to shine, including Summer Ellyson who got a lot of time in the circle throughout the season in both a relief role and a starter.
If there’s one freshman to keep an eye on as the Cajuns non-conference slate will have to be Casey Dixon, last year’s Texas Softball Player of the Year.
Big Transfers
We’ve talked about the departures on the roster, but the Cajuns had some arrivals come aboard that will fill the void left by players like Sanders. One of the biggest transfers is sophomore shortstop Alissa Dalton out of Oklahoma. Getting someone from a softball powerhouse like the Sooners may be the best move that Glasco made during the offseason.
The Cajuns also got outfield Raina O’Neal to transfer over from Texas Tech and that will be a power hitter as she hit 12 home runs last year, which was good enough for second in the Big 12. These two transfers will help out on both sides of the ball and give this team some strong talents.
Overall Thoughts
The Sun Belt Conference might not be as much of a cakewalk as it has been in the past, but the Cajuns are still a team that many will need to be aware of as the season continues. The more experience this young pitching staff gets, the better chance this team has of getting towards the top of the Sun Belt once again.
-Clint Domingue