UL's Maddie Hayden named Sun Belt softball Player of the Week
LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball outfielder Maddie Hayden has been named the Sun Belt Conference Softball Player of the Week, the conference office announced on Tuesday.
Hayden stacked up four multiple-hit games during Louisiana's five-game week including all three games of the Sun Belt Conference series with Southern Miss.
She batted .600 for the week (9-of-15) with seven RBI, bolstered by a 6-of-7 showing (.857) against USM.
The Ragin’ Cajuns left fielder was a constant in the team’s offensive efforts vs. USM, reaching base in nine of 11 plate appearances leading her to score a series-high six runs while also posting four RBI.
Hayden reached base in her first plate appearance all three games against Southern Miss and scored each time as the Cajuns grabbed hold of the lead in the first inning each game.
Throughout the week she accounted for at least one RBI in four of the five outings, the highlight a three-RBI effort against Nicholls State.
It’s the first career SBC weekly award for Hayden, and the fifth picked up by a Ragin’ Cajun this season. Previous winners include Sam Roe and Brooke Ellestad (Player of the Week) and Sam Landry (Pitcher of the Week twice).
Louisiana, which has received at least one SBC Player and Pitcher of the Week award since the inception of the league in 2000, now owns 102 Sun Belt Player of the Week awards
The 19th-ranked Ragin’ Cajuns (33-15, 17-1 SBC) begin a second straight five-game week and play their final midweek games this week, hosting No. 7 LSU and traveling to McNeese State during the midweek.
Tuesday's rematch with LSU, a sold out contest at Lamson Park, completes the Ragin' Cajuns current five-game homestand. Louisiana seeks to get even in the midweek home-and-home series after the Tigers captured the first round, by a 4-2 count, on April 16 in Baton Rouge.
After Wednesday’s trip to Lake Charles the Ragin’ Cajuns return to Sun Belt play in Monroe holding a four-game lead in the SBC standings with six games remaining. During the ULM series, Louisiana will look to clinch a fifth consecutive Sun Belt regular season title.