The Ragin’ Cajuns are the lone representative from Louisiana in the 64-team NCAA Baseball Tournament. UL Lafayette is headed to the Starkville Regional. Mississippi State is the host school and a 14-seed nationally, and they will face Lipscomb out of the Atlantic Sun Conference on Friday.
It’s the fourth trip to a Regional for the Cajuns in the last five years, and it’s a big bounce-back year for Coach Matt Deggs, after finishing with a losing record in 2025.
“It was a year of getting back up,” Deggs said. “Very validating, for me, redemption is the sweetest thing on Earth. I am just very happy for our kids, our fan base, our school, our community and a chance to win a Regional, and that is the expectation.”
The Cajuns are the three-seed in the Starkville Regional and will play Cincinnati on Friday at 6 PM. The Bearkats went 37-20 overall and 17-13 in the Big 12. Cincinnati has one of the top home run hitters in college baseball. Sophomore Quinton Coats has 28 home runs with 78 RBIs, and his batting average is .346.
UL Lafayette should have more fans in the stands on Friday night.
“The thing about Cajuns, we are going to travel, they are going to show up, they are going to park it, and they are going to stay for as long as they are going to allow us to stay,” Degg said. “That’s why I really, really like it, our fan base gets to travel, for the families it’s easier, and it’s called a Regional for a reason.”
A record number of Sun Belt teams made the NCAA Tournament, as five teams got in. Southern Miss is hosting a regional. Coastal Carolina is headed to Tallahassee, Texas State is headed to College Station, and Troy gets in, and the Trojans are in the Gainesville Regional.
LSU misses out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011, snapping a streak of 13 consecutive seasons in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers are also the seventh team to miss the NCAA Baseball Tournament after winning the College World Series the season before.
Vanderbilt also misses the tournament for the first time since 2005. That snaps a streak of 19 straight seasons.
Florida now has the longest active streak of making the NCAA Tournament at 18.
