LAFAYETTE – The University of Louisiana Athletics Department announced the 2012 Ragin’ Cajuns baseball and softball schedules on Monday.

The baseball team will host seven weekend series at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field and play 28 games at the facility. The home schedule is highlighted by a weekend series with defending Conference USA champion Southern Miss (March 9-11), a midweek game with Tulane on March 20 and Sun Belt series with FIU (April 13-15) and Troy (May 4-6).

Tony Robichaux’s squad takes to the road for tournaments in San Marcos, Texas (Texas State Bobcat Classic) and San Antonio, Texas (UTSA Classic) during the non-conference portion of the schedule. The Cajuns play midweek, home-and-home series with Conference USA members Houston and Tulane and have a midweek trip to LSU (March 28).

The softball team hosts three tournaments at Lamson Park and participates in a pair of nationally recognized tournaments on the road, the NFCA Leadoff Classic and Judi Garman Classic. The home schedule features a total of 30 games and includes meetings with Rutgers, Tulsa, Northwestern University, North Carolina, Kentucky and Georgia Tech.

The four-time defending Sun Belt champions will enjoy 10 consecutive games at Lamson Park, hosting the 26th Annual Louisiana Classics and 8th Annual Mardi Gras Invitational, before playing a road contest. In tournament play on the road, co-head coaches Stefni and Michael Lotief’s squad visits Clearwater, Fla., for the NFCA Leadoff Classic (Feb. 24-26) and faces national powerhouses Arizona and Arizona State at the Judi Garman Classic (March 15-17).

Baseball Schedule Highlights

The Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team enters the 18th season under the direction of head coach Tony Robichaux in 2012. The squad begins the season Friday-Sunday, Feb. 17-19 participating in the Texas State Bobcat Classic in San Marcos, Texas. UL will face Wichita State, Santa Clara and Texas State.

After a midweek trip to Hammond for a meeting with Southeastern Louisiana (Feb. 22), Louisiana makes its home debut with a three-game series against Towson at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field Friday-Sunday, Feb. 24-26.

The following weekend the Cajuns take in their second tournament, traveling to San Antonio, Texas, for the UTSA Classic March 2-4 at Wolff Stadium, which is home to the San Antonio Missions, the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. Tournament opponents for UL include Gonzaga, Kansas and Texas-San Antonio.

A busy week awaits the Cajuns upon returning from San Antonio. UL hosts Houston on March 6 and travels to Lake Charles to meet McNeese State on March 7. Over the weekend, Louisiana hosts Southern Miss Mach 9-11 for the final non-conference weekend of the 2012 season.

Sun Belt Conference play opens Friday-Sunday, March 16-18 in Monroe at Warhawk Field against La.-Monroe.

The Cajuns and Warhawks conclude the regular season at “The Tigue” May 17-19 as part of the Sun Belt’s league schedule which features teams playing a home-and-home series with the nearest geographical rival as part of the 30-game slate.

After Sun Belt opening weekend in Monroe, the Cajuns return to “The Tigue” for the marquee non-conference matchup at the facility in 2012. On March 20, Tulane visits “The Tigue” for the first time since March 2003.

The first Sun Belt series of the season at “The Tigue” takes place Friday-Sunday, March 23-25 as Louisiana welcomes Arkansas State.

In other Sun Belt series at “The Tigue”, Louisiana hosts Western Kentucky (April 6-8), FIU (April 13-15), Troy (May 4-6) and La.-Monroe (May 17-19).

Remaining Sun Belt road series include trips to Florida Atlantic (March 30-April 1), South Alabama (April 20-22), UALR (April 27-29) and Middle Tennessee (May 11-13).

The non-conference slate features midweek, home-and-home matchups with Southeastern Louisiana, Houston, McNeese State, Southern, Tulane and Northwestern State. The Cajuns travel to Alex Box Stadium to face LSU on March 28 and visit Tulane on May 8.

The 2012 Sun Belt Conference Tournament will be held May 23-27 in Bowling Green, Ky., at Nick Denes Field on the Western Kentucky campus.

Fans are reminded that for Saturdays in February and March, games at “The Tigue” will begin at 2 p.m. In April and May, Saturday games are scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.

Softball Schedule Highlights

The Ragin’ Cajuns softball team enters the 12th season under the direction of co-head coaches Stefni and Michael Lotief and begins the campaign Friday-Sunday, Feb. 10-12 at Lamson Park hosting the 26th Annual Louisiana Classics. UL welcomes Mississippi Valley State, Rutgers and Tulsa for the opening weekend.

The Louisiana Classics marks the first of 10 straight home games to start the season.

The next weekend, the Ragin’ Cajuns host the 8th Annual Mardi Gras Invitational for another series of five games in three days. Participating teams include Louisiana Tech, Northwestern State, Northwestern University, North Carolina and UTEP.

Louisiana’s first road trip takes the squad to Clearwater, Fla., for the final weekend in February. There the Cajuns will participate in the NFCA Leadoff Classic, which returns this season with a new location. Meetings with Mississippi State and Michigan highlight the Cajuns slate at the Leadoff Classic.

UL starts off the month of March back at Lamson Park with the third home tournament of the 2012 season. The weekend of March 2-4 the Cajuns host the Ragin’ Cajuns Invitational featuring Kentucky, Nicholls State, Stephen F. Austin and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

After a midweek doubleheader at Houston on March 7, the Cajuns begin Sun Belt Conference play at Lamson Park against North Texas Saturday-Sunday, March 10-11.

The next week, a single game with McNeese State on March 13 at home precedes the annual trip to the Judi Garman Classic March 15-17 in Fullerton, Calif. The Cajuns open play at the Judi Garman facing defending national champion Arizona State on March 15 and conclude round robin play on March 17 against perennial Pac-12 powerhouse Arizona.

Upon returning home from the Judi Garman Classic, the Ragin’ Cajuns are scheduled for a midweek doubleheader with defending ACC champion Georgia Tech at Lamson Park on March 22 at 5 p.m.

The remainder of the schedule following the Georgia Tech twinbill features Sun Belt Conference matchups. The lone non-conference game in the final two months of the season is a single game at McNeese State on April 4.