The only college baseball team from the boot state heading to the NCAA Tournament is the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, who earned an at-large bid to the Starkville Regionals.
The Cajuns (39-22) earned the No. 3 seed for their 20th tournament appearance in program history. It was a rollercoaster of a season for seventh-year head coach Matt Deggs, with high highs and low lows throughout Sun Belt Conference and non-conference play. At one point, UL was ranked in the Top 25 and at another point they weren’t even among the Top 10 in the Sun Belt.
Through it all, the Cajuns just kept pounding away, earning a spot in the SBC Championship game where they finished as runner-ups to Southern Mississippi. That hot run landed Deggs and his squad in a familiar regional, marking their first appearance in Starkville Regionals since 1997. The season will start all over again as the Cajuns’ journey to Omaha begins on May 29.
Here’s a look at the opponents the Cajuns will be facing to open the tournament:
Cincinnati
- Nickname: Bearcats
- Conference: Big 12
- Record: 37-20
- Tournament Appearances Before 2026: 8
- Players to Watch: DH Enzo Infelise, P Nathan Taylor
The Bearcats finished the regular season on a sour note, only playing one game of the Big 12 Championship Tournament. Despite that, they finished ranked above the Cajuns at No. 24 according to D1 baseball rankings. Cincinnati has picked up notable wins against West Virginia, UCF, Kansas and Auburn. The Bearcats, similar to the Cajuns, have a core of elite freshmen in Connor Blue, Enzo Infelise and Ryan Tyranski. All three made the All-Big 12 Freshman team, with Infelise being named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
Mississippi State
Nickname: BulldogsConference: SECRecord: 40-17Tournament Appearances Before 2026: 41Players to Watch: DH Noah Sullivan, P Tomas Valincius
Playing host for the weekend are the Bulldogs, who earned the No. 14 seed in the Regionals bracket. They finished the regular season ranked eighth in the SEC standings exiting the conference tournament in the double elimination round vs Georgia. Mississippi State has key wins against Texas A&M, Auburn, Texas, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Southern Mississippi. The Bulldogs’ offense has been led by designated hitter Noah Sullivan, who was one of their three All-SEC First Team honorees.
Lipscomb
- Nickname: Bison
- Conference: Atlantic Sun
- Record: 29-24
- Tournament Appearances Before 2026: 3
- Players to Watch: INF Cam Pruitt, P Alexander Limas
Lipscomb is the clear sleeper in this regional, with 24 losses against it during the regular season. The Bison, like the Cajuns, enter the new season on a hot streak, winning the 2026 ASUN Championship against North Alabama. That 5-4 victory marked their fifth win in a row. During the regular season, they faced Mississippi State in a three-game series and got swept by the Bulldogs back in March. Throughout the season, Lipscomb’s offense has been led by junior Cam Pruitt and junior Jordan Thomas. Both earned All-ASUN Second Team honors
Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at sbelt@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Scouting reports of Louisiana baseball’s NCAA tournament regional opponents