Two Cajuns Named to the Preseason All Sun Belt Team
It’s almost that time of year Cajun fans, Baseball season is right around the corner and Louisiana is expecting big things this 2023 season. The Cajuns surprised a lot of people in SBC last as they went on a tear in conference play and won the SBC tournament. They secured themselves a bid in the NCAA tournament as they headed to college station for the Texas-A&M regional. They won the opening game but would eventually be eliminated. With a majority of their key players returning, the Cajuns are predicted to be a top contender in the SBC once again.
The Cajuns were selected to finish fourth in SBC which is not bad considering how loaded the conference is this year. The Cajuns rank behind Georgia Southern who made an appearance in the NCCA tournament as well as Texas State who has nationally ranked and is the defending regular-season champion. The number one team in the preseason poll is the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss. This comes as no surprise as the Eagles are coming off of back-to-back Super Regional appearances. The Sun Belt is shaping up to be a tough conference but the Cajuns have elite talent on their roster to help them compete.
Julian Brock, who ranked as D1 Baseball’s 14th-best catcher in the nation, is one of two Cajuns selected to the Preseason All-Sun Belt team. Brock had a batting average of .303 with 35 RBIs and home runs. Behind the plate, Brock threw out 24 of 60 potential runners which ranked 1st in SBC last season and posted a fielding percentage of .996. He proved his durability throughout his career with 47 consecutive starts behind the plate.
The other Cajun named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt team was Carson Roccforte who was Mr. do-it-all last for the Cajuns as he lined at almost every position. He was named to the 2022 All-Sun Belt team last season as he led the Cajuns in batting average with .374, RBIs with 68, and home runs with 16. He went on a 15-game hitting streak and was named to the College Station All-Regional team. He posted an outstanding .994 fielding percentage and was second in the SBC in putouts with 296.
Regardless of what happens this season for the Cajuns, These two are going to play a major role. The Cajuns start the season off in Houston as they start a three-game series against Rice on February 17th.