Ragin Cajuns Park
For 19 years, Louisiana has called Ragin’ Cajuns Softball Park its very own home.
And what a home it is.
Often called the most beautiful and best-kept field in the country by opposing teams who play on it, Ragin’ Cajuns Softball Park continues to be one of the finest softball parks in the country and has a seating capacity of 1,500.
This season marks the 20th anniversary season since the facility opened in 1985.
The field itself is what it’s all about. It provides the ultimate in playing and spectator facilities.
Ragin’ Cajuns Park had a 225-foot fence encircling the entire field until the 1995 season. NCAA regulations called for an adjustment of the fence so that all possible Regional sites will be uniform. The fence reaches 200-feet down the lines and 220-feet in centerfield.
To assure fans complete viewing satisfaction, the walls along the leftfield and rightfield lines were lowered from five feet to three feet and additional seating was added.
The five-foot high red wall gave up few home runs until the implementation of the neon ball in 1993 by the NCAA, which allows for a more "offensive" game.
Five home runs left the park in 1993. In 2001, the Ragin’ Cajuns said good-bye 40 times and 34 more in 2002. Last season, the Cajuns hit a park-record 58 home runs.
After sustaining damage during Hurricane Andrew in 1992, a 30-foot backstop and a grandstand seating section were added behind home plate. Not long after, a state-of-the-art Press Box/Concession was added on to the grandstand.
Other features of the park include two fully enclosed dugouts, an enclosed batting cage, two bullpens situated directly behind the dugouts plus two more behind the right field fence, lights, a public address system and an electronic scoreboard, which also includes a message board.
Under head coach Stefni Lotief, Ragin’ Cajuns Park has seen several additions and improvements. In 2002, a brick wall was added to the backstop and a new lighting system was installed just in time for the Ragin’ Cajuns to host a 2002 NCAA Regional. The lighting system allows Ragin’ Cajuns Park to meet the NCAA lighting standards for hosting an NCAA Regional, an amentiy in which few facilities across the country compare to.
The Cajuns received a welcome addition to Ragin’ Cajuns Park at the end of the 1994 season. With the generosity and effort of many loyal fans, the Cajuns received a locker room/bathroom facility. With brand new carpeting and a satellite television, as well as leather furniture – giving the team plenty of room for relaxation before and after the game. There is also an equipment room with a washer and dryer.
Along the outside of the wall, fans must notice the "Wall of Fame," marking the Ragin’ Cajuns’ climb up the NCAA ranking poll, which saw the team peak at the No. 2 spot in 1994.
Ragin’ Cajuns Park is one of the finest facilities in the nation. The all-time Ragin’ Cajuns Park attendance high occurred on April 18, 2001, 1,729 managed to pack into Ragin’ Cajun Park as the Cajuns hosted in-state rival Louisiana State University in a doubleheader.
The two nationally-ranked programs split the doubleheader, as fans lined the fences for the Louisiana intercollegiate softball attendance record.
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