Robichaux reaches deal with Angels

CROWLEY – Three years ago, the time just wasn’t right for Austin Robichaux.
The then standout pitcher/middle infielder for the Notre Dame Pioneers was selected in the 50th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft and instead of signing to play professionally; he elected to play college baseball for his father at the University of Louisiana/Lafayette.
This year, the timing seemed right for the hard-throwing right hander, who inked a deal with the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday.
“Wish it wasn’t over, but even good things come to an end,” Robichaux tweeted out Tuesday evening.
Robichaux, the Cajuns’ regular Friday night starter, went 8-3 on the season in helping lead his team to the No. 1 ranking in all the major polls at the regular season’s end.
The Cajuns, winners of the Sun Belt Conference and the SBC tournament, came up one game shy of advancing to the College World Series when they were defeated by Ole Miss Monday.
Robichaux was taken in the 18th round (Pick No. 539) by the Angels on Saturday, just hours before his team opened Super Regional play against Ole Miss.
The second-team All-Sun Belt Conference selection punctuated the day by picking up a 9-5 victory over the Rebels in the Cajuns’ first ever Super Regional as a host team.
In that contest, Robichaux gave up three runs in the second inning before settling in and setting down 15 of the next 18 batters he faced. He threw 116 pitches - 71 for strikes - before giving way to Matt Plitt to start the eighth.
A lanky 6-foot-6, 170-pounder with a 90-plus-miles-per-hour fastball, finished his final season as a Ragin Cajun with an earned run average of 3.11. He tossed two complete games in 2014 and finished with 80 strikeouts in 89 2/3 innings of work.
As a sophomore, Robichaux posted a 9-2 record with a 3.05 ERA in 109 1/3 innings where he struck out 88. In his freshman campaign, he went 2-4 with a 2.91 ERA in 43 1/3 innings.