All of us who sign this petition believe that on Wednesday, November 1, 2107, Coach Michael Lotief and his staff were unjustly terminated as the Head Softball Coach and Assistant Coaches and support staff at the University of Louisiana Ragin Cajuns! Anyone who is even vaguely familiar with the achievements of the Ragin Cajun softball program over the past sixteen years is surely aware of the exemplary and stellar collective coaching achievements of Michael and Stefni Lotief. Mike began his career with the Cajuns as a volunteer coach in 2001, then served as co-head coach with his wife Stefni from 2003-12, before becoming sole head coach prior to 2013. Over the past five years, since Mike has been the Head Coach, the Ragin Cajuns own the nation's top winning percentage! Mike has lead the Cajuns to the Super Regionals each year and to the College World Series in 2014. In all actuality, the Ragin Cajuns Softball team should have been in the College World Series every single year, but were unjustly discriminated against by the NCAA Selection Committee and forced to go on the road 4 of the past 5 years for Super Regionals, mainly because they do not play in the Southeastern Conference. The one year where they hosted Super Regionals at home, they completed their season at the World Series. Simply ask any other school in the nation if they would want to have to play the Cajuns in Lafayette during Super Regionals, if they were honest they would admit that they would be terrified. That is directly the result of the product that Coach Mike Lotief has created. Coach Mike Lotief, who is arguably the greatest fast pitch hitting coach in the entire nation! Coach Mike Lotief whose team year after year is one of the sport's greatest scoring machines! Coach Mike Lotief, who has accomplished all of this while battling throat cancer, even to the point where he can hardly speak he is in so much pain! Coach Mike Lotief is a supernatural leader, and awesome individual who loves his players, who has invested his own money in their needs! Coach Mike Lotief who has fought unceasingly for his players simply to be treated equally and with dignity and respect! We simply do not accept that Coach Mike Lotief deliberately berated or abused his players! The vast majority of his players have all signed written statements to that effect! it is way past time that Coach Michael Lotief and his entire support staff should rightfully be reinstated in their respective positions. President Savoie, please do your job and reinstate Coach Lotief! The fans of Ragin Cajun softball demand it!!!
