University of Louisiana at Lafayette Professional Athletes

UL Lafayette Alumni Week in MLB | Sept. 13–19, 2026

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is having a moment in the big leagues. From a historic milestone in Kansas City to a gutsy start in Baltimore, Cajun alumni are stamping their mark on MLB's stretch run.

Carson Roccaforte Joins the 30/30 Club

The headliner is Carson Roccaforte, who swiped his 30th stolen base on Sunday to complete a 30/30 campaign for the Kansas City Royals. The CF prospect now owns one of the rarest statistical seasons in the game — a dual milestone that places him in elite company and signals he's ready to be a fixture in Kansas City's outfield for years to come. For a UL Lafayette program that has quietly built an MLB pipeline, Roccaforte's 2026 season is the program's biggest individual story in recent memory.

Brandon Young Deals in Baltimore

While Roccaforte grabbed the highlight-reel moment, Brandon Young delivered arguably the week's most important performance on a team still chasing postseason position. The right-hander turned in a quality five-inning outing against the New York Mets on Monday, striking out six and surrendering just one earned run as the Baltimore Orioles edged New York 2-1. Young's ERA now sits at 3.65 — a mark that would make him a legitimate rotation contributor heading into October. Gunnar Henderson's solo shot and Heston Kjerstad's RBI double provided all the offense Young needed.

Hogan Harris Grinds Through a Tough Week

Out in Oakland, Hogan Harris logged three appearances across the week in a relief role for the Athletics. The results were mixed — he worked a clean inning against Tampa Bay on Tuesday and collected a strikeout, but was touched for a run in the Sunday opener versus Seattle and was yanked after just two outs in Wednesday's contest. His ERA sits at 3.34, still respectable for a bullpen arm on a rebuilding club, but the late-week stumbles are a reminder of how thin the margins are in a late-season bullpen.

Spencer Arrighetti Searches for Footing in Toronto

Spencer Arrighetti's difficult stretch in Toronto continued Tuesday. Acquired from the Houston Astros, the right-hander has struggled to establish himself with the Blue Jays, and his two-inning, two-strikeout outing in a lopsided 10-1 loss to Detroit did little to change that narrative. His ERA stands at 4.90, and he has been candid about the uncertainty surrounding his role with the team. With the season winding down, the former Astro will need a strong finish to make a case for a rotation spot in 2027.

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The bigger picture: four UL Lafayette alumni logged MLB action in a single week, with a 30/30 season, a quality start, and meaningful late-season innings across both leagues. The Cajuns' pipeline isn't just producing players — it's producing contributors at every level of the roster. Roccaforte's milestone, in particular, is the kind of breakout that puts a program on the recruiting map.

Brandon Young Carries Baltimore Past Oakland

The best story out of Cajun Country this week came Saturday night in Baltimore, where Brandon Young authored the kind of outing that makes scouts nod slowly and opposing lineups look helpless.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette product spun seven innings of one-run ball for the Orioles, striking out four and keeping the Athletics honest long enough for Baltimore to pull off a 4-3 win in ten innings. Coby Mayo and Christian Encarnacion-Strand delivered the decisive blows in extras, but Young was the reason the Orioles were still alive to swing them. His ERA sits at a tidy 3.38 on the season.

It was the kind of performance that answers questions — and Young had been carrying some. Seven innings, one earned run, and a final line that reads like a starter earning his spot in a rotation with postseason aspirations.

Harris on the Other Side of the Field

The Orioles-Athletics matchup doubled as a mini Cajun reunion. Hogan Harris, pitching out of Oakland's bullpen, worked a clean inning in relief on the same afternoon, logging a strikeout and keeping the game competitive before Baltimore's extras heroics ended matters. Harris has been one of the Athletics' more reliable relief arms this stretch — his ERA stands at 3.55 — appearing three times during the Aug. 23–29 window, including a two-strikeout inning against Houston earlier in the week and a one-inning outing against Minnesota on Wednesday.

Harris hasn't been lighting up radar guns, but the Cajun lefty has been useful, which is its own kind of currency for a rebuilding Athletics roster.

Arrighetti Struggles to Find His Form in Toronto

Not every Cajun had a clean week. Spencer Arrighetti, now with the Blue Jays, delivered an ugly Thursday against the Kansas City Royals — four innings, four runs (three earned, with an error by Arrighetti compounding the damage), five hits, and two walks. A first-inning home run set the tone, and Arrighetti never fully recovered. His ERA climbed to 4.81.

The Sportsnet crew weighed in on what's ailing the right-hander: pitch execution and mechanical adjustments are the focus, with analysts flagging the need for Arrighetti to change his approach and vary his attack more effectively. The talent that made him a prospect is still in there — four strikeouts in four innings suggests the bat-missing ability hasn't evaporated — but command and sequencing are keeping him from putting it all together.

For UL Lafayette fans watching the big leagues, it's a week of contrasts: one Cajun locking down a Baltimore win with a postseason-caliber start, another working his way through growing pains in a Blue Jays rotation that can't afford many more outings like Thursday's. Harris, meanwhile, keeps doing what relievers do — show up, get outs, and stay ready.

The Ragin' Cajuns have arms scattered across MLB rosters. This week proved the gap between a polished starter in his groove and one still searching for it can look very wide indeed.