LAFAYETTE, La. (The Advertiser )– When the No. 9-ranked and No. 14-seeded UL Ragin’ Cajuns softball program visits No. 3 Oklahoma on Thursday and Friday for the NCAA Super Regionals in Norman, Okla., good luck unveiling a huge differences between these two elite programs.

All the fun is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. Thursday at OU’s Marita Hynes Field as the Cajuns and Sooners begin pursuit of a spot in the 2016 Women’s College World Series to be played in Oklahoma City on June 2-8.

“You’re talking about a coach (OU coach Patty Gasso) who has won two national championships,” UL coach Michael Lotief said. “Trust me, they take this very seriously. Their fans are going to be into it. They’re not playing to make Super Regionals. If they don’t win and go to the World Series, this season is a failure.”

Sure there are a few factors that separate the two programs.

Oklahoma is seeded quite a bit higher at No. 3, compared to No. 14 for UL. And perhaps the biggest thing is that the Sooners are at home, where they’ve only lost three games over the past two seasons.

Past that, you’re splitting a lot of hairs.

The Cajuns lead the all-time series 15-11. Most recently, the two teams played four times in 2014 and split with the Sooners getting the last laugh with a 3-1 win in the World Series.

Both teams have similar records with UL standing at 46-7 and Oklahoma at 50-7.

Both teams sport tremendous histories. UL is one of nine teams to qualify for the NCAA Regionals every year since 2000. Oklahoma is also in that group.

The Sooners have made seven straight Super Regionals and been to nine World Series. The Cajuns have made five straight Super Regionals and seven of nine, and have reached the World Series six times.

“Let’s face it, none of us are good at predicting games, so I want our girls going into it prepared for anything to happen,” Lotief said. “I don’t want them to be shocked if we jump on them early, if they jump on us early or if nobody jumps on anybody.”

Currently, both teams are on fire. The Sooners are the hottest team in America with a 25-game winning streak.

The Cajuns, meanwhile, have scored 61 runs in their six postseason games so far to reach the Super Regional round. UL’s lineup is batting .382 during that stretch with all nine hitters getting at least five hits in those six games.

For the season, both teams are explosive offensively.

The Sooners are batting .358 with all nine starters hitting at least .323 with 391 runs scored and 168 extra base hits.

The Cajuns are batting .341 with 426 runs scored and 177 extra base hits.

OU’s team batting average is No. 3 nationally and UL is No. 9 nationally, while UL is third nationally in scoring and OU is No. 11.

In many ways, the Cajuns’ vaunted lineup may be at its best position all season, especially if Lexie Elkins is ready to be arguably the nation’s best hitter again.

After missing five weeks with a broken thumb, Elkins showed signs of returning with her first home runs since March 26 in Sunday’s 9-8 win over Texas A&M.

“I think she’s getting closer (to being pre-injury Elkins),” Lotief said. “The home run (Sunday) tells me that. I think that was a big load off her shoulders. She’s starting to see the ball again.”

Both teams are expected to ride their ace pitchers during the Super Regional.

For the Cajuns, that’s junior right-hander Alex Stewart, who is 29-4 with a 1.64 ERA. In 196 innings, Stewart has walked 36, struck out 190, allowed 10 homers and opponents are hitting .232.

“Alex did a great job for us in the Regional,” Lotief said. “She’s got the right stuff.”

For the Sooners, that’s sophomore southpaw Paige Parker, who is 31-3 with a 1.38 ERA. In 202.1 innings, she’s walked 52, stuck out 235, allowed 13 homers and opponents are hitting .177 against her.

Parker currently leads the nation in wins with 31 and Stewart is third with 29.

From UL’s perspective, Parker will be the fourth top-notch left-hander the Cajuns’ lineup has faced this season with the other three being Oregon’s Cheridan Hawkins, Florida’s Delanie Gourley and Tiarra Davis of Texas.

The Cajuns beat Hawkins and Davis, but lost to Gourley.

“Facing similar-type arms like those definitely helps,” Lotief said. “She (Parker) isn’t exactly like any of them. I’d say she’s most like Hawkins. That’s a good comparison.”

If the games are close, there’s no telling what might happen. UL is 9-0 on the season in one-run games, while the Sooners are 2-1. In other words, neither team has played a ton of nailbiters. That’s only 12 one-run games out of a combined total of 110 games.

The first few innings should be interesting as well.

For instance, the Cajuns are also 39-0 when scoring first. Oklahoma, on the other hand, has outscored the opposition 135-15 in the first two innings of games. Also, the Sooners haven’t allowed a run in the first or second inning in their last 26 games.

The two teams even had their 2015 seasons end in similar fashions. UL lost at Auburn in the Super Regionals, despite holding a 10-5 lead going to the seventh. Oklahoma, meanwhile, lost at Alabama in the Super Regionals, despite winning game one of the series.

“I think it’s going to be a great atmosphere,” Lotief said. “We’re looking forward to it. This is something we’ve been working toward since August.”

Another factor to consider on paper is fielding percentages. OU sports a bigger difference with a .984 fielding percentage, compared to .953 for its opposition. UL, meanwhile, has a .971 fielding percentage, just ahead of .966 for the opposition.

“This is a complete team,” Lotief said. “This isn’t a team that’s going to beat themselves.”NCAA Super RegionalSeries: Thursday-Friday.Place: Marita Hynes Field in Norman, Okla.Game 1: 8 p.m., Thursday (ESPN2)Game 2: 6 p.m., Friday (ESPN2)Game 3 (if necessary): 9 p.m., Friday (ESPNU)Radio: All games on KPEL 1420 AM.Records: UL 46-7; OU 50-7.Seeds/Rankings/RPI: UL 14-9-10; OU 3-3-3.Series: UL leads 15-11 (0-3 in Norman – teams went 2-2 in 2014 season with OU winning 3-1 in WCWS).OU Projected Starters: Erin Miller (.398, 9 HRs, 50 RBIs); Shay Knighten (.395, 11 HRs, 52 RBIs); Kelsey Arnold (.390, 8 RBIs): Fale Aviu (.363, 8 HRs, 44 RBIs); Caleigh Clifton (.361, 4 HRs, 35 RBIs): Sydney Romero (.346, 6 HRs, 32 RBIs); Nicole Pendley (.346, 7 HRs, 38 RBIs); Kady Self (.340, 3 Hrs, 30 RBIs); Lea Wodach (.323, 7 HRs, 29 RBIs).  Team totals: .358, 391 runs, 96 doubles, 61 HRs, 70 SBs.     UL Projected Starters: Lexie Elkins (.505, 18 HRs, 48 RBIs); Aleah Craighton (.392, 18 HRs, 55 RBIs); Haley Hayden (.374, 7 HRs, 46 RBIs); DJ Sanders (.331, 18 HRs, 58 RBIs); Shelllie Landry (.321, 16 HRs, 57 RBIs); Sara Corbello (.320, 12 HRs, 32 RBIs); Kara Gremillion (.315, 1 HRs, 20 RBIs); Kelsey Vincent (.293, 14 RBIs, 50 RBIs). Team totals: .341, 426 runs, 66 doubles, 104 HRs, 52 SBs.OU Top Pitcher: Paige Parker (31-3, 1.38 ERA, 202.1 IP, 126 H, 52 BB, 235 K). Team totals: 2.08, 370 IP, 252 H, 130 BB, 394 K, .191 OBA.UL Top Pitcher: Alex Stewart (29-4, 1.64 ERA, 196 IP, 173 H, 36 BB, 190 K). Team totals: 1.88 ERA, 327 IP, 268 H, 70 BB, 301 K, .217 OBA.