BATON ROUGE — The fifth-ranked LSU softball team returns to Tiger Park this weekend to host the Purple and Gold Challenge.
The Tigers (12-5), have spent the last two weeks on the road at the UNLV Invitational and the NFCA LeadOff Classic in Las Vegas and Columbus, Ga., respectively.
Coming to Baton Rouge to compete in the three-day event is Georgia Tech (11-4), Long Island (3-3), McNeese State (9-10) and UAB (10-3).
LSU is 7-4 in the last two weeks after squaring off with six ranked opponents in that span. Each of the past two tournaments have had the Tigers slated against three ranked foes in as many days.
“It will be good to be back home for a weekend after traveling and facing the type of competition we have faced in the past two weeks,” said LSU coach Yvette Girouard. “This weekend is about us getting back to playing our game and coming together before we head into the SEC next weekend.”
Leading LSU into action will be Trena Peel, Julie Wiese and Erin Johnson. Peel is the team’s top offensive player, hitting .400 on the season with a team-high 15 runs. She also has 10 RBIs and five triples.
Wiese and Johnson went on a tear last weekend in the LeadOff Classic. Wiese, who earned All-Tournament Team honors, has hit .538 in her last five games with a home run, two doubles and five runs scored.
Johnson batted at a .429 clip last weekend with a home run, a double and five RBIs. Both Wiese and Johnson slugged better than .700 in the five-game span.
“Our bats are starting to come around like we knew they would,” said Girouard. “We have played some of the best competition with the best pitching in the nation this year which has made it tougher on our hitters. But, we have kept confidence in our hitters and they are beginning to come through.”
In the circle, Kristen Schmidt has paced LSU with a 0.94 earned-run average this season. Her 6-1 record is a team best and her strikeout-to-walk ratio is better than seven-to-one. Along with Wiese, she was named to the All-Tournament team last weekend.
Schmidt is joined in the circle by All-American Britni Sneed, who pitched a three-hit shutout in her last start against No. 13 Fresno State.