BATON ROUGE — The seventh-ranked LSU softball team will host in-state rival Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Tiger Park. The game will be televised locally on Cox Sports Television, Baton Rouge cable channel 38.
After claiming the Purple & Gold Challenge title last weekend, the Tigers (16-5) moved up one spot to No. 7 in the most recent NFCA/USA Today Coaches poll released Wednesday. LSU now ranks seventh in both national polls.
Southeastern Louisiana (4-11) is coming off a weekend series win over Southland Conference rival Texas-San Antonio. The Lady Lions won the first two games before falling in the series finale.
“We are ready and eager to play,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “This gives us one last tune-up before we begin SEC play this weekend, which we are all anxious to begin.”
Tiger junior pitcher Kristin Schmidt was named the Purple & Gold Challenge’s Most Valuable Player. In four appearances last weekend, she posted a perfect 3-0 record with three shutouts. She allowed only eight total hits in 20 and a third innings pitched, while recording 24 strikeouts. She now ranks seventh in the Southeastern Conference with a 0.71 earned run average and fourth with 76 strikeouts.
Sophomore Leigh Ann Danos, junior LaDonia Hughes, sophomore Tessa Lynam and freshman Alicia Owen were also named to the all-tournament team for the Tigers. The four combined to go 28-for-57 (.491) from the plate for the tournament with 11 doubles, 21 RBIs, one home run, and 24 runs scored for a .737 slugging percentage.
Playing in the offensive lineup for the first time this season, Lynam hit .467 with a .733 slugging percentage, both of which lead the SEC. Against Jackson State, she tied the LSU single-game records for hits in a game with a four-for-four performance, while also tying the records for runs in a game with four and doubles in a game with three. In addition, she recorded her first compete-game no-hitter in the 19-0 win over the Lady Tigers.
The four-time defending SEC champion Tigers will open league play on Saturday against Tennessee with a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. at Tiger Park. The three-game series concludes with a single game on Sunday at 11 a.m.