COLUMBUS, Ga. — Having won seven straight and nine of their last 10 games, the 12th-ranked LSU softball team will participate in the NFCA Leadoff Classic this weekend at South Commons Stadium and Complex.
The Tigers (12-3) will take on Ohio State (3-2) on Friday at 11 a.m. (CST) before taking on Florida Atlantic (10-5) at 1:30 p.m. (CST). LSU will conclude pool play on Saturday at 9 a.m. (CST) against No. 2 California (13-0).
Once pool place is completed, the top team from each of the six pools and two at-large teams will advance to the Gold Championship bracket. The remaining second-place teams and four at-large teams will be chosen for the Silver Championship bracket. The final eight teams will comprise the Bronze Championship bracket.
Bracket play begins on Saturday at 3 p.m. (CST) and 6:30 p.m. (CST) and continue through Sunday at 8 a.m. (CST), 10 a.m. (CST) and noon (CST).
The NFCA Leadoff Classic features 13 of the top 25 teams in the nation and four teams that are receiving votes in the current poll. Including LSU, three teams from the Southeastern Conference are participating in the tournament.
The Tigers won the Purple & Gold Challenge tournament last weekend with a 6-0 record. In five previous meetings with their pool opponents, the Tigers are 2-3 against the competition. LSU is 0-3 against California, including a 1-5 loss to the Bears two weeks ago in the UNLV Softball Classic. The Tigers are an undefeated 2-0 against Ohio State and the Buckeyes did not score a run in those meetings. LSU has never played Florida Atlantic.
The Tigers currently lead the Southeastern Conference in batting average at .406 after hitting .475 last weekend. LSU also leads the league in slugging percentage and on base percentage. Having won seven of its 15 games by run-rule this season, the Tigers are averaging over eight runs a game.
First baseman Stephanie Hill leads the team with a .512 average. The sophomore has recorded five doubles and four home runs with a team-best 18 RBIs. Six Tigers are batting over .400 on the season, including Sara Fitzgerald, who leads the SEC with nine doubles and Leslie Klein, who leads the team with 19 runs scored, three triples and five home runs.
Senior All-American Kristin Schmidt leads LSU with a 6-2 record and a 1.98 earned run average. After recording a pair of complete-game shutouts last season, she now has three on the year with a team-best 61 strikeouts. Freshman Emily Turner is 5-1 on the year with a 2.00 ERA. She has recorded a complete-game shutout and 35 strikeouts in eight appearances.
Next week the Tigers open SEC play against Mississippi State on Wednesday at 5 p.m. with a doubleheader in Tiger Park. The series concludes on Thursday with a single game beginning at 4 p.m.