BATON ROUGE — The fifth-ranked LSU softball returns to Southeastern Conference play this weekend with a three-game series on the road against No. 7 Alabama beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.
The games can be heard on the LSU Sports Network in Baton Rouge on 107.3 FM or on the internet at www.LSUsports.net.
The match-up will pair two of the three teams out of the SEC that have advanced to the Women’s College World Series. Both teams have a mix of powerful hitting with solid pitching and have combined for 13 wins over top 25 teams this season. However, both teams are coming off conference series losses at home, which make this weekend even more important to both teams.
“I can’t say that this is not an important series, but it is important because it is our next series,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “We have played a tough schedule to open SEC play and we need wins in order to keep pace in the standings. That is what makes this series important”
The LSU (28-6, 7-4 SEC) offense continues to be one of the best in the league. The Tigers are second in the SEC with a .333 team batting average. Aided by 41 home runs and 508 total bases, LSU leads the league in slugging percentage at .540. The Tigers also come in second in hits, runs, runs batted in and triples.
As a team, LSU had combined for a 1.71 earned run average this season. In 35 games, the Tigers have held shut out 11 opponents and held four others to just one run. In addition, LSU has struck out 229 for a 6.88 strikeouts per seven innings ratio with eight games where Tiger pitchers have recorded 10 or more strikeouts.
With a .297 team batting average, the Crimson Tide (28-6, 9-3 SEC) offense ranks fourth in the league. Alabama comes in second in home runs and third in slugging percentage in the conference.
The Crimson Tide has a team earned run average of 1.33 this year. Alabama has posted 13 shutouts in 34 games. With 275 strikeouts on the year, the Crimson Tide is averaging 8.4 strikeouts per seven innings as a team.
“Alabama is a very good team,” said Girouard. “They combine solid pitching with good hitting and they never give up. You have to be prepared for this team to try and come back on you until the last out because they have won several games this season on their final at bat.”
Sophomore Lauren Castle leads the Tigers with a .371 batting average on the season. The transfer has recorded four doubles, a triple and three home runs, including one earlier this week against Alabama A&M. Sophomores Lauren Delahoussaye and Stephanie Hill are just behind Castle with matching .362 batting averages. Hill is second on the team with eight home runs, while Delahoussaye is third with seven. Delahoussaye also ranks third with nine doubles, while Hill has recorded five.
Senior All-American Kristin Schmidt leads the Tigers in the circle. With a 16-4 record, she has posted a 1.66 earned run average on the year. In addition, she has struck out 152 batters and ranks 24th in NCAA history in career strikeouts. Freshman Emily Turner is second on the team with a 1.69 ERA. She boasts an 11-3 record while having struck out 73 on the year.
The Crimson Tide are led by senior Jackie McClain at the plate with a .404 batting average. She is also one of six players tied for second with four home runs. Sophomore Dominique Accetturo is second on the team with a .376 average and also has four home runs.
Junior Jennifer Wright leads Alabama with a 1.06 ERA and a perfect 8-0 record in the circle. Senior Erin Wright has recorded the most wins for the Crimson Tide, with an 11-2 record, while sporting a 1.22 ERA.
Since LSU reinstated softball in 1997, the Tigers are 20-15 all-time against Alabama, including a 5-6 record in Tuscaloosa. LSU lost its last two meetings with the Crimson Tide last season in the SEC Tournament, including the tournament championship game, but the Tigers are currently riding a two-game win streak over Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
The series will conclude with a single game on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on FoxSports as part of the SEC-TV package in Baton Rouge on cable channel 38. The LSU Sports Network will also carry the radio broadcast of the game on 107.3 FM and on the internet at LSUsports.net.