COLUMBIA, S.C. — Riding an eight-game winning streak, the 12th-ranked LSU softball team begins defense of their Southeastern Conference championship on the road at South Carolina this weekend.
The Tigers (16-3) will face the Gamecocks (18-9, 3-0 SEC) in a three-game series beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon (CST) and concluding with a single game on Sunday at noon (CST). South Carolina opened SEC play this week on the road at Arkansas where the Gamecocks swept the Lady’Backs in the three-game series.
All three games can be heard on the LSU Sports Network, in Baton Rouge on Country Legends 107.3 FM and on the internet at www.LSUsports.net.
“I am really excited to start the SEC season,” said head coach Yvette Girouard. “I am looking forward to watching our young players compete on the road. Everyone is going to have to pull their weight this weekend. With Megan Jolly and Dee Dee Henderson out and Emily Turner not felling well, everyone must do their job.”
Girouard is just three wins away from becoming only the fourth coach in NCAA Division I history to record 1,000 career wins. If the Tigers sweep South Carolina this weekend, she will hit the 1,000-win mark. Currently she is tied with Arizona head coach Mike Candrea with 997 career victories.
Junior Stephanie Hill leads a quartet of Tigers with over .400 batting averages, hitting at a .433 clip this season. Freshman Quinlan Duhon leads LSU with seven home runs and is tied for the team lead with eight doubles and 20 runs scored.
As a team, the Tigers lead the SEC with a .364 batting average. With 41 doubles, five triples and 19 home runs in 19 games, LSU leads the league with a .580 team slugging percentage.
In the circle, Turner leads the Tigers with an 8-1 record and is second with a 1.54 earned run average. The Chula Vista, Calif., native has two complete-game shutouts, allowing opponents to hit just .151 against her, while striking out over eight batters a game.
LSU boasts a 1.76 team ERA this season, with seven complete-game shutouts. The Tigers lead the SEC in walks allowed and rank second in batting average against, having walked just 27 in 19 games, while opponents hit just .163 against them as a group.
Meghan Cornett leads South Carolina with a .407 batting average, while McKenna Hughes leads the Gamecocks with seven doubles and six home runs. As a team, South Carolina is hitting .294 on the season with 45 doubles, five triples and 21 home runs for a .447 slugging percentage.
In the circle as a team, South Carolina has a 2.20 earned run average with eight shutouts and 164 strikeouts. Melanie Henkes is the aces of the Gamecock staff, posting a 8-3 record in 16 appearances with a 1.57 ERA. She also leads the team with four shutouts and 75 strikeouts over 93.2 innings.
LSU is 16-5 all-time against South Carolina, including 6-3 record in Columbia. The Tigers have won the last two meetings, defeating the Gamecocks, 2-0, in the SEC Tournament first round and 4-0 in the series finale in Baton Rouge last season.
LSU has also posted two series sweeps and three series wins over South Carolina, while being swept in the 1997 series and tying the 2000 and 2003 series. Girouard is 30-6 all-time against South Carolina, including an 11-4 record while at LSU.