BATON ROUGE — The 15th-ranked LSU softball team will be on the road for the second-straight weekend as the Tigers travel to face No. 13 Georgia in a three-game Southeastern Conference series, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon (CST).
LSU (17-5, 1-2 SEC) took one of three games at South Carolina last weekend to open league play before being rained out against nationally ranked Baylor in a mid-week non-conference game. The Bulldogs (22-7, 6-0 SEC) are riding a 10-game winning streak and swept Mississippi State and Kentucky to start conference action.
“This should be a tremendous series,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “The three games will be battles to the end. When it comes to Georgia, it is always a good match-up. We played them five times last year and won three of them, but they were five games were close. We will need to step it up after our performance in South Carolina last weekend, but I think the team is ready for the task.”
Girouard is just two wins away from becoming only the fifth coach in NCAA Division I history and the sixth coach in NCAA history to record 1,000 career wins. She can reach the historic milestone if the Tigers win the series against Georgia this weekend. Arizona head coach Mike Candrea became the fourth coach in NCAA Division I history to reach 1,000 career wins last week.
Junior Lauren Castle leads a trio of Tigers with over a .400 batting average, hitting at a .423 clip this season. Freshman Quilan Duhon leads the team with seven home runs, while freshman Vanessa Soto has a team-best 10 doubles and 29 runs batted in.
As a team, LSU ranks second in the SEC with a .351 batting average. With 49 doubles, five triples and 21 home runs, the Tigers lead the league with a .559 slugging percentage.
In the circle, Emily Turner leads LSU with an 8-2 record, including one save, and a 1.74 earned run average. The Chula Vista, Calif., native has two complete-game shutouts, allowing opponents to hit just .153 against her while averaging over eight strikeouts per game.
LSU boasts a 1.91 team earned run average with seven complete-game shutouts. The Tigers have allowed just 39 walks in 139 innings, while striking out 149. Opponents are managing to hit just .170 against the staff, the second lowest total in the SEC.
Courtney Knight leads Georgia with a .431 batting average and eight doubles. Kim Wendland leads the Bulldogs with eight home runs and 26 RBIs. As a team, Georgia is batting .325 on the season with 44 doubles, four triples and 28 home runs.
Michelle Green is the ace of the Bulldogs staff, coming into the series with a 10-2 record with an 0.82 earned run average and 113 strikeouts. As a team, Georgia has a 1.87 earned run average with seven shutouts in 29 games, while posting 233 strikeouts in 191 innings of work.
LSU is 21-4 all-time against Georgia, including an 8-2 record in Athens. The Tigers were 3-2 against the Bulldogs last season. LSU won the first meeting during the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. on its way to the tournament title.
Georgia took the regular season series, 2-1, in Baton Rouge before LSU defeated the Bulldogs in the SEC Tournament Championship game in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Head coach Yvette Girouard is 12-4 all-time against Georgia, all while at LSU.
The Tigers will be looking to snap a two-year series losing streak to the Bulldogs this weekend. LSU has gone 1-for–2 in the last two season series, marking two of just four three-game series losses for the Tigers in conference play in school history. After playing the doubleheader on Saturday, the series will conclude with a single game on Sunday beginning at noon (CST).
SERIES FACTS
TEAM RECORDS: #15 LSU Tigers (17-5, 1-2 SEC) at #13 Georgia Bulldogs (22-7, 6-0 SEC)
DATES/TIMES: Saturday, March 19 — Noon CST/2 p.m. CST; Sunday, March 20 — Noon CST
STADIUM: UGA Soccer/Softball Complex (1,400)
RANKINGS: LSU (#15 NFCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, #15 ESPN/USA Softball) Georgia (#13 NFCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, #13 ESPN/USA Softball)
RADIO: None
INTERNET: Live stats of all three games at www.LSUsports.net
TV: None
SERIES RECORD: LSU leads 21-4