BATON ROUGE — The 25th-ranked LSU softball team will host the Tiger Classic this weekend as the Tigers begin play on Friday at 3:30 p.m. against Eastern Michigan and at 5:45 p.m. against Mississippi Valley State as part of the three-day tournament at Tiger Park.
Along with EMU and MVSU, LSU (6-0) is hosting No. 11 Washington and Western Kentucky as part of the tournament, which beings on Friday at 11 a.m. and concludes with the championship game on Sunday at 2 p.m.
“This should be a great tournament and much more of a challenge for us,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “We’re looking for this to be a great weekend of softball.”
The tournament features round robin play on Friday and Saturday and wraps up with championship play on Sunday. Friday’s other games include Eastern Michigan vs. Washington at 11 a.m., Washington against Western Kentucky at 1:15 p.m. and Western Kentucky vs. Mississippi Valley State at 8 p.m.
In Saturday’s action, the Tigers will face Western Kentucky at 1:30 p.m. before battling No. 11 Washington at 3:45 p.m. Play begins on Saturday as Mississippi Valley State takes on Washington at 9 a.m., followed by Western Kentucky vs. Eastern Michigan at 11:15 a.m. Following LSU’s two games, Eastern Michigan will face Mississippi Valley at 6 p.m. The day’s final game will pit the No. 4 seeded team against the fifth-seeded team to play into Sunday’s competition.
The tournament will conclude on Sunday as the second seed and the third seed play at 9:30 a.m., followed by the game between the top seed and the fourth seed at 11:45 a.m. The winners of the morning’s contests will play in the championship game at 2 p.m.
LSU opened the season with four wins to claim the Easton Purple & Gold Challenge last weekend. The Tigers got a pair of shutout performances by Emily Turner along with a no-hitter from Dani Hofer in the circle. LSU then went on to sweep a mid-week doubleheader from Grambling State, including a perfect game by Tiffany Garcia, to run its record to 6-0 on the year.
As a team, the Tigers boast a .423 batting average with 20 doubles, a triple and five home runs in just six games. LSU is averaging over 11 runs per game and has posted four run-rule victories. In the circle, the Tigers have allowed only one run this season for a 0.26 earned run average. In addition, LSU is averaging over 12 strikeouts per seven innings, led by 27 from Hofer in 12 innings.
“I was extremely pleased with the way we played last week,” said Girouard. “Our defense was superb, but that is usually the case when your pitching is outstanding. Our hitting with excellent and all-in-all I am very pleased with the team.”
The Huskies enter the tournament with a 4-1 record after opening the season at the UNLV Alexis Resort Kickoff Classic. The Huskies lost to Kentucky before rebounding with wins over nationally ranked Oklahoma, Illinois-Chicago, Long Beach State and UNLV. LSU is 3-5 all-time against Washington, losing five of the first six meetings before winning the last two. Girouard is 7-3 all-time against the Huskies, including a 2-0 record at LSU.
“The University of Washington has a tremendous pedigree when it comes to softball,” said Girouard. “They are ranked No. 11 in the country right now and a have a freshman pitcher who is the pitcher for the Canadian Olympic team. She is their No. 1 pitcher and defeated the United States Olympic team last summer, so we will have our hands full with her this weekend.”
Western Kentucky enters the Tiger Classic with a 3-2 record after opening the season last weekend at the South Florida Best Western Invitational. This will be the first meeting between the Tigers and the Hilltoppers. Girouard is 1-0 all-time against the Hilltoppers, with the one meeting coming while she was at UL-Lafayette.
Eastern Michigan begins its season this weekend. The Eagles went 17-24 last year, including an 11-13 record in the Mid-American Conference. LSU is 1-0 all-time against Eastern Michigan, with the one win coming in 1998 in the Florida State Tournament. The Tigers also hold a 10-0 record against MAC opponents.
Mississippi Valley State comes in at 0-5 after opening the season at the Bama Bash in Tuscaloosa, Ala. This will be the first time Girouard and LSU have faced the Devilettes. The Tigers do hold a 14-0 record against SWAC opponents, including three this season.
“Western Kentucky comes in with the Sun Belt preseason Pitcher of the Year and a quality ball club,” said Girouard. “Eastern Michigan is a team that I have only faced once in my career and I don’t know that much about. Mississippi Valley was in the NCAA Tournament two years ago and made it to the last day of competition, so we have to be prepared for that team.”
The Tigers are 28-6 all-time in the Tiger Classic, which is being played for the seventh time. LSU captured tournament titles in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005. Last season, the Tigers swept through the field, winning all five games on their way to the championship.