FAYETTEVILLE, Ark — After a mid-week Southeastern Conference series sweep of Mississippi State last week, the 11th-ranked LSU softball travels for a mid-week series at Arkansas beginning with a doubleheader on Tuesday at 5 p.m. and concluding with a single game on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
All three games will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network in Baton Rouge on The X – 104.5/104.9 FM. The broadcasts can also be heard in the GeauxZone powered by USAgencies on LSUsports.net.
LSU (44-7, 17-4 SEC) is currently only one game behind Alabama in the SEC Western Division standings and two games behind Georgia in the overall standings, although the Bulldogs have lost one more game than the Tigers, Georgia has played six more games than LSU.
Arkansas enters the series at 24-28 on the season, with an 8-15 mark in SEC play. The Lady’Backs took one game from nationally ranked Auburn last weekend. Arkansas is currently fourth place in the SEC West and seventh in the overall conference standings, two games ahead of South Carolina in the eighth and final spot for the SEC Tournament in three weeks.
“Hopefully we can maintain the same focus that we have had the last three weeks,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “We are going to face a much improved Arkansas team on their home field. It’s time to get back to work. The weekend off was nice, but we need to come back with the same intensity we had been playing with.”
Junior Leslie Klein leads LSU with a .418 batting average, fifth best in the SEC. In addition, she has hit 12 doubles, four triples and six home runs, while recording a team-best 42 RBIs with 16 stolen bases. The USA Softball Player of the Year Finalist ranks in the top 10 in the conference in 10 offensive categories and is tied for the league lead in fielding percentage by an outfielder.
As a team, the Tigers have posted a .320 average for the season, including five players hitting over .300, with 87 doubles, 10 triples and 35 home runs. In addition, LSU is averaging almost six runs a game and has struck out only 152 times in 1278 at-bats, the fewest in the SEC this season. The Tigers also rank third in the league with 82 stolen bases, while recording the third-best team fielding percentage in the SEC at .972, committing only 36 errors in over 1300 attempts.
Arkansas is hitting .214 as a team for the season and does not have a player hitting above .300. Blair Perry leads the Lady’Backs with a .293 average, including four doubles, a triple and eight RBIs. Dayna Huckabee leads Arkansas with 22 RBIs, followed by Shana Easley with 17, while the pair each leads the Lady’Backs with three home runs each. Additionally, Arkansas has committed 61 errors for a .956 fielding percentage.
USA Softball National Player of the Week Emily Turner leads the Tigers in the circle with a 20-3 record and a 0.59 earned run average. The junior has recorded 158 strikeouts in 142.1 innings with 12 complete-game shutouts. Dani Hofer is 14-4 on the season with a 1.62 ERA, while recording 142 strikeouts and seven shutouts.
As a team, the Tigers have posted a 0.96 earned run average with 26 shutouts in 51 games. LSU is averaging almost eight strikeouts per game, recording 367 strikeouts in 327.2 innings.
Katy Henry leads the Lady’Backs with a 12-12 record and a 2.11 earned run average. In addition, she has four complete-game shutouts. Perry is second on the team with a 6-8 record and a 2.38 ERA, including two complete-game shutouts and 83 strikeouts. As a team, Arkansas has a 2.37 ERA with 11 shutouts and 329 strikeouts.
LSU is 30-5 all-time against Arkansas, including an 14-3 record in Baton Rouge, a 12-2 record in Fayetteville and a 4-0 record at neutral sites. The Tigers have won six of the last seven meetings with the Lady’Backs. Girouard is 12-3 all-time against the Bulldogs, all while with the Tigers.
After the mid-week series, LSU returns home for its final regular season series of the year. The Tigers will host nationally ranked Florida in a three-game SEC series that begins with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. concludes with Senior Day on Sunday at 1 p.m.
GAME FACTS: No. 11 LSU Tigers (44-7, 17-4 SEC) vs. Arkansas (24-28, 8-15 SEC)
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, April 25 – 5 p.m./7 p.m.; Wednesday, April 26 – 5 p.m.
RANKINGS: LSU (#11 NFCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, #11 ESPN/USA Softball Poll)
Arkansas (Not Ranked)
STADIUM: Lady’Back Yard (2,000)
RADIO: WNXX – The X – 104.5/104.9 FM
TELEVISION: None
INTERNET: Audio broadcast and live stats in the GeauxZone powered by USAgencies at www.LSUsports.net
SERIES RECORD: LSU leads 30-5.