KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — As the 11th-ranked LSU softball team closes out the regular season at No. 6 Tennessee this weekend, two of the three games will be televised by ESPN with the first game of the doubleheader broadcast on ESPN2 on Saturday at 11 a.m. (CT) and the final game of the series on ESPNU on Sunday at noon (CT).
This will mark the second and third appearances by the Tigers on the ESPN network this season and the eighth and ninth appearances by LSU on television this year. The Tigers dropped a heartbreaker, 1-0, to then-No. 6 Stanford in the Palm Springs Classic on ESPNU in February.
In addition to the television broadcasts, all three games will also 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.
“This is an exciting opponent for us to end the regular season against,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “We are especially excited about playing in front of a nationwide audience on ESPN again this season.”
The Tigers (48-9, 21-6 SEC) are currently in second place in the Southeastern Conference Western Division and in third in the overall league standings. LSU is a game and a half behind Alabama in the West and three games behind Georgia for the overall championship, although the Bulldogs completed their SEC schedule last weekend.
After dropping 2-of-3 to Georgia last weekend to give the Bulldogs the SEC Eastern Division championship, Tennessee enters the series with a 48-8 overall record and a 19-8 mark in SEC play. The Lady Vols have been ranked in the top 10 all season and enter the game ranked No. 6 in the NFCA/USA Today poll and No. 9 in the ESPN/USA Softball poll.
Tennessee would need a sweep of LSU this weekend to pass the Tigers and move up to third place for the SEC Tournament next weekend. LSU needs just one win to remain in third, but can move no higher than second for seeding purposes, even with a sweep, since a tie with Georgia would go to the Bulldogs because of their series win over the Tigers earlier in the season.
Unfortunately, LSU will have to do without the services of senior Lauren Castle this weekend. The senior designated player/right fielder turned an ankle in practice and will not play as she attempts to rehab in time for the SEC Tournament next weekend. Castle was the second leading hitter on the team with a .384 batting average, while leading the team with a .405 mark in conference play.
This weekend will see a face off between two of the most dominant pitchers in the SEC. LSU junior Emily Turner ranks second in the NCAA with a 0.61 earned run average and a 22-5 record with 14 complete-game shutouts. Tennessee junior Monica Abbott leads the nation in wins with a 34-6 record. She also ranks eighth with 11.5 strikeouts per seven innings and eighth with a 0.75 ERA.
“We like the fact that we are going to face outstanding pitching this weekend,” said Girouard. “This should help us as we begin postseason play next week.”
As a team, the Fighting Tigers boast a 1.04 earned run average, seventh best in the nation this season, with 28 shutouts in 57 games. The pitching staff averages almost eight strikeouts per seven innings while allowing opponents to hit just .172 against them. The Lady Vols have a 0.97 earned run average, third best in the NCAA, with 32 shutouts in 56 games, along with a league-leading 549 strikeouts.
Junior Leslie Klein leads LSU with a .401 average, ninth best in the SEC this season. In addition, she leads the team with seven home runs and 47 RBIs, while raking second with 16 stolen bases, both of which rank in the top 10 in the league.
Four of the Tigers nine starters are hitting over .300 for the season, with only one hitting below .262, as LSU has recorded a .313 batting average for the season. The Tigers have pounded out 93 doubles, second best in the SEC, with 11 triples and 38 home runs for a .472 slugging percentage.
In addition, LSU ranks third in the SEC in stolen bases for the season with 87. Sophomore Dee Dee Henderson leads the team with 27 stolen bases, sixth most in LSU single-season history. Klein has stolen 16 bases, while senior Camille Harris has stolen 15 bases. Eight players have stolen at least four bases for the season, while 11 total players have stolen at least one base this year.
Tennessee is hitting .361 as a team this season, which leads the nation. Sarah Fekete leads the nation with a .519 average, including seven doubles and a triple with 28 RBIs. In addition, she has stolen 19 bases in 25 attempts. Five Lady Vols are hitting over .400 this season, including Tonya Callahan with a .414 average and a team-best 13 home runs and 71 RBIs. Lindsay Schutzler has a .447 average with a team-best eight triples and 25 stolen bases.
LSU is 15-8 all-time against Tennessee, including a 9-4 record in Baton Rouge, a 4-4 record in Knoxville and a 2-0 record at neutral sites. The Tigers were swept by the Lady Vols last year in Baton Rouge, but two of the losses came in extra innings. Turner lost both extra-inning meetings, despite pitching a no-hitter through seven innings in the first outing and a one-hitter through seven in the second. Yvette Girouard is 11-9 all-time against Tennessee, including an 8-6 record with the Tigers.
GAME FACTS: No. 11 LSU Tigers (48-9, 21-6 SEC) vs. No. 6 Tennessee (48-8, 19-8 SEC)
DATE/TIME: Saturday, May 6 – 11 a.m./1 p.m. (CT); Sunday, May 7 – Noon (CT)
RANKINGS:
LSU (#11 NFCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, #11 ESPN/USA Softball Poll)
Tennessee (#6 NFCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, #9 ESPN/USA Softball Poll)
STADIUM: Tennessee Field at Tyson Park (1,000)
RADIO: WNXX – The X – 104.5/104.9 FM
TELEVISION: ESPN2 – Saturday (Game 1); ESPNU – Sunday
INTERNET: Audio broadcast and live stats in the GeauxZone powered by USAgencies at www.LSUsports.net
SERIES RECORD: LSU leads 15-8.
LSU INDIVIDUAL PLAYER NOTES:
Junior Leslie Klein needs…
– Two RBI to move into sixth place on the LSU single-season RBIs list
– Two home runs to move into a tie for fifth place on the LSU career home runs list
– Two doubles to move into fifth place on the LSU career doubles list
– One sacrifice fly to move into a tie for fourth on the LSU career sacrifice fly list
Senior Camille Harris needs…
– One run scored to move into fifth on the LSU career runs scored list
– Two home runs to move into second on the LSU career home runs list
– One sacrifice fly to move into a tie for sixth on the LSU career sacrifice fly list
Senior Stephanie Hill needs…
– Four hits to move into eighth place on the LSU career hits list
– Three home runs to move into second on the LSU career home runs list
– Five RBIs to move into sixth place on the LSU career RBIs list
– One sacrifice fly to move into a tie for sixth on the LSU career sacrifice fly list
Sophomore Vanessa Soto needs…
– Four doubles to break the LSU single-season doubles record
– One sacrifice fly to break the LSU single-season sacrifice flies record
– One sacrifice fly to move into a tie for second on the LSU career sacrifice fly list