BATON ROUGE — After earning Most Valuable Player honors at the Easton Purple & Gold Challenge this weekend, sophomore Dani Hofer took home Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday as the sixth-ranked LSU softball team prepares to host Alcorn State in a mid-week doubleheader on Tuesday beginning at 4 p.m.
Hofer went 3-0 last week without allowing a single run in 14 total innings. Against Southern Miss on Saturday, she recorded her third collegiate no-hitter and her second no-hitter in as many weeks. On Friday against Louisiana Tech, she allowed just one hit in the complete-game outing. She closed out the tournament with a two-hitter against Troy.
In her no-hitter against the Golden Eagles, she recorded 13 strikeouts in the five-inning game. Facing only two over the minimum on a pair of walks, she retired 13 of the 15 outs by way of the strikeout. In addition, she recorded 11 strikeouts in the five-inning win over the Lady Techsters.
For the season, Hofer is undefeated at 7-0 with a 0.95 earned run average. She has posted four shutouts and 84 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched, averaging over 13 strikeouts per game in her eight appearances.
The Tigers (17-1) are off to their best start in school history, with just one blemish against nationally ranked Southern Illinois in the Houston Crowne Plaza Invitational. The Lady Braves (2-9) come in after one of their biggest wins in school history, knocking off nationally ranked UL-Lafayette, 5-4, on Friday in the Northwestern State tournament. Fans will be able to win LSU sweatshirts as part of the “Disco Dance Party” on Tuesday.
“We had a good walk through today to prepare us for a quality opponent tomorrow,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “Alcorn State is coming in her after knocking off a top 10-ranked team last weekend. We know that on any given day anyone can win and we stressed that to the players, but their win last weekend really got our attention and we know that we will have to have a great effort to be successful.”
Last weekend, the Tigers went undefeated to win the Easton Purple & Gold Challenge and claim their second tournament title of the season. LSU knocked off Southern Miss, 4-0 and 9-0 in five innings; Troy, 9-1 in six innings and 13-0 in five innings, and Louisiana Tech, 8-0 and 10-1 ? both in five innings. In addition to Hofer’s MVP honor, Jazz Jackson, Leslie Klein and Emily Turner were named to the all-tournament team.
The Tigers were dominant through the tournament, outscoring their opponents, 53-2 in six games. LSU posted five run-rule victories, with only its first game of tournament play going the entire seven innings. Tiger pitching allowed just two runs on seven hits and struck out 62, averaging over 13 strikeouts per seven innings.
LSU was equally as impressive at the plate. The Tigers hit .414 as a team with 11 doubles, five triples and seven home runs. Five players hit over .400 for the weekend as LSU averaged almost nine runs a game.
Jackson led the Tiger effort at the plate in the Purple & Gold Challenge. The freshman designated player went 13-for-18 for a .722 average with nine runs scored, all tournament bests. In addition, she recorded a double, a triple and stole three bases. In six consecutive at-bats, she recorded base hits in a streak that spanned three games, extending her current hitting streak to seven games.
Klein led the tournament with 10 RBIs, while hitting .444 with a double, two triples and a home run. Turner finished 2-0 on the weekend with 20 strikeouts. She threw a one-hitter against Troy in her first outing and allowed just two hits in her finale against Louisiana Tech.
For the season, the Tigers are batting at a remarkable .364 clip. Seven of the starting nine are hitting .300 of above, including three hitting over .400. Additionally, LSU has already recorded 33 doubles, seven triples and 22 home runs in just 18 games for a .606 team slugging percentage.
Hofer leads the Tigers with a 7-0 record, while Turner is 6-1 on the season with a 1.50 earned run average. Junior Tiffany Garcia is 3-0 with a no-hitter and freshman Cody Trahan is 1-0 with a complete-game one-hitter. As a team, the Tigers have a 0.92 earned run average and are allowing opponents to hit just .115 against them. In addition, LSU pitchers have struck out 182 batters, which averages out to over 11 strikeouts per seven innings.
LSU is 1-0 all-time against Alcorn State, with the Tigers winning, 20-3 in five innings in the 2004 Purple & Gold Challenge. LSU holds a 22-0 record against SWAC opponents. For her career, head coach Yvette Girouard is 1-0 all-time against the Lady Braves, with the one meeting coming at LSU.
The Tigers travel to Seattle next weekend for the University of Washington Tournament. LSU will take on the nationally ranked Huskies, Portland State and North Dakota State in the three-day round robin tournament.