SEATTLE — The sixth-ranked LSU softball team travels to the Husky Classic this weekend in Seattle, taking on the nationally ranked Washington Huskies and Portland State in the three day tournament.
Due to poor weather conditions, North Dakota State was unable to make the trip and the schedule had to be revised. The Tigers (19-1), who are off to their best start in school history and currently riding an eight-game winning streak, will now begin tournament play against the Vikings (4-7) at 2:30 p.m. (CT) on Friday.
LSU will continue action on Saturday with their second game against Portland State at noon (CT) before facing 14th-ranked Washington (12-2) at 2:30 p.m. (CT). The Tigers will close out the tournament against the Huskies on Sunday at 2 p.m. (CT).
“We are really excited about going to Washington,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “This will be the first time I have ever been to Seattle in my career and I am looking forward to playing in their stadium. This will be the biggest challenge we have had so far this season and we are looking forward to the increased competition.”
Last weekend, the Tigers went undefeated to win the Easton Purple & Gold Challenge and claim their third 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 Dani Hofer‘s MVP honor from the Easton Purple & Gold Challenge, Hofer earned Southeastern Conference and Louisiana Pitcher of the Week honors. Jazz Jackson was a member of the all-tournament team and the Louisiana Hitter of the Week, while Leslie Klein and Emily Turner were also 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. She currently has a nine-game hitting streak the best streak on the team.
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.
On Tuesday, the Tigers swept a doubleheader from Alcorn State, 14-3 in five innings and 12-0 in five innings. After allowing three runs in the top of the first, LSU held the Lady Braves scoreless for the remaining nine innings of play, while not allowing a single player to reach scoring position.
For the season, the Tigers are batting at a remarkable .377 clip, best in the league. Eight of the starting nine are hitting .300 of above, including four hitting over .400. Additionally, LSU has already recorded 39 doubles, seven triples and 23 home runs in just 20 games for an SEC-best .615 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 4-0 with a no-hitter and freshman Cody Trahan is 2-0 with two complete-game one-hitters. As a team, the Tigers have a 1.02 earned run average and are allowing opponents to hit just .119 against them. In addition, LSU pitchers have struck out 196 batters, which averages out to over 11 strikeouts per seven innings.
Portland State lost its first four, but has won four of its last seven. LSU is 1-0 all-time against Portland State, having won the only previous meeting, 10-2 in five innings in the UNLV Desert Classic in 2004. The Tigers also hold a 2-0 record all-time against Pacific Coast Softball Conference opponents.
Washington went 3-1 at the Cal Poly Mustang Classic, before winning the USF Tournament and going 4-1 a the Palm Springs Classic last weekend. LSU is 5-5 all-time against the Washington, including a pair of wins, 2-0 and 4-0, last year in the Easton Tiger Classic. For her career, head coach Yvette Girouard is 9-3 all-time against the Huskies, including a 3-0 record at LSU.
The Tigers return home next week for a mid-week game against McNeese State on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The game will be televised on Cox Sports Television in Baton Rouge on cable channel 37. LSU will then hit the road again to open SEC play at Ole Miss next weekend.