BATON ROUGE — The eighth-ranked LSU softball team will battle second-ranked Alabama in the Southeastern Conference “Series of the Week” at Tiger Park this weekend that may go a long way towards determining the eventual league champion.
The pair will get started on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. The first game of the series will be televised by Cox Sports Television in Baton Rouge on cable channel 37. The series will conclude with a single game on Sunday also beginning at 1 p.m. That game will be broadcast on SEC-TV in Baton Rouge on Fox Sports Southwest, cable channel 38.
It will mark the annual “Bark in the Park” weekend as dog owners are encouraged to bring their family friendly canines to Tiger Park on a leash on both days. The first 100 dogs will receive free LSU “Geaux Dog Geaux” collars and an extreme canine stunt dog act will perform on Saturday between the doubleheader.
All three games will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network in Baton Rouge on WNXX – The X – 104.5/104.9 FM. The radio broadcasts and live statistics can also be found in the Geaux Zone powered by USAgencies on LSUsports.net. The second game of the series will be featured on live streaming video in the Geaux Zone as well.
LSU and Alabama have historically been two of the most dominant teams in the SEC since the league’s beginning. The Tigers (29-4, 5-1 SEC) are currently two games behind the Crimson Tide (30-1, 9-1 SEC) in the conference standings, but are tied in the loss column with one each.
“Alabama comes in here playing about as good as you can probably play,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “They have already played two more SEC series than us and are very solid with great pitching and timely hitting. We will have our hands full, but I like the way we are playing right now.”
In the 10-year history of the SEC, the Western Division championship has been garnered by only LSU or Alabama, with only two occasions when the Tigers and Crimson Tide did not finish 1-2 in the divisional standings. In addition, LSU has won the overall SEC Championship on five occasions with Alabama winning once. The pair have also combined for seven of the 10 SEC Tournament titles, with the Tigers claiming four and Alabama winning three.
Having played the Crimson Tide more than any opponent in school history, the pair also have the most played rivalry in SEC history. The Tigers hold the 26-19 all-time series advantage against Alabama, including an 11-6 record in Baton Rouge. LSU took 2-of-3 in Tuscaloosa last year, snapping the Crimson Tide’s then unblemished conference record. However, Alabama has won three straight over the Tigers in Tiger Park after sweeping the 2005 series, the only Crimson Tide series sweep in the 10-year history of the rivalry.
“There is no question that this is a big series for us, especially since we get Alabama at home,” said Girouard. “It should be the usual battle between LSU and Alabama and hopefully we’ll have a sold out, capacity crowd.”
As a team, LSU leads the SEC with a .338 batting average and a .421 on base percentage. In addition, the Tigers lead the league in hits and doubles while ranking in the top three in almost every statistical category. Despite stealing 67 bases in 67 attempts, LSU ranks only fourth in the conference in that category.
At the plate for the season, junior Dee Dee Henderson leads LSU with a .500 batting average. The Atlanta, Texas, native also leads the team with 21 stolen bases, and ranks fourth on the team with 24 runs scored. She just had her school record 15-game hitting streak snapped against Centenary on Wednesday.
Junior Killian Roessner, senior Leslie Klein and freshman Jazz Jackson are all hitting over .400 for the Tigers, coming in at .452, .436 and .423 respectively. Although Henderson leads the team, Roessner leads the SEC in batting average as Henderson has not met the required minimum at-bats. In addition, Klein comes in third in the league in batting average.
Klein was named the SEC and Louisiana Player of the Week after leading the Tigers with a .545 batting average, including a 1.091 slugging percentage, last week. The Sunrise, Fla., native, recorded three doubles, four RBIs and a home run, while scoring three runs and stealing a pair of bases. With her first double against Florida, she broke the LSU career doubles record and has moved into a tie for seventh in career doubles in SEC history.
In the series finale with the Gators, she broke up a no-hitter by Stacey Nelson in the bottom of the fourth inning with a lead off solo home run that proved to be the game winner. It was the 27th home run of her career, which put the two-time All-American in a tie for second in career home runs in school history.
Against Centenary on Wednesday, Roessner had a career game at the plate as the Tiger catcher went 4-for-5 with a pair of home runs, three runs scored and four RBIs. The two homers tied the school record for home runs in a game, while the four hits, three runs scored and four RBIs were all career highs for the Manasquan, N.J., native.
While LSU leads the SEC in batting average, hits and doubles, Alabama leads the league in runs scored, RBIs, home runs and stolen bases. The Crimson Tide are batting .327 with 220 runs and 40 home runs. Alabama has stolen 88 bases in an amazing 101 attempts, which is 16 more steal attempts than any other school in the league.
Lauren Parker leads the Crimson Tide with a .446 batting average, while Brittany Rogers and Jordan Praytor are also topping the .400 mark at .416 and .402 respectively. Mandy Burford leads Alabama with nine home runs, just ahead of Parker with eight. Rogers ranks third in the SEC with 24 stolen bases, followed by Praytor with 17 and Burford with 16.
In the circle for the Tigers, sophomore Dani Hofer leads LSU with an 11-1 record and has a 1.20 earned run average. She has recorded 130 strikeouts and ranks second in the SEC with a .114 opponent’s batting average against her. Senior Emily Turner is 10-3 on the season with a 1.23 ERA. The All-American went 2-0 against nationally ranked Florida last weekend and has posted 101 strikeouts in 80 innings this year.
As a team, LSU has a 1.01 earned run average, which ranks second in the SEC, and the Tigers are allowing opponents to hit only .134 against them, second lowest in the league. In addition, the LSU staff has recorded 297 strikeouts, ranking second in the conference behind Tennessee, with 16 shutouts in 33 games.
Chrissy Owens leads the Crimson Tide in the circle with a perfect 15-0 record and an 0.62 earned run average. She has struck out 79 in just under 90 innings with seven complete-game shutouts. Blair Potter and Charlotte Morgan have each made 10 appearances for Alabama, with Potter going 7-0 with a 1.04 ERA and Morgan taking the only loss of the year at 6-1 with a 1.86 ERA.
As a team, the Crimson Tide has recorded a 1.03 earned run average, ranking third behind the Tigers in the SEC standings. However, Alabama has only recorded 181 strikeouts in 197 innings, ranking eighth in the conference standings, with 13 shutouts in 31 games.
Next week, the Tigers will travel for a mid-week game against McNeese State in Lake Charles. LSU will take on the Cowgirls on Wednesday at 6 p.m. On March 7 on Cox Sports Television, the Tigers knocked off McNeese State, 7-1, in at Tiger Park.
LSU returns to conference play next weekend at Auburn. The Fighting Tigers will take on the Tigers in a three-game series beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. and concluding with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
SERIES FACTS
No. 8 LSU Tigers (29-4, 5-1 SEC) vs. No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (30-1, 9-1 SEC)
DATE/TIME
Saturday, March 24 ? 1 p.m. (DH)
Sunday, March 25 ? 1 p.m.
STADIUM
Tiger Park in Baton Rouge, La.
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network (WNXX-FM, The X -104.5/104.9 in Baton Rouge)
INTERNET
Live streaming video (game 2 only), audio and stats in the Geaux Zone at LSUsports.net
TV
Saturday: Cox Sports Television ? Cable channel 37:
Sunday: SEC-TV ? Fox Sports Southwest ? Cable channel 38
SERIES RECORD
LSU leads 26-19