FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Holding a one-game lead in the Southeastern Conference Western Division and trailing the overall conference lead by just one game, the sixth-ranked LSU softball team travels for a three-game league series at Arkansas this weekend beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. and concluding with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The three-game series will be broadcast from Lady’Back Yard on the LSU Sports Radio Network in Baton Rouge on The X ? 104.5/104.9 FM and also in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net.
On Tuesday, the Tigers (43-16, 16-3 SEC) run ruled Southern, 11-1, in five innings. LSU recorded four home runs in the game, including a record three in the first inning. Junior Leslie Klein posted a record-tying two home runs, while Tayl’r Hollis added her third homer in three games. The home run by Hollis in the first inning extended her hitting streak to a team-best 13 games, which is tied for the fourth longest in school history.
“The team seems very focused on the task at hand,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “I am expecting a very good weekend.”
The Lady Razorbacks (20-35, 5-14 SEC) are coming off a doubleheader sweep of Louisiana Tech on Wednesday in Sherwood, Ark. Arkansas knocked off the Lady Techsters, 1-0, before coming from behind to win, 5-4, in the nightcap. Last weekend, the Lady’Backs dropped two out of three at Ole Miss and have lost four, but all five of Arkansas’ conference wins have come in the last three series after starting league play winless at 0-10.
Having clinched a spot in the SEC Tournament in Auburn, Ala., in three weeks, the Tigers are one game ahead of Alabama in the SEC West standings with nine games remaining. LSU is a game behind Tennessee in the overall standings as the Lady Vols come to Baton Rouge for a crucial three-game series next weekend. The Crimson Tide and Lady Vols will close out the regular season with a three-game series in Knoxville, Tenn.
LSU leads the overall series with the Lady’Backs, 31-7, including a 13-4 record in Fayetteville. Last season, Arkansas earned its first series win over the Tigers by taking two out of three at Lady’Back Yard. Girouard is 13-5 all-time against the Lady’Backs, with all 18 meetings coming while she has been at LSU.
“We have to be very careful of this potentially huge landmine,” said Girouard. “We definitely have to play Tiger softball in a place that has been tough for us to play well lately.”
Klein currently leads LSU at the plate with a .413 batting average. The USA Softball National Player of the Year Finalist leads the Southeastern Conference with 18 doubles, two shy of the Tiger softball single-season record, with a team-best four triples, seven home runs, 48 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. With the highest career batting average and slugging percentage in school history and having broken the career records for doubles, RBIs and total bases earlier in the season, the Sunrise, Fla., native, is only one home run shy of the school record and is easing closer to LSU records for hits and runs scored.
Junior Dee Dee Henderson, freshman Jazz Jackson and junior Killian Roessner are all hitting near the .400 mark for the year. Henderson comes in at .391 with 31 runs scored and a team-best 26 stolen bases. Jackson went 3-for-3 against Southern and has recorded a .387 average with 13 stolen bases. Roessner is hitting .377 this season with 12 doubles, five home runs and 29 RBIs.
Six current Tiger starters are hitting over .300 on the season. As a team, LSU ranks third in the SEC and 12th in the nation with a .326 batting average, while leading the SEC and ranking sixth nationally with 83 doubles. The Tigers have also hit nine triples and 43 home runs to go along with 83 stolen bases and 293 runs scored in 49 games.
As a team, the Tigers have the second best earned run average in the NCAA at 1.17. To go along with a stellar .972 fielding percentage, only eight of LSU’s mere 62 runs allowed have been unearned. Opponents are hitting just .162 against the Tigers, while LSU has struck out 425, third best in the SEC.
Among the regular SEC starters, senior All-American Emily Turner and sophomore Dani Hofer have each posted identical 1.30 earned run averages on the season. Turner is 14-5 with five complete-game shutouts and 138 strikeouts, while Hofer is an amazing 19-1 with nine complete-game shutouts, two no-hitters and 197 strikeouts.
For the season, Arkansas is hitting just .232 as a team, including 41 doubles, 11 triples and 25 home runs for a .329 slugging percentage. In addition, the Lady’Backs have stolen only 50 bases in 62 attempts, while struggling in the field with a .954 fielding percentage. Jessica Bachkora leads Arkansas at the plate with a .304 average, the only Lady’Back hitting over .300 on the year. Bachkora also leads the team with 10 doubles and four triples, while Whitney Cloer and Dayna Huckabee lead Arkansas with 25 RBIs each.
In the circle, the Lady’Backs have given up 224 runs this season for a 3.36 earned run average, allowing 56 unearned runs in 55 games. Katy Henry leads the Arkansas staff with a 13-17 record, including seven shutouts and 210 strikeouts with a 3.45 ERA. Miranda Dixon has recorded the best ERA on the staff at 2.90, but is 4-13 on the season with only 75 strikeouts in 26 appearances.
After a mid-week game at Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday at 6 p.m., LSU’s final regular season home games will be a three-game series against No. 1 Tennessee next weekend. The series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday at 3 p.m., in a game time that was pushed back two hours for television, and concludes with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. The first and third games of the series will be broadcast live nationally on ESPN2, in Baton Rouge on cable channel 36.
SERIES FACTS
No. 6 LSU Tigers (42-6, 16-3 SEC) at Arkansas Lady Razorbacks (20-35, 5-14 SEC)
DATE/TIME
Saturday, April 21 ? 1 p.m. (DH)
Sunday, April 22 ? 1 p.m.
STADIUM
Lady’Back Yard in Fayetteville, Ark.
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network (WNXX-FM, The X -104.5/104.9 in Baton Rouge)
INTERNET
Live audio and stats in the Geaux Zone at LSUsports.net
TV
None
SERIES RECORD
LSU leads 31-7