LSU Gold

No. 4 Softball Plays Georgia in Search of SEC Title

by LSUsports.net (@LSUsports)
Series Notes +0
No. 4 Softball Plays Georgia in Search of SEC Title

ATHENS, Ga. — With their sixth Southeastern Conference championship on the line, the fourth-ranked LSU softball team will close out the regular season at Georgia this weekend with a three-game series, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT and concluding with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT at the UGA Soccer/Softball Complex.

All three games will also 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 on LSUsports.net.

After taking two out of three from then No. 1 Tennessee at Tiger Park last weekend, the Tigers (48-8, 19-4 SEC) moved into a three-way tie for the league championship with the Lady Vols and current No. 1 Alabama. Tennessee and the Crimson Tide will face off in a three-game series in Knoxville. LSU controls its own fate for the SEC Championship as the Tigers hold the tie breakers over both the Crimson Tide and Lady Vols and need only match that series’ winner to win the conference title, with a Tiger sweep of Georgia guaranteeing a championship and the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament next week.

“Our slogan for the weekend has been ?finish it’”, said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “Since day one and the first meeting we had with this team, our slogan has been ?unfinished business.’ Now we get a chance to finish a major goal. The team understands that from this point on, it is all about championships. We’ve done the really hard work, now we’ve got to make sure we finish the mission and play Tiger softball this weekend.”

LSU has won five SEC Championships and seven SEC Western Division titles in the last 10 seasons, the most of any school in the league. The last time the Tigers won the division or conference championship was in 2004, when LSU won the SEC triple crown ? Division Championship, SEC Championship, SEC Tournament Title.

At the plate for the season, freshman Jazz Jackson leads LSU with a .406 batting average, followed by senior All-American Leslie Klein at .404. Jackson ranks second on the team with 67 hits, while ranking third on the squad with 15 stolen bases in 16 attempts. The left fielder has also played error free ball this year, converting on all 26 chances in the field. Klein, a USA Softball National Player of the Year finalist, leads the team with 69 hits, 19 doubles, one shy of the school record, eight home runs and 54 RBIs. In addition, she ranks second on the team with 20 stolen bases.

As a team, the Tigers lead the SEC with 87 doubles, 17 ahead of the closest team, while ranking ninth in the nation with a .323 batting average. LSU also leads the league with 479 hits and is second with 270 RBIs. The Tigers are in the top three in the SEC in almost every statistical category.

Kellie Middleton leads Georgia t the plate with a .372 average, followed by Charvi Greer at .358, the only two Bulldog players hitting over .300. Middleton also leads Georgia with 12 doubles, 40 RBIs and 42 stolen bases, while Megan McAllister leads the Bulldogs with eight home runs.

Georgia, which ranked second in the SEC in batting last season, is hitting .270 as a team this season, which puts it sixth in the league. The Bulldogs have recorded 445 hits and 285 runs with 62 doubles, eight triples and 25 home runs, but do not rank in the top two in any offensive category in the conference except walks.

Among the regular SEC starters for the Tigers, Dani Hofer leads LSU with a 21-2 record and a 1.18 earned run average with a team-best 212 strikeouts. The sophomore has also posted 10 complete-game shutouts and combined for an 11th.  All-American Emily Turner, the reigning consensus National Player of the Week, is 17-5 on the season, including a win over No. 1 Alabama and a pair of wins over No. 2 Tennessee this season. The senior has a 1.24 earned run average and has recorded 154 strikeouts with six complete-game shutouts.

Also seeing action in the circle this season, junior Tiffany Garcia is 6-0 with a 1.02 earned run average, while freshman Cody Trahan is 4-1 with a miniscule 0.19 ERA. The pair have made 19 combined appearances with 101 total strikeouts.

The Tigers ranks second in the conference and second in the nation with an ERA of 1.09, having allowed only 69 runs, 58 earned, in 372.0 innings. LSU is limiting opponents to just a .162 batting average against, while posting 25 shutouts in 56 games, the second most in the SEC. Tiger pitchers have also struck out 467 as a team, the third most in the league.

Kasi Carroll leads Georgia with a 24-8 record and a 1.96 earned run average with 194 strikeouts. South Carolina transfer Christie Hamilton is 15-12 on the year with a 2.85 ERA and 140 strikeouts. Kate Gaskill and Kacey Coonce have seen limited action, combining for a 2-4 record in 21 appearances with earned run averages both over three.

With more innings pitched than any team in the league, Georgia ranks eighth with a 2.54 team earned run average. The Bulldogs have recorded 416 strikeouts with 21 shutouts in 427.1 innings, while allowing opponents to hit .238 against them.

In 33 previous meetings, LSU leads the all-time series with a 23-10 record. The Tigers are 9-5 in Athens, 9-4 in Baton Rouge and 5-1 at neutral sites. Last season, the pair split four games, with Georgia winning the first two and the Tigers taking the last two, including a 5-0 win in the SEC Tournament in Athens. Girouard is 14-11 all-time against the Bulldogs, with all 15 meetings coming while she has been at LSU.

Following the conclusion of the regular season on Sunday, the Tigers will travel to Auburn, Ala., for the SEC Tournament next week. The pairings will be announced once the season in completed with the top eight teams earning bids. The three-day single elimination tournament will give one of the teams an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament before the field is announced on Sunday, May 13.

SERIES FACTS
No. 4 LSU Tigers (48-8, 19-4 SEC) vs. Georgia Bulldogs (41-24, 11-14 SEC)

DATE/TIME
Saturday, May 5 ? 1 p.m. CT (DH)
Sunday, May 6 ? 1 p.m. CT

STADIUM
UGA Soccer/Softball Complex in Athens, Ga.

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 23-10