Softball Set to Clash with Sun Devils in Super Regional
TEMPE, Ariz. — The third-ranked and 10th seeded LSU softball team moves one step closer to its goal of a third Women’s College World Series berth as the Tigers face ninth-ranked and seventh-seeded Arizona State in the NCAA Tempe Super Regional at Farrington Stadium beginning on Friday at 9 p.m. CDT.
All of LSU’s NCAA Regional games will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network in Baton Rouge on Country Legends 107.3 FM, which receives wider signal coverage than the Tigers’ regular network station, The X – 104.5/104.9 FM. The broadcasts can also be heard in the GeauxZone on LSUsports.net.
LSU (55-10) will take on the Sun Devils (52-15) in the best of three series beginning on Friday .The pair will meet again on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CDT with a third game to follow at 9 p.m. CDT if necessary. The winner of the NCAA Tempe Super Regional will advance as the sixth seed in the Women’s College World Series.
“This is not the time of year where you have day two to make the adjustments, you have to make them immediately,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “This why you got up at 5 a.m. and this is for all the wind sprints you ran during the year. You are two wins away from your goal. You always want the advantage and to win that first game.”
NCAA Super Regional Pairings
Cal St. Fullerton (38-21) at (1) Arizona (42-12-1)
(Sat., 7 p.m. ESPN; Sun., 2 p.m./4:30 p.m. ESPNU)
(9) Michigan (46-11) at (8) Baylor (48-13)
(Fri., 6:30 p.m.; Sat., 1 p.m./3:30 p.m.)
Hawai’i (49-11) at (5) Tennessee (57-5)
(Fri., 7 p.m. ESPNU; Sat., 3 p.m./5:30 p.m. ESPNU)
(13) Florida (49-20) at (4) Texas A&M (44-11)
(Fri., 6:30 p.m. ESPN; Sat., 1 p.m./3:30 p.m. ESPN)
(14) DePaul (44-11) at (3) Oklahoma (55-6)
(Sat., 11 a.m. ESPN; Sun., noon/2:30 p.m. ESPN)
(11) Alabama (55-8) at (6) Washington (38-17)
(Fri., 5:30 p.m.; Sat., 2 p.m./4:30 p.m.)
(10) LSU (55-10) at (7) Arizona St. (52-15)
(Fri., 9 p.m.; Sat., 6:30 p.m./9 p.m.)
South Carolina (38-24) at (2) Northwestern (48-11)
(Fri., 3 p.m.; Sat., 1 p.m./3:30 p.m.)
The Tigers went undefeated in NCAA Regional play in Palo Alto, Calif., to advance to the Super Regionals. The Tigers defeated Cal State Northridge, 3-2, before knocking off No. 25 Fresno State, 1-0, in nine innings. In the championship game, LSU topped regional host and 16th-ranked Stanford, 11-5, on Saturday.
“I don’t think that this team will back down, be intimidated or overwhelmed,” said Girouard about her team’s trip to the NCAA Super Regionals this season as compared to a trip to No. 1 Arizona last season, where the Tigers took 1-of-3 from the Wildcats. “This team travels well and they handled last week’s trip to Palo Alto beautifully. The team is self motivated. They are taking care of their own motivation.”
Arizona State also went undefeated in regional play to advance. The Sun Devils topped Southern Utah, 2-1, in nine innings to open regional play in Provo, Utah. They then knocked off BYU, 7-1, before defeating the Cougars once again, 6-3, to earn a berth in the NCAA Super Regionals.
LSU has won six straight games, claiming both the Southeastern Conference Tournament title and the NCAA Regional championship. Arizona State has won four straight since a 4-3 loss to UCLA on May 11. The winner of the NCAA Super Regional will advance to play the winner of the Northwestern/South Carolina Super Regional in the Women’s College World Series beginning on May 31.
At the plate for the season, freshman Jazz Jackson leads LSU with a .387 batting average, followed by senior All-American Leslie Klein at .383. Jackson leads the team with 77 hits, while ranking third on the squad with 15 stolen bases. Klein, a USA Softball National Player of the Year Top 25 finalist, ranks second on the team with 75 hits, a school record 22 doubles, eight home runs and 60 RBIs. In addition, she ranks second on the team with 21 stolen bases.
As a team, the Tigers lead the SEC with 101 doubles, the third LSU team to break the century mark for doubles, while ranking 15th in the nation with a .309 batting average. LSU also leads the league with 538 hits and is second with 300 RBIs. The Tigers are in the top three in the SEC in almost every statistical category.
Kaitlin Cochran leads Arizona State in almost every hitting category. The sophomore leads the nation with a .497 batting average, with a team-best 18 home runs, 16 doubles, two triples and 58 RBIs. Cochran is one of three finalists for USA Softball National Player of the Year and has been walked 50 times, including 14 times intentionally. Mindy Cowles and Bianca Cruz have also recorded double-figure home run totals for the Sun Devils, playing on the small Farrington Field, which goes only 190 down the lines and 210 to center field.
“They have somewhat of a three-headed monster in the three C’s ? Cruz, Cochran and Cowles, a kid we recruited and thought we would get,” said Girouard. “Obviously Cochran was the hitter of the year in the Pac-10, so that is a statement in itself. She is one of three Player of the Year finalists. We’ve been successful against one of the three finalists already this year and hopefully we can do the same this weekend.
As a team, the Sun Devils have a .289 batting average. Arizona State has posted 69 doubles, eight triples and 82 home runs, scoring 383 total runs this season on 510 hits. The Sun Devils have also stolen 75 bases on 92 attempts and have a .956 fielding percentage with 79 errors.
Among the regular starters for the Tigers, Dani Hofer leads LSU with a 24-2 record and ranks 19th in the NCAA with a 1.20 earned run average with a team-best 243strikeouts. The sophomore has also posted 10 complete-game shutouts and combined for three more. All-American Emily Turner is 21-6 on the season, including a pair of wins over No. 5 Alabama and a pair of wins over No. 2 Tennessee this season. The senior has ranks 19th nationally with a 1.24 earned run average and has recorded 191 strikeouts with seven complete-game shutouts and two combined.
“The bottom line is we are going to have to stay ahead in the count,” said Girouard. “Hopefully our pitches are working, but the key for both teams is that they have to work ahead. Period. If we do that, then we have a greater chance of being successful.”
The Tigers ranks second in the nation with an ERA of 1.17, having allowed only 95 runs, 74 earned, in 442.0 innings. LSU is limiting opponents to just a .176 batting average against, while posting 27shutouts in 65 games, the second most in the SEC. Tiger pitchers have also struck out 535 as a team.
Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year Katie Burkhart leads Arizona State in the circle with a 33-11 record, including a 1.03 earned run average. The junior broke her own Sun Devil single-season record with 473 strikeouts and has thrown 12 complete-game shutouts. As a team, Arizona State has a 1.71 earned run average with 612 strikeouts and 17 shutouts. The Sun Devils are allowing opponents to hit.176 against them, but have allowed 44 home runs against them this year.
“It’s the country’s opinion that she could probably be the second best pitcher in the country,” Girouard said of Burkhart. “We’ve faced some of the best in our conference and in Danielle Lawrie from Washington. She’s not unbeatable or unhittable, but it comes down to who gets the timely hits.”
Having qualified for nine NCAA Tournaments in 11 seasons, LSU is 31-16 (.680) all-time in the tournament, the fifth best winning percentage of any school in the NCAA Tournament in the nation. In 2001, the Tigers advanced to their first Women’s College World Series, where LSU went 2-2. Three years later, the Tigers again advanced to the WCWS, this time coming seven outs away from the national championship game.
GAME FACTS: LSU Tigers (55-10, 22-6 SEC) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (52-15, 13-8 Pac-10)
DATE/TIME: Friday, May 26 – 9 p.m. CT
RANKINGS:
LSU (#5 NFCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, #3 ESPN/USA Softball Poll)
Arizona State (#9 NFCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, #9 ESPN/USA Softball Poll)
STADIUM: Farrington Stadium (1,535)
RADIO: Country Legends 107.3 FM
TELEVISION: None
INTERNET: Audio broadcast and live stats in the GeauxZone at LSUsports.net
SERIES RECORD: Series tied 3-3.