BATON ROUGE — Junior Dani Hofer was named the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week as the 12th-ranked LSU softball team prepares to host Troy in a mid-week match-up at Tiger Park at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
The game will be televised on Cox Sports Television in Baton Rouge on cable channel 37. In addition, it will be the first broadcast of the season on the LSU Sports Radio Network in Baton Rouge on The X – 104.5/104.9 and in the Geaux Zone. Live statistics will also be available on the official LSU athletics website, LSUsports.net.
Hofer went 2-0 last week with a pair of complete-game wins over No. 16 Georgia, giving the Tigers their first series win and conference sweep of the Bulldogs since 2002. In the series finale, she threw a one-hitter, only allowing a lone single with one out in the top of the seventh inning.
“We really challenged our pitchers to do a better job and they really did that against Georgia,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “There was no question that Dani needed to step up for this team, and she absolutely did that last weekend.”
For the week, she allowed only one earned run while recording 21 strikeouts, including 12 in her first outing of the weekend. Georgia batted only .100 against her in 14 innings on just five hits and a 0.50 earned run average. In the first game against the Bulldogs, she struck out her 100th batter of the season and the 500th batter of her career.
For the season, Hofer is 10-2 with a 1.23 earned run average. She has combined for a pair of shutouts with 114 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched to average nearly 11 strikeouts per game in her 14 appearances.
Last weekend, the Tigers (19-4) have now won seven straight games and 10 of their last 11. LSU is also 16-1 at Tiger Park this season, with the lone loss to Penn State in the Easton Purple & Gold Challenge. Troy comes into the game with an overall record of 14-11 and has won three straight after taking two from Western Michigan on Sunday.
“I’m really pleased with the sweep last weekend,” said Girouard. “Georgia has been a thorn in our sides and we wanted revenge. It was a great way to start off the SEC schedule. This is a quick turnaround to play again tomorrow, but we got to practice on Monday to prepare us for a quality opponent Tuesday.”
The Tigers rank fifth in the SEC with a 1.69 earned run average. LSU has allowed only 87 hits on the season with opponents batting only .162 against them. After giving up 17 home runs in the first 17 games, the Tigers have not allowed a home run in the last six contests as the pitching staff has continued to improve each game. LSU has also struck out 202 in 23 games as the Tigers average over nine strikeouts per seven innings.
Hofer leads LSU in the circle, followed by sophomore Cody Trahan with a 6-1 record and a 2.07 earned run average. Against Georgia on Saturday, Trahan threw a complete-game one hitter and has now struck out 54 on the season. Freshman Casey Faile leads the Tigers with a 0.93 earned run average with a 2-0 record, while senior Tiffany Garcia is 1-1 with a 4.02 earned run average.
Troy has used only three pitchers this season, with one pitcher throwing over 70-percent of the innings. Ashlyn Williams leads the Trojans with 22 appearances in 25 team games. She has posted an 11-6 record and an 0.69 earned run average with four complete-game shutouts and 111 strikeouts. Cassie Lassiter is 3-3 on the year with 11 appearances and a 3.85 earned run average. Rocky Paige has thrown only 8.2 innings with a 5.65 earned run average and six strikeouts.
Senior Shannon Stein continues to lead the Tigers at the plate for the season. The second baseman is hitting .433 with a team-best six doubles, one home run, 12 RBIs and five stolen bases. Rachel Mitchell moved up to second on the team with a .328 clip, including five doubles, two triples, three home runs and 17 RBIs. In additions, she is tied for second on the team with nine stolen bases. Senior All-American Killian Roessner leads LSU with six home runs and 22 RBIs, while senior Dee Dee Henderson is 17-for-17 in stolen bases and has now stolen 25 consecutive bases without being caught.
Jessica Lyle leads Troy at the plate with a .343 average, followed by Courtney Davis with a .323 average, the only two Trojans hitting over .300 on the season. Lyle also leads Troy with eight doubles and 15 RBIS, while Davis boasts a team-best six home runs. Kala Moore leads the Trojans with 10 stolen bases, followed by Heidi Johnson with eight.
As a team, the Tigers boast a .288 batting average, with three starters boasting averages over .300. LSU has also hit 32 doubles with three triples and 24 home runs. In 23 games, the Tigers are averaging 5.5 runs per game with 127 runs scored. LSU has also posted 60 stolen bases, which ranks third in the SEC, and only been caught three times.
As a team, Troy is hitting .237 this season. The Trojans have recorded 30 doubles, four triples and 17 home runs. Averaging 3.4 runs per game, Troy has scored 85 runs this year. The Trojans have also stolen 24 bases, but been thrown out on nine occasions.
LSU leads the all-time series against the Trojans, 5-0. In the previous five meetings, the Tigers are 2-0 at home and 3-0 at neutral sites. Last season, LSU defeated Troy twice in the Easton Tiger Classic, 9-1 and 13-0. The Tigers also defeated the Trojans twice in 2006 at the Oklahoma/Nike Invitational, 2-0 and 8-0. The only other time LSU faced Troy, the Tigers won, 6-1, at the Georgia State Tournament in 1997. For her career, head coach Yvette Girouard is 5-0 all-time against Troy, including a 4-0 record at LSU.
The Tigers will take a break from SEC play this weekend as LSU travels to the USF Under Armour Classic. The Tigers will take on Fordham, Oklahoma State, Purdue and South Florida in pool play on Friday and Saturday. LSU will then compete in bracket play on Sunday to conclude the three-day tournament.