GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After playing its first eight Southeastern Conference games at home, the eighth-ranked LSU softball team will take to the road for a crucial three-game series against third-ranked Florida this weekend at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon CDT and concluding with a single game on Sunday at noon CDT.
Due to schedule conflicts, only the first and third games of the series will be broadcast on the radio or in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net. Those two games can be heard in Baton Rouge on The X – 104.5/104.9 FM and also in the Geaux Zone. In addition, all three games will have live statistics available on LSUsports.net.
“This should be a very exciting weekend of SEC softball,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “This is a tremendous challenge presented to us. It’s sure to be a packed house and we look forward to the challenge.”
The Tigers (29-4, 8-0 SEC) enter the weekend atop the SEC standings having won its first eight league games. LSU is also in the midst of a 17-game winning streak, including sweeps of nationally ranked Georgia and Auburn. The Tigers have also won 20 of their last 21, with the lone loss to Penn State in the Easton Purple & Gold Challenge on March 1.
With only one conference loss, the Gators (37-2, 9-1 SEC) currently lead the SEC Eastern Division and are just behind LSU in the overall race. Florida has won 10-straight games, including a doubleheader sweep of South Carolina on Wednesday, with their last loss coming at No. 2 Alabama on March 12. Florida’s only other loss to Long Beach state in 10 innings.
“There is no question this is the best Florida team since I’ve been at LSU that we will face,” said Girouard. “The rest of the country thinks they are that good as well because of their high ranking.”
Senior All-American Killian Roessner is hitting .330 for the season after leading the Tigers with a .556 average last weekend. The catcher also leads the team and is tied for the conference lead with nine home runs, the most of any season in her career. Roessner is second in the SEC with 35 RBIs and leads the league with five sacrifice flies.
Senior Dee Dee Henderson took over the team batting average lead in conference play and is hitting .391 in eight games this season. For the season, she is hitting .330 with 22 runs scored and a team-high 26 stolen bases, fourth most in the SEC this season. Senior Shannon Stein continues to lead the Tigers at the plate for the season. The second baseman is hitting .391 with seven doubles, one home run, 14 RBIs and five stolen bases. Sophomore Rachel Mitchell is hitting .327 and has posted a team-high nine doubles and leads the team with 26 runs scored.
Junior Kim Waleszonia leads Florida with a .387 batting average, while junior Ali Gardiner is just behind at .374, hitting the game-winning walk-off home run to defeat South Carolina earlier this week. Mary Ratliff and Francesca Enea are tied for the team lead with seven home runs each, while Ratliff leads the Gators with 32 RBIs.
As a team, the Tigers boast a .293 batting average, with four starters boasting averages over .300. LSU has also hit 45 doubles with four triples and 29 home runs. In 33 games, the Tigers are averaging 5.5 runs per game with 180 runs scored this season. In the field, LSU boasts a fielding percentage of .976, having committed only 21 errors in almost 900 attempts.
Florida has recorded a .309 batting average for the season. The Gators lead the league with 308 hits and are second in RBIs, runs scored and slugging percentage. Florida is averaging 5.8 runs per game and have recorded a .977 fielding percentage for the year.
LSU has already stolen 76 bases this season while only being caught seven times for a 92 percent success rate. Ranked third in the SEC as a team, the Tigers have recorded more steals this year than the 1997, 2002 and 2003 squads did in an entire season. Henderson leads the team with 26 steals, while Jazz Jackson has stolen 13-of-13 and Mitchell is 10-for-10. Eleven Tigers have recorded at least one stolen base this season.
The Gators rank fifth in the SEC with 69 stolen bases this season. However, Florida has been caught stealing on 15 occasions, worst in the conference, for a .812 success rate. Waleszonia leads with 18 stolen bases, while Kristina Hilberth and Aja Paculba each have stolen 11 bases.
Dani Hofer leads LSU and ranks third in the SEC with a 1.05 earned run average this season. With a 16-2 record, she has the second most wins by a pitcher this season. The junior has recorded 178 strikeouts, second most in the conference, in 21 appearances to average 11.0 strikeouts per seven innings. The reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week ranks second in the league as opponents hit only .149 against her, surrendering only 59 hits in 113.0 innings.
Sophomore Cody Trahan is 10-1 on the year with a 1.58 earned run average. She boasts 83 strikeouts and two complete-game shutouts, while one-hitting nationally ranked Georgia in the first SEC series of the season. Also seeing time in the circle for the Tigers this season are freshman Casey Faile and senior Tiffany Garcia. Faile is 2-0 on the year with a 1.98 earned run average, while Garcia is 1-1 with a 4.67 earned run average.
Junior Stacey Nelson leads Florida with a 23-2 record and a 0.92 earned run average. She has thrown 159.1 of the Gators’ 258.2 innings and struck out 201 with eight complete-game shutouts. Stephanie Brombacher is a perfect 12-0 on the year with a 1.41 earned run average and 72 strikeouts.
“We have a lot of respect for Nelson,” said Girouard. “We went to extra innings against her in the SEC Tournament championship game. They have very good athletes that we also tried to recruit. (Florida head coach) Tim (Walton) has done a great job with the program.”
The Tigers rank fourth in the SEC with a 1.61 earned run average. LSU has allowed only 148 hits in 230.0 innings on the season with opponents batting only .183 against them, second best in the conference. The Tigers have held nine opponents scoreless and struck out 303, the second most in the SEC.
As a team, Florida leads the SEC with a 1.06 team earned run average. The Gators have utilized four pitchers this season, but the other two options have thrown only 14.2 innings total with one start between then. Florida has thrown 16 shutouts this year as opponents are hitting only .168 against them. With 282 strikeouts, the Gators rank in third, just behind LSU, in the SEC.
Last season the Tigers swept four games against Florida, including a dramatic 1-0 win over the Gators in the SEC Tournament championship game. Earlier in the season, LSU won all three games in Baton Rouge. The Tigers won the first game, 7-0, before taking game two, 4-1. LSU concluded the regular season series with a 2-1 win. The Tigers are 27-7 all-time against Florida, and have won 11 straight and 15 of the last 16 over the Gators.
Next week, the Tigers will host a mid-week game against McNeese State on Wednesday at 6 p.m. LSU will then return to the road for a three-game conference series at No. 2-ranked Alabama. The series beings with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. and concludes with a single game on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
SERIES FACTS
LSU Tigers (29-4, 8-0 SEC) vs. Florida Gators (37-2, 9-1 SEC)
DATE/TIME
Saturday, March 29 ? Noon CDT (DH)
Sunday, March 30 ? Noon CDT
STADIUM
Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium (Gainesville, Fla.)
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network (WNXX-FM, The X -104.5/104.9 in Baton Rouge) ? Games 1 and 3 ONLY
INTERNET
Live audio (games 1 and 3) and stats (all games) in the Geaux Zone at LSUsports.net
TV
None
SERIES RECORD
LSU leads 27-7