BATON ROUGE – The No. 16 LSU softball team wraps up the non-conference tournament slate by welcoming Campbell, South Alabama and Syracuse to Tiger Park for the Purple & Gold Challenge this weekend.
LSU (13-4) has won 11 of its last 12 games fueled by an eight-game winning streak where the Tigers have outscored their opponents by an impressive 46-7 margin. During the streak, LSU’s offense has racked up a .300 team batting average in addition to a scorching .372 mark with runners in scoring position.
“There’s no place like home. We’ve got extremely comfortable with our surroundings and have another great tournament field coming into Tiger Park this weekend,” head coach Yvette Girouard said. “We’ve played some mighty good opponents and quality pitching during our preconference schedule.”
Courtney Hollier paces the Tigers with a .417 average to go along with a homer and six RBIs over her last eight games. She has become a regular in the lineup at second base, while Ashley Applegate, Ashley Langoni and Kirsten Shortridge each have produced over .333 clips during the streak.
For the season, Shortridge has racked up 31 hits to rank third in the SEC. She also headlines the league going 14-for-16 in the stolen base department.
Langoni ranks among the SEC’s Top 10 in home runs (5), RBIs (13), total bases (32) and walks (10). She is joined by Anissa Young and Jessica Mouse as the only Tigers to reach double-digit RBIs in 2010.
“Hitting is a contagious thing,” Girouard said. “It’s all about confidence and our kids are starting to feel that on a daily basis.”
LSU’s pitching staff continues to string together stellar performance after stellar performance as Rachele Fico, Brittany Mack and Cody Trahan have posted multiple wins over the eight-game winning streak. The Tigers are the frontrunners in the SEC with a 0.91 ERA coupled with a .185 opponent batting average, good enough for second in the league.
Fico, the reigning Louisiana Sports Writers Association [LSWA] Pitcher of the Week, has notched a 4-0 mark with two saves and held opponents to a .112 hitting clip since opening weekend. She also has been touched up for 11 hits and mowed down 37 batters over 28.0 innings of work.
Trahan has returned to the circle with a vengeance after missing opening weekend. She has a sparkling 3-0 record, sports a SEC-leading 0.30 ERA and has yielded only one run in 23.3 innings. The Little Cypress, Texas, native also has compiled 30 strikeouts against one walk.
“It’s an awfully good thing to have when everyone wants the ball,” Girouard said. “Our pitching has been phenomenal and our defense has been tremendous. Working ahead has been the key for both Cody and Rachele. You have the power and are able to use all of your weapons as a pitcher when you work ahead. We talk about that every day in the bull pen and things are going well in that aspect.”
Fans can follow every game of the Purple & Gold Challenge via live stats on LSUsports.net in addition to live in-games updates on www.twitter.com/lsu_softball.