BATON ROUGE – The No. 14 LSU softball team embarks on SEC action with a weekend series at South Carolina. It marks the first time since opening weekend that LSU will play away from the friendly confines of Tiger Park.
The Tigers (18-4, 0-0 SEC) have won 13-straight games and compiled a .301 team batting average en route to outscoring their opponents by an impressive 85-11 margin during the streak. Eight different players have picked up All-Tournament accolades over the last three weekends.
LSU holds a 28-12 edge in the all-time series against South Carolina, including four consecutive games highlighted by a three-game sweep at Tiger Park last season. The Gamecocks (9-11, 0-2 SEC) dropped both tilts of a Wednesday doubleheader at Ole Miss.
“We’re extremely excited to start the second part of our season with SEC play,” head coach Yvette Girouard said. “I’m sure South Carolina will be ready to go because they didn’t start league play the way they wanted to at Ole Miss. We feel we’ve scheduled appropriately and that our non-conference games have prepared us for the tough SEC competition ahead.”
LSU’s offense has six players that have already racked up double-digit RBIs as Ashley Langoni and Anissa Young fuel the group from the heart of the lineup with 16 and 15, respectively. Rachel Mitchell, Jessica Mouse and Courtney Hollier have chipped in 13 RBIs apiece.
The Tigers also have racked up 54 stolen bases in 56 attempts. Kirsten Shortridge has tallied 20 steals and swiped multiple bags on six occasions. Her team-leading 29 hits also rank fourth in the SEC.
“Our offense has started to click and it’s a wonderful thing when the RBI distribution is spread around the way it is because we’re not counting on just one or two players,” Girouard said. “We talked about primetime at-bats consistently with the team and executing in those situations are what allow you to win championships.”
The Tiger pitching staff headlines the SEC with a stifling 0.91 ERA and have already faced seven 2009 NCAA Tournament squads. Rachele Fico and Cody Trahan have garnered consecutive LSWA Pitcher of the Week awards, while Brittany Mack has notched a 4-2 mark. All three pitchers rank among the SEC’s Top 8 in ERA.
Fico continues to roll since opening weekend where she has posted an unblemished 6-0 mark with a pair of saves. The Connecticut native has struck out 48 batters and limited opponents to a .128 batting average over 41.0 innings.
Trahan has put together a dominant 5-0 mark and sports a SEC-leading 0.21 ERA since missing opening weekend. She has fired 37 strikeouts against one walk and has surrendered just one run during 33.0 innings of work.
“We like our situation and have to continue to work ahead to be successful in the circle,” Girouard said. “They all want the ball and want to finish the game. That’s a great thing and we’ll make adjustments as we go. They’re all working hard and making the most of their opportunities.”
All three games of the USC series will be broadcasted live on ESPN Radio 104.5 and The X 104.9 FM in the Baton Rouge area with Patrick Wright and Matt Dunaway set to call all of the action.
Live stats also are available in the Geaux Zone on LSUSports.net along with live in-game updates via www.twitter.com/lsu_softball.