BATON ROUGE – The No. 21 LSU softball team heads into SEC action with a Wednesday doubleheader against No. 2 Florida at Tiger Park. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. and both games of the twinbill will be broadcasted on ESPN 104.5 FM in the Baton Rouge area with Patrick Wright on the call.
The Tigers (15-5) are coming off a weekend sweep of the Purple & Gold Challenge, including victories over Pittsburgh [4-0], Hofstra [1-0] and No. 12 Texas [2-1].
Florida (19-0) has won nine of the last 10 games in the series, but LSU claimed a 9-1 victory over the Gators in the semifinals of the 2010 SEC Tournament.
“If you like college softball, even if you don’t pull for the Tigers, you can come watch an extremely good Florida program,” head coach Yvette Girouard said. “They’re one of the top teams in the nation and have a ton of talented players. They swing the bats with a lot of confidence, and have a lot of swagger.”
Simone Heyward, Tiffany Shaw, Anissa Young and Tammy Wray, the top four hitters in the LSU lineup, are hitting over .340 for the season.
Heyward and Shaw have combined for 33 hits and scored 28 runs. The duo also has tallied 17 of the team’s 35 stolen bases.
Young has knocked three homers and drove home eight RBIs in her last six games. Her RBI single during the third inning was the difference in LSU’s 2-1 victory over No. 12 Texas.
Wray has racked up nine of her 16 RBIs over her last eight games. She also has strung together a career-long six-game hitting streak.
Ashley Langoni and Juliana Santos join Young and Wray with double digit RBIs. The junior pair has chipped in 11 RBIs apiece.
LSU’s pitching trio of Rachele Fico, Brittany Mack and Meghan Patterson have notched five wins each. All three are ranked among the SEC’s Top 13 in strikeouts.
Mack is the reigning SEC and LSWA Pitcher of the Week after her impressive two-hit shutout in a 1-0 nine-inning triumph over Hofstra. The win over the Pride was Girouard’s 500th at LSU.
Patterson is the first freshman pitcher in LSU history to win her first five decisions and nearly fired her second career no-hitter during a 4-0 win over Pittsburgh.
Fico worked around a career-high six walks and stranded 10 base runners en route to a 2-1 victory over No. 12 Texas.
Wednesday’s game features a great evening of promotions exhibiting the culture that makes Louisiana such a unique state. In honor of LSU softball’s “Cochon de Gator” fans who show up wearing swamp hunting costumes will receive a $1 ticket. The first 1000 fans also will receive LSU Softball Static Clings.
Live stats are available on LSUsports.net/livestats and fans can follow in-game updates via the program’s social media pages at www.Facebook.com/lsusoftball and www.Twitter.com/LSU_Softball.
The Tiger Park Ticket Booth will open Wednesday at 4 p.m. and fans can purchase tickets on-site starting at $5 for adult general admission. It marks the third of five Weekday Worker games where fans presenting their business card will receive a $3 ticket and entrance into a drawing to win a prize pack.
Additional ticket information for LSU’s remaining home schedule that features SEC heavyweights Alabama, Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee is available at www.LSUtix.net.