BATON ROUGE – The LSU softball team opens a busy month of April with a weekend series at Arkansas. Game times are set for Friday at 7 p.m. followed by a pair of 1 p.m. tilts on Saturday and Sunday.
The Tigers (18-12, 2-6 SEC) have 20 games scheduled on the April docket and return to action for the first time since an 8-0 five-inning triumph over Nicholls State back on March 23.
“We’re excited to get back on the field and look forward to keeping our momentum going that we had before entering the SEC bye weekend,” head coach Yvette Girouard said. “The time away allowed our team to get a little healthier and rest their bodies. Arkansas is always a tough series, especially on the road. Our team is aware it needs to execute in all facets of the game to be successful.”
LSU owns a 42-8 edge over Arkansas in the all-time series. The Tigers have secured wins in 12 of its previous 13 meetings with the Razorbacks (10-25, 1-12 SEC) dating back to the 2007 season.
Ashley Langoni heads into the weekend and has equaled a career-best six-game hitting streak. She has racked up eight RBIs on a .500 batting average during the run. The Pueblo, Colo., native also has upped her average by 53 points to .274 to go along with two home runs and 16 RBIs for the season.
Anissa Young and Tammy Wray have joined up to belt 10 of the squad’s 16 home runs. The pair also has contributed 21 and 19 RBIs, respectively, to pace the Tigers.
Simone Heyward has chipped in a team-best .304 hitting clip and tallied 13 stolen bases from the top of the batting order. LSU is 11-2 this season when Heyward scores a run.
Jacee Blades has reached base in 17 of her 24 starts, including five of her last eight outings dating back to the start of the Georgia series on March 11. Defensively, she has seen action in four different positions and totaled 33 putouts along with 14 assists en route to a spotless fielding percentage.
Meghan Patterson and Rachele Fico are ranked among the SEC’s Top 10 in strikeouts as the Tigers have mowed down 236 batters as a staff to rank third in the SEC. The duo combined for 10 Ks last time out at Nicholls State.
Brittany Mack has compiled a 7-3 record and fired back-to-back complete games versus No. 24 Kentucky. She has held opponents to a .211 batting average for the season.
All three games of the Arkansas series will be carried live on ESPN 104.5 FM with Patrick Wright and Matt Dunaway on the call. Saturday’s game will be televised by CST.
Fans also can follow live stats on www.LSUsports.net/livestats along with in-game updates via the program’s social media pages at www.Facebook.com/lsusoftball and Twitter.com/LSU_Softball.