Overall Record: 19-8 [4-1 SEC]
Last Week: 4-1
March 14 – No. 20 Auburn [W, 4-1]
March 14 – No. 20 Auburn [L, 2-0]
March 16 – Mississippi State [W, 10-7]
March 17 – Mississippi State [W, 3-1]
March 18 – Mississippi State [W, 4-0]
This Week:
March 20 – Georgia Tech [Tiger Park, 6 p.m.
March 23 – at South Carolina [Columbia, S.C., 5 p.m.]
March 24 – at South Carolina [Columbia, S.C., 1 p.m.]
March 25 – at South Carolina [Columbia, S.C., 12 p.m.]
Nominee for Pitcher of the Week
Brittany Mack, P, Sr., Round Rock, Texas
Mack opened SEC action in-style with a pair of wins and a save as LSU opened conference play with a 4-1 overall mark. She went the distance and limited No. 20 Auburn’s high-octane offense, which had averaged six runs per game entering the contest, to only a solo home run. She retired 20 of the final 23 batters she faced. During the series opener with Mississippi State, Mack entered the game with the tying run at the plate. She proceeded to strike out two of the final three batters to secure the 10-7 win. The two Ks also allowed her to surpass Cody Trahan for fifth place on LSU’s all-time strikeout list. She followed that up with a 10-strikeout performance to win her fifth consecutive decision dating back to March 3. In the process, Mack also picked up her 48th career win which enabled her to pass Trahan for fifth place on LSU’s all-time wins list.
Notes on the Tigers
LSU put together a 4-1 mark to open SEC play highlighted by a weekend sweep of Mississippi State after splitting its Wednesday doubleheader with No. 20 Auburn. The Tigers have won 16 of their last 20 games dating back to February 19. In the circle, Brittany Mack picked up a pair of wins and a save. She picked up 16 strikeouts against two walks in her 15.0 innings of work and has won her last five decisions. In the process, the senior right-hander vaulted into LSU’s Top 5 in career wins and strikeouts. Rachele Fico also notched two wins highlighted by a three-hit shutout of Mississippi State during Sunday’s series finale. Offensively, Juliana Santos and A.J. Andrews were the offensive heroes of the Auburn doubleheader. Santos compiled a 4-for-5 performance with two RBIs, while Andrews added a 2-for-4 effort to go along with two stolen bases. Three of LSU’s four RBIs in its 4-1 game one win over No. 20 Auburn came with two outs. Ashley Applegate, Allison Falcon and Dylan Supak teamed for seven of LSU’s 11 RBIs in the Mississippi State series. For the season, the Tigers have posted an impressive 113-22 advantage during its 19 wins fueled by 12 shutouts. LSU wraps up its season’s long 10-game homestand versus Georgia Tech [Tuesday – 6 p.m.] before traveling to South Carolina [Friday – 5 p.m., Saturday – 1p.m., Sunday – 12 p.m.].