COLLEGE STATION, Texas. – Due to expected inclement weather in and around the College Station area on Friday, the LSU softball team will open a three-game SEC series against the Texas A&M Aggies on Friday at a new start time of 4:30 p.m. CT at the Aggie Softball Complex.
With thunderstorms and rain chances expected to increase later into the evening, the game was moved from the original start time of 6:30 p.m. in College Station, to the new time of 4:30 p.m. to avoid the weather.
For all of the latest news and information on Tiger softball, visit www.lsusports.net/softball. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/lsusoftball along with @lsusoftball and @BethTorina on Twitter and @lsusb on Instagram.
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BATON ROUGE, La. – A battle between two SEC high-powered offenses is scheduled for this weekend as the No. 4 LSU softball team travels to take on 11th-ranked Texas A&M this Friday-Sunday in College Station.
All three games of the SEC clash will be steamed live on SEC Network+, available through Watches and the WatchESPN app. Links to live stats will provided prior to each game on LSUsports.net, with full recaps following competition each day.
Patrick Wright and the LSU Sports Radio Network will have radio coverage of the series on the home for LSU softball on Talk 107.3 FM locally in Baton Rouge. Geaux Zone subscribers will be able to listen in online as well as in the LSUsports.net mobile app, as fans can also follow the action through the team’s social media pages on Facebook and Twitter.
The Tigers return to conference action looking to maintain its high level of play as of late, sitting at 23-4 on the season and 2-1 in the SEC, winning 20 of their last 21 games overall heading into the weekend.
After playing 16 consecutive games at home, LSU is getting used to road life and kicked it off in a big way on Tuesday night, using a bruising offense to score 30 runs on 27 hits in a 30-8 win over Louisiana Tech in Ruston. Not only was the team able to set numerous offensive records, but got an SEC-type crowd with the more than 1,900 in attendance at the Lady Techster Softball Complex to help get the team prepared for what they’ll face this weekend in College Station.
“I like how we were able to respond, not only on the road, but in an atmosphere that we will definitely see again multiple times throughout the rest of the year,” head coach Beth Torina said. “Every weekend on the road in the SEC is like what we saw Tuesday night, so now we have to take that and use it to our advantage to be able to play the way we did no matter where we go.”
The game against LaTech helped rocket the team’s overall batting average to .380 which is second overall in the conference at the moment. The Tigers rank in the top five in batting average, slugging, on-base percentage, runs scored, hits, RBIs, triples, home runs and total bases.
Two of the players helping that LSU offensive charge are seniors Bianka Bell and Kellsi Kloss. The duo combined for six of the team’s record seven home runs in the game against Louisiana Tech, becoming the first two players to have more than two in a single game in team history. Bell has hit five in each of the last four games, while Kloss has had four multiple home run contests over the course of the last two seasons, with three coming this year alone.
Sahvanna Jaquish leads the team at the plate, hitting .478, with 37 RBIs, nine home runs and 24 walks. Jaquish and Emily Griggs are both tied for the team lead in hits with 33, as Griggs hit .500 last weekend to open league play against Alabama and is second on the team with 28 runs scored.
In all, LSU has all eight of their position starters hitting above .320 for the season.
In the circle, LSU sports a 1.45 staff earned run average which is also third within the conference, as opponents are hitting .219 with 192 strikeouts.
Carley Hoover leads the Tiger pitching staff in wins with a 10-0 record, striking out 92 in 59.1 total innings of work during the season. She won two of the three games last weekend and pitched in all three, appearing in 14 total games in 2016.
Sydney Smith earned the victory on Tuesday and improved her record to 6-1 on the season, holding her ERA under 1.00, continuing to lead the team in shutouts with four. Allie Walljasper is right behind with a 1.29 mark, issuing just four walks in 38.0 complete innings, while Baylee Corbello still owns an unblemished record at 5-0.
The Aggies are 25-2 on the season, playing a meaty schedule with a host of ranked teams. Texas A&M has moved up the rankings every week with a 4-1 record against teams in the Top 25, looking to continue its nearly spotless home record which stands at 15-1.
“Texas A&M is a team that is really sound offensively, and they’re a group that likes to swing big,” Torina said. “I think we have an offense that is capable of being able to do the same and hopefully our pitching will be ready for the challenge that they present in their park.”
For all of the latest news and information on Tiger softball, visit www.lsusports.net/softball. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/lsusoftball along with @lsusoftball and @BethTorina on Twitter and @lsusb on Instagram.