BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 7 LSU softball team will return to action on Wednesday hosting the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters at 6 p.m. at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge.
Wednesday’s game will be streamed live online through SEC Network+ and is available through WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app. Lyn Rollins will provide play-by-play, joined by former LSU coach Yvette Girouard providing analysis.
The Tigers, the seventh-ranked team in the nation, was 4-1 last week in the Tiger Classic, earning wins over McNeese State, Oklahoma State and Penn State. Two of the wins, over OSU and PSU, came via run-rule as LSU combined to outscore both teams 28-3 in those matchups in only 10 innings combined.
The LSU offense was impressive as the squad finished the weekend hitting .397 as a group, outhitting all three opponents 54-29. Of those 54 hits, nine were for doubles, while having a triple and a home run included.
Defensively, the Tigers had one of their best starts to the season in the field as the team committed just one error, currently holding a .992 fielding percentage after one weekend of play. Comparatively, the three visitors combined for 11 miscues.
The Tigers are in the midst of their longest home stand of the season which is 10 games, as after playing the Lady Techsters, the squad will host Central Arkansas and Georgia Southern this weekend in the Purple & Gold Challenge this Friday-Sunday.
The Rundown
No. 7/8 LSU vs. Louisiana Tech, Feb. 15, 6 p.m., SEC Network+
Marketing/Giveaways
All 4 [Louisiana] Punch Cards – Come to all four midweek home games against Louisiana opponents and receive an All 4 [Louisiana] hat.
Torina’s Thoughts
On what the team learned after the first weekend of play…
“I think we learned a lot. We saw what we were capable of and we saw what we need to work on. It showed us all of the things that we needed to see. We have a good understanding of what we can be and a better understanding of what we need to do to get there.”
On the games against Louisiana Tech always being close…
“I have never since I’ve been the coach here played Louisiana Tech and it not be an interesting, down-to-the-wire, competitive match. We had to win on a walk-off one time, had to go extra innings. We’ve done a lot of things with them and every time we play them it’s an adventure. I would expect nothing less than their best game tomorrow and I’m ready for a battle.”
Series Record Against…
Louisiana Tech: LSU leads 16-0
LSU Leaders
Batting Average: Sydney Springfield (.615)
Hits: Sydney Springfield/Sahvanna Jaquish/Bailey Landry (8)
Doubles: Sahvanna Jaquish (3)
Triples: Bailey Landry (1)
Home Runs: Amber Serrett (1)
RBI: Sahvanna Jaquish (6)
Stolen Bases: Shemiah Sanchez/Bailey Landry/Emily Griggs/Nicky Dawson (1)
ERA: Sydney Smith (1.56)
Wins: Allie Walljasper/Sydney Smith (2)
Strikeouts: Carley Hoover (15)
Shutouts: N/A
Fewest Walks Allowed: Sydney Smith (2)
Opponent Batting Avg: Sydney Smith (.161)
Scouting the Opposition
Louisiana Tech
Led by head coach Mark Montgomery, who in his fifth year in Ruston has a 114-100 record… Louisiana Tech went 5-0 last weekend in its home tournament, earning wins over North Dakota, Incarnate Word, Arkansas Pine-Bluff, Missouri State and Samford… The wins over UND and UAPB were via run-rule, while edging out one-run wins over UIW and Missouri State… Currently hitting .348 as a team, earning 40 hits over the weekend… Have a team ERA of 2.32 and opponent batting average of .216… Morgan Turkoly and Jazlyn Crowder lead the team in hits with six each… Turkoly also leads the team with eight RBIs… Louisiana Tech is 9-for-10 in stolen bases.
What’s On Deck
LSU hosts the Purple & Gold Challenge this Friday-Sunday at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge. The six-game tournament begins on Friday with LSU taking on Georgia Southern. There will be three games on Saturday and two games on Sunday. All non-LSU games are free and open to the public.
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.