Update: Due to weather, the opening game of the Purple & Gold Challenge between LSU and Georgia Southern has been postponed and moved to Sunday at 12 p.m. The link to the full and updated tournament schedule can be found in this article.
BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 7 LSU softball team closes out its season-long 10-game home stand this weekend with the Purple & Gold Challenge against Central Arkansas and Georgia Southern at Tiger Park.
The six-game tournament gets underway Friday evening as LSU hosts Georgia Southern at 6 p.m. Saturday will have three games, as GSU and UCA will play at noon, before LSU takes on Eagles at 2:30 p.m. and the Bears at 5 p.m. Sunday, the two traveling teams will play once more at 10:30 a.m., with LSU closing the tournament against UCA at 1 p.m.
All non-LSU games are free to the public, with single-game tickets for LSU games beginning at $5 for adults and $3 for youth and $2 for groups of 10. Live stats of every game this weekend will be available at LSUsports.net.
LSU, currently on a four-game winning streak, goes into the weekend after a solid 5-0 win over the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters Wednesday night, where junior pitcher Carley Hoover tossed her second career no-hitter and struck out 11. It was the first seven-inning no-hitter since 2013, as Hoover earned her second double-figure strikeout game of the season.
The LSU offense scored more than enough runs as the Tigers produced four in the second inning and another in the fourth to aid in Hoover’s effort, as the squad produced 10 hits in the victory. The team has produced double-digit hits in three of their six games, scoring at least five runs or more four games.
Sahvanna Jaquish and Sydney Springfield currently lead the team with a .588 batting average, while Bailey Landry leads the group in total hits with 11. As a group, the Tigers are batting .395 with a .481 slugging percentage and .468 on-base percentage.
The Rundown
No. 7/8 LSU vs. Georgia Southern, Feb. 17, 6 p.m.,
No. 7/8 LSU vs. Georgia Southern, Feb. 18, 2:30 p.m.
No. 7/8 LSU vs. Central Arkansas, Feb. 18, 5 p.m.
No. 7/8 LSU vs. Central Arkansas, Feb. 19, 12:30 p.m.
Marketing/Giveaways
LSU 2016-17 Sports Posters/Magnets/Pocket Schedules at the Fan Zone
Torina’s Thoughts
On having quality at-bats in games…
“That’s one of the things that we pride ourselves in is quality at-bats. It’s a number that we look to when really doing anything. We always look at players who are having quality at-bats and making productive outs. You may have gotten out, but you moved runners, you got people into scoring position and you were productive with what you did with your at-bats on the night.”
On Central Arkansas and Georgia Southern…
“They are both really quality opponents, honestly. Two great head coaches that have been in the game a long time and have a ton of experience, so they will be well prepared. Georgia Southern has a bunch of kids that can run and run well. We’re going to have to play defense against them and make quality pitches because they bring a lot of athleticism to the field.”
Series Record Against…
Central Arkansas: LSU leads 2-0
Georgia Southern: LSU leads 2-0
LSU Leaders
Batting Average: Sydney Springfield/Sahvanna Jaquish (.588)
Hits: Bailey Landry (11)
Doubles: Sahvanna Jaquish (3)
Triples: Bailey Landry (1)
Home Runs: Amber Serrett (1)
RBI: Sahvanna Jaquish (8)
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 (26)
Shutouts: Carley Hoover (1)
Fewest Walks Allowed: Sydney Smith (2)
Opponent Batting Avg.: Carley Hoover (.145)
Scouting the Opposition
Central Arkansas
Central Arkansas is 1-5 on the season… The Bears earned their first win of the year against Arkansas Pine-Bluff Wednesday night in Conway 10-2… UCA is hitting .184 as a team, with 26 hits including five doubles and two home runs… The Bears have a staff ERA of 4.97 and have used five total pitchers this season.
Georgia Southern
Georgia Southern is 2-3 on the season after hosting the Eagle Round Robin in Statesboro last weekend… The Eagles earned wins over UNCG and Tennessee Tech, dropping two games to Middle Tennessee and one game to Tennessee… The Eagles are batting .226 on the season, with 26 total hits… The GSU pitching staff has a combined ERA of 5.03 and an opponent batting average of .296.
What’s On Deck
LSU travels to Cathedral City in Palm Springs for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. LSU will face New Mexico State, Bethune-Cookman, Long Beach State, UCLA and Utah Feb. 23-25.
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.