BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 12 LSU softball team opens its league home slate this weekend, welcoming the No. 16 Georgia Bulldogs for a three-game series at Tiger Park beginning Friday evening at 6 p.m.
The trio of games gets underway Friday, with a 4 p.m. start on Saturday and 1 p.m. first pitch time for the finale on Sunday. All three games of the series will be streamed online on SEC Network+, available through WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app with Lyn Rollins and Yvette Girouard. Talk 107.3 FM will have radio coverage this weekend with Patrick Wright and is also available for free at LSUsports.net/live.
After stepping out of conference play for their trip to Kansas last weekend, the Tigers will now begin a run of seven consecutive conference opponents to close out the regular season from this weekend until the SEC Softball Tournament in May in Knoxville. Beginning with Georgia, LSU could face a potential seven ranked league opponents from now until the postseason, as the Bulldogs come in ranked 16 in one poll and 15 in another.
In program history, the first SEC home game has been kind to LSU with the team winning 15 of its 20 home conference openers, as coming into this year the Tigers have won four of their last five in Tiger Park.
In preparation for this weekend’s opener, the team earned a hard-fought, 3-2 win over the Nicholls Colonels on Tuesday night in Baton Rouge. With the game tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh, a walk-off infield single allowed the winning Tiger run to cross the plate to stave off extras and earn LSU the victory.
It improved the team’s record to 15-2 at home this season, while also improving the team’s record to 3-0 against in-state schools.
Senior Bailey Landry was the only player to earn multiple hits in the contest, as her average continues to hover well into the .500’s, coming in at .528. Her 56 hits continue to lead the nation as well, entering the weekend with an 18-game hitting streak, three shy of tying her own school record of 21 she set back in her All-American sophomore season in 2015.
Earning the game-winning hit against Nicholls was freshman Sydney Springfield, who sits two RBIs back of team leader Sahvanna Jaquish and her 34. Five total starters are hitting above .300 for the Tigers through this week in Landry, Springfield, Jaquish, Emily Griggs and Amber Serrett.
Earning the victory in the circle and lowering her team-leading ERA to 1.06, Carley Hoover came on in relief Tuesday and struck out five in halting the Nicholls offense in its tracks for 2.2 innings. She improved her record to 7-4 in the process, increasing her strikeout total to 99 as well.
Allie Walljasper continues to lead the team in wins and overall record at 9-1 with only eight walks allowed this season, while Sydney Smith is 6-1 with a shutout.
Georgia comes in with an overall record of 26-4, with a 2-1 league mark after taking the series against Kentucky over the weekend.
The Rundown
No. 12/11 LSU vs. No. 16/15 Georgia, March 24, 6 p.m., SEC Network+, Talk 107.3 FM
No. 12/11 LSU vs. No. 16/15 Georgia, March 25, 4 p.m., SEC Network+, Talk 107.3 FM
No. 12/11 LSU vs. No. 16/15 Georgia, March 26, 1 p.m., SEC Network+, Talk 107.3 FM
Marketing/Giveaways
Friday: Gold Game – 1,000 Gold T-shirt jerseys, $2 general admission ticket for wearing gold
Saturday: Alumnae Game – 750 Double Wall LSU Solo Cups, Community Coffee K-Cups, pregame alumnae recognition
Sunday: Mike’s Kids Club Day – 1,000 LSU softball koozies, $2 general admission tickets for MKC parents
Torina’s Thoughts
On what the team took away from the win over Nicholls Tuesday…
“I was happy that we found a way to win. Coming off of a long road stretch and getting back to Tiger Park and what we do well is really important. I think we just continue to focus on those things.”
On what Georgia presents as a team in the series this weekend…
“Speed is definitely what they do well. They have a couple of big swingers but they hit for average in part due to their speed. They run well and we’ll have to really defend against them. They’re really talented just like everyone in the SEC and they’re going to be ready to play.
On what the Georgia pitching staff does well that makes them a challenge…
“They have Rachele Fico as their pitching coach. That’s what they do well. I’m sure they’re well coach and will be well prepared.”
On coaching against former players…
“It’s great. It’s one of the best feelings in coaching to see your former players succeed. Succeed in anything in whatever their profession is, but it’s cool to see them succeeding at the highest level in the game.”
Series Record Against…
Georgia: LSU leads 35-25
LSU Leaders
Batting Average: Bailey Landry (.528)
Hits: Bailey Landry (56)
Doubles: Bailey Landry/Sahvanna Jaquish/Amber Serrett (6)
Triples: Bailey Landry (5)
Home Runs: Sydney Springfield (8)
RBI: Sahvanna Jaquish (34)
Stolen Bases: Nicky Dawson (6)
ERA: Carley Hoover (1.06)
Wins: Allie Walljasper (9)
Strikeouts: Carley Hoover (99)
Shutouts: Carley Hoover/Allie Walljasper (3)
Fewest Walks Allowed: Allie Walljasper (8)
Opponent Batting Avg.: Carley Hoover (.125)
Scouting the Opposition
Georgia
Enters the series with a 26-4 overall record and 2-1 mark in league play… Coming off of a series win over Kentucky last week… Won their first 12 games in a row before dropping three-straight at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in California… Head coach Lu Harris-Champer won her 1,000th game as a head coach earlier this season… Is batting .387 as a team with 302 total hits… Has 84 stolen bases on the season on 94 total attempts… Sydney Emanuel leads the team in hits with 51 and is hitting .505 on the season… Comes in with a staff ERA of 1.77… Team has eight shutouts on the year, of which six are combined shutouts… Brittany Gray leads the team with a 16-2 record in the circle and a 1.58 ERA.
What’s On Deck
LSU continues its home stand with a contest against the ULM Warhawks at 6 p.m. on March 28.
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.