ATHENS, Ga. — The eighth-ranked LSU softball team continues its Southeastern Conference road trip with the second of three series away from home, taking on the No. 11 Georgia Bulldogs in a three-game slate beginning with a doubleheader at noon CT on Saturday.
The Tigers (22-7, 3-2 SEC) have won three-straight games and five of their last six to rank second in the SEC West. Georgia (29-4, 8-1) is currently leading the SEC Eastern Division after a mid-week sweep of Kentucky.
“This is a huge series for the Tigers,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “Georgia is off and running. We are in the middle of a tough stretch of games after our road series with nationally ranked South Carolina last weekend and a very good Georgia team this weekend.
The Tigers and the Bulldogs have met 17 times previously, including five times last season. LSU has never lost to Georgia, holding a 7-0 record at home and in Athens and a 3-0 record at neutral sites. Last season, the Tigers swept a three-game series from the Bulldogs at Tiger Park, 2-1, 5-1, 4-1, before a pair of meetings in the SEC Tournament. LSU won the first meeting 2-1 before a 1-0 win to claim their second-straight tournament championship.
“We played Georgia in the SEC Tournament championship game last year and they return everyone from that team, so we know how good they are,” Girouard said. “There is no margin for error. We will need to attack early to be successful.”
The Tigers are 3-4 this season against nationally ranked teams after a split with No. 14 South Carolina last weekend. LSU also owns wins over then No. 10 Cal State Fullerton in the UNLV Softball Classic, then No. 10 Oklahoma in the NFCA Leadoff Classic.
In the circle, the Tigers are led by Kristin Schmidt. The junior from Houston is 12-6 on the year with a league-leading 0.59 earned run average.
In addition, she has struck out 126 batters in 118.1 innings, while hurling three no-hitters.
Sophomore Tessa Lynam has also made a mark for LSU in the circle this season, sporting a 10-1 record with a 1.32 ERA. The pitcher and first baseman from Alpharetta, Ga., has struck out 89 in 79.1 innings with a pair of no-hitters to her credit.
In addition to her prowess in the circle, she ranks second on the team in batting average at .346 and RBIs with 19, despite missing the first 15 games of the year with a broken hand.
Junior Sara Fitzgerald has recorded a breakout season at the plate. The second baseman/outfielder from Kingwood, Texas, is hitting .296 with a team-high 10 doubles and three home runs. She has also recorded a team-best 19 RBIs.
The three-game series with Georgia concludes with a single game on Sunday at noon CT. LSU will then conclude its three-series road trip at Western Division rival Mississippi State with a three-game series on Wednesday and Thursday in Starkville, Miss.