GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Having won 18 of their last 19 games, the 10th-ranked LSU softball team closes out the regular season this weekend with a three-game Southeastern Conference series on the road at No. 25 Florida, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.
The Tigers (44-12, 19-7 SEC) are still in the hunt for their seventh-consecutive SEC Western Division title. If LSU can sweep the Gators (36-20, 17-10 SEC) and No. 8 Georgia can take two out of three from No. 17 Alabama this weekend, Georgia will win the overall SEC title and the Tigers will claim the divisional title. If Georgia sweeps the Crimson Tide, the Tigers need only take two out of three from Florida this weekend to claim the Western Division.
Regardless of the Georgia-Alabama series, if LSU wins one game and does not get swept in the three-game series for the first time in school history, the Tigers would finish no worse that second in the west and third overall, securing at least a third place seed for the SEC Tournament in Plant City, Fla., next weekend.
“We have a tremendous challenge in front of us with a very much improved Florida program,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “They have caught our attention with the play of both their offensive and defensive weapons. Hopefully we will continue to play as well as we have been over the last three weeks.”
Since LSU reinstated its softball program in 1997, the Tigers are 11-4 all-time against Florida and 4-1 in Gainesville, Fla. After losing the first three meetings, the Tigers have now won 10 of the last 11, including five in a row. Last season LSU swept the Gators in a three-game series in Tiger Park and won a game against Florida in the SEC Tournament opening round.
Over the last 19 games, LSU has recorded an amazing .322 team batting average with 24 home runs and 38 doubles for a .533 slugging percentage. The SEC team leader in doubles, the Tigers set a school record for home runs this season and are just one off the pace in the league. In addition, LSU is on track to break the school record for runs per game, currently averaging 5.32 runs, which ranks 16th in the NCAA.
Junior Julie Wiese has stepped up her performance this season and returned to her freshman form. She is currently tied for third in the SEC in doubles, seventh in home runs and walks and ninth in runs scored. In league games, she is tied for fourth in doubles, eighth in walks and ninth in runs scored. The Baton Rouge native leads the team in doubles and home runs with the sixth-most single-season totals in LSU history.
Continuing her outstanding performance this season, junior Kristin Schmidt has recorded a 29-10 record on the year. She could become just the second pitcher in LSU history to record 30 wins this weekend. Sporting a 1.02 earned run average for the season, she ranks sixth in victories and 20th in ERA in the nation this season.
Junior Jenny Gladding leads the Florida Gators both offensively and in the circle. The transfer from Arizona possesses a .301 batting average with 11 home runs and .659 slugging percentage. In addition, she is 19-11 in the circle with a 1.42 earned run average and 239 strikeouts.
The three-game series with the Gators will conclude with a single game on Sunday beginning at 10 a.m. CT. All three games of the series can be heard on the LSU Sports Network and on the internet at www.LSUsports.net. The Sunshine Network will broadcast the final game of the series on its affiliates throughout Florida.