BATON ROUGE — Riding a six-game winning streak, the fifth-ranked LSU softball team begins a nine-game Southeastern Conference road trip with a three-game series at Arkansas, beginning with a doubleheader at Lady’Back Yard on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
The games can be hears on the LSU Sports Network in Baton Rouge on Country Legends 107.3 FM and on the internet at www.LSUsports.net.
The Tigers (33-7, 10-4 SEC) have combined a trio of wins over non-conference opponents along with a three-game sweep at No. 7 Alabama as part of their winning streak and now stand atop the SEC Western Division standings. Arkansas (13-25, 2-16 SEC) took 1-of-3 from Tennessee this past weekend and remains last in the SEC standings.
“Arkansas is a team that we can no overlook,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “They took a game from Tennessee last weekend and took Florida and South Carolina to extra innings. They have had some really close games and just come up short. We will have to take advantage of every opportunity and stay aggressive.”
The LSU offense continues to be one of the most potent in the SEC as the Tigers lead the league in slugging percentage, hits, runs batted in and home runs. Seven members of the LSU roster are currently batting over .300 on the season.
The Tigers are led offensively by Lauren Castle with a .390 batting average. The sophomore from Lafayette has five doubles, a triple and four home runs on the season.
Stephanie Hill tied the LSU single-season home run record last week with her 12th round tripper of the year. In addition, the LSWA Louisiana Hitter of the Week is tied for the team lead and second in the SEC with 41 runs batted in on the season.
The Tigers are led in the circle by All-American Kristin Schmidt. The senior has posted a 19-4 record this season with a 1.79 earned run average. In addition, she has posted seven complete-game shutouts with 175 strikeouts. Emily Turner has been solid for LSU with a 13-3 record. The freshman has a 1.90 ERA with six complete-game shutouts.
Arkansas counters with a .202 team batting average. Rachel LeMaster leads the Lady’Backs with a .297 average and has scored 10 runs. Blaire Perry leads the team with 15 runs scored, while Kallie Foglesong leads the team with 11 RBIs.
Senior Heather Schlichtman leads Arkansas in the circle with an 11-16 record and a 1.80 ERA. She has struck out 201 and recorded four complete-game shutouts. Sarah Topham has a 2-8 record with a 3.24 ERA for the Lady’Backs.
Since LSU reinstated softball in 1997, the Tigers are 25-4 all-time against Arkansas, including a 9-2record in Fayetteville. LSU took two out of three from the Lady’Backs at home last season, and are riding a three-game winning streak in Fayetteville.
The series will conclude with a single game on Wednesday beginning at 1 p.m. The LSU Sports Network will also carry the radio broadcast of the game on 107.3 FM and on the internet at LSUsports.net.