BATON ROUGE — After clinching the Southeastern Conference Western Division title last weekend, the third-ranked LSU softball team will be looking to wrap up the overall SEC Championship this weekend as they host nationally ranked Florida in a three-game series at Tiger Park beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon.
With one win, the Tigers (44-8, 20-5 SEC) can ensure their fifth SEC Championship in the last six seasons. A loss by Georgia or Tennessee would also give LSU the championship, as would a rain out because the SEC Champion is awarded to the team with the best overall winning percentage.
The 20th-ranked Gators (39-14, 15-11 SEC) enter the series having lost eight of their last 12 games since losing All-SEC pitcher Jenny Gladding to injury the first week of April. Florida did, however, sweep a three-game series from nationally ranked South Carolina and were ranked as high as No. 12 three weeks ago.
“Florida is a very dangerous team,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “They are highly ranked and can cause us some problems. Hopefully we will get our games in this weekend. Depending on the weather, we are hoping that the worst case scenario is if we can’t play tomorrow that we will get in two games on Sunday. We want to play and have the chance to honor our seniors.”
LSU boasts an SEC-best .333 team batting average, which ranks fifth nationally, with a league-leading 339 runs scored and 55 home runs. The Tiger offense has averaged 6.5 runs a game, which ranks third in the NCAA, while the LSU pitching staff has maintained a solid 1.56 earned run average.
Sophomore Lauren Castle continues to lead the Tigers with a .393 average, one of six players hitting at over a .300 clip on the season. Senior LaDonia Hughes is second with a .377 average, while leading the team in hits and stolen bases. Freshman Leslie Klein has knocked in a team-best 50 runs, while she and sophomore Stephanie Hill are tied for the SEC lead with 12 home runs each.
In the circle, two-time All-American Kristin Schmidt leads the Tiger staff. The senior has posted a 26-5 record this season with a 1.49 earned run average while striking out 240. Freshman Emily Turner has proven her worth in her first season with a 17-3 overall record and a 1.60 ERA.
For the Gators, Gladding was ace of the pitching staff before tearing the bicep in her pitching arm during the first game of Florida’s series against Georgia on April 3. She had posted a 17-4 record with a 0.78 earned run average and 217 strikeouts. In addition, she was a powerfully bat in the lineup, posting a .255 season average with four home runs and 16 runs batted in for the Gators before being injured.
Freshman Stacey Stevens has replaced Gladding as Florida’s top pitcher. At 13-6 on the season, she has posted a 1.79 earned run average with 144 strikeouts. Senior Amanda Moore had been used mainly in relief and has now been called upon to become a starting pitcher. She ranks second on the Gator staff with a 6-2 record and a 1.90 ERA.
At the plate, Florida has just two batters hitting above .300 on the season and is hitting at a .255 clip as a team this season. The Gators are led by Kristen Butler with a .309 average and 23 runs batted in. Melissa Zick is hitting at a .306 clip with a team-best 12 doubles and has knocked in 21 runs.
Since LSU reinstated softball in 1997, the Tigers are 14-6 all-time against Florida, including a 6-1 record at home, and have won six straight over the Gators at Tiger Park. After dropping 2-of-3 during the regular season series to Florida in Gainesville last season, LSU took back-to-back games from the Gators in the SEC Tournament to eliminate Florida from tournament play.
The series will conclude with a single game on Sunday beginning at noon for Senior Day, honoring the Tigers four senior standouts. The LSU Sports Network will broadcast all three games of the series in Baton Rouge on Country Legends, WJNH 107.3 FM and on the internet at www.LSUsports.net. The series finale on Sunday will be carried live on Cox Sports Television in Baton Rouge on cable channel 37.