Sophomore pitcher Emily Turner leads the Tigers with 100 strikeouts.
LSU Sports Interactive
BATON ROUGE — The LSU softball team returns home after a three-game road trip to take on Arkansas in a mid-week Southeastern Conference series, beginning with a doubleheader on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Tiger Park.
Both games can be heard on the LSU Sports Network in Baton Rouge on Country Legends 107.3 FM. Both the radio broadcast and live statistics can be accessed on the official website for LSU athletics, www.LSUsports.net. Head coach Yvette Girouard will be speaking to members of the Diamondbackers Club, the official booster club for Tiger softball, at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday and will speak to members an hour and a half prior to the start of each home series for the remainder of the season.
With all three LSU pitchers not at full speed because of injuries, the Tigers (18-13, 2-10 SEC) went 1-for-3 last week at Mississippi State, falling 13-11 and 4-1, before winning the final game 15-9. The Lady Razorbacks (13-28, 0-14 SEC) were swept by nationally ranked Tennessee in a doubleheader last weekend in Knoxville.
“We are grateful to be at home again,” said Girouard. “We have had a lot of adversity and we are likely to have more to come because we still have some key injuries. Despite that, this team has never stopped fighting. They have kept a positive attitude and have never given up. We have a challenge to face this adversity and we hope that our fans will continue to stay with us throughout this process.”
Girouard needs just one win to become just the fifth coach in NCAA Division I history to record 1,000 career victories. With a 999-315 record, the two-time National Coach of the Year has the fifth-best winning percentage in NCAA Division I history. One of only three coaches in NCAA history to lead two programs to the Women’s College World Series, she will be inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame this summer.
Junior Lauren Castle leads LSU and ranks in the top 10 in the SEC with a .411 batting average. Freshman Vanessa Soto leads the team with 15 doubles, five away from the school record, and 30 RBIs, while freshman Quinlan Duhon has recorded a team-best seven home runs.
As a team, the Tigers are hitting .324 on the season with 63 doubles, six triples and 26 home runs for a .508 slugging percentage, the third best in the SEC. In addition, LSU has stolen 50 bases, including a team-high 16 by freshman Dee Dee Henderson and a perfect 11-for-11 by junior Camille Harris.
In the circle, LSU is led by sophomore Emily Turner with an 8-8 record and a 2.92 earned run average, while recording a pair of shutouts and a team-best 100 strikeouts. Freshman Megan Jolly is 4-3 on the year with a 2.92 ERA and freshman Tiffany Garcia is 6-2 on the season with a 3.08 ERA.
As a team, the Tigers have a 2.97 team ERA with seven shutouts and 178 strikeouts. LSU is allowing opponents to hit just .222 against them and have allowed just 76 walks in 195.2 innings.
Rachel LeMaster leads Arkansas with a .395 batting average and 13 stolen bases, while Kallie Foglesong posts a team-best nine doubles and 21 RBIs. BJ Southmayd leads the Lady