BATON ROUGE — Having won nine of their last 10, including six straight, the LSU softball team travels to take on Auburn in a three-game Southeastern Conference series this weekend beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon.
The series will conclude with a single game on Sunday at noon. All three games can be heard on the LSU Sports Network in Baton Rouge on Country Legends 107.3 FM and on the internet at www.LSUsports.net.
The purple and gold (27-15, 9-12 SEC) are currently in seventh place in the conference standings, a half game behind Mississippi State in sixth and three and a half games ahead of Ole Miss in ninth. AU is currently in fifth place in the league standings, four games behind Alabama for the lead in the Western Division, a half game behind Tennessee in fourth place overall and a game behind Florida in third. The top eight teams qualify for the SEC Tournament next month in Gainesville, Fla.
“This is going to be a tough weekend,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “Auburn has a very good young team. They have been playing very well and really hitting the ball well all season. They have surprised a lot of people this year.
“We’re going to have to go out and play very well to come away on top. I think we have been playing much better and if we play like we have been, then it should be a good fight.”
Junior designated player Lauren Castle leads LSU with a .399 batting average, followed by junior first baseman Stephanie Hill at .391. The pair has combined for 24 doubles, two triples and six home runs, while knocking in 49 and scoring 51 times this season.
Freshman second baseman Vanessa Soto leads the team with 16 doubles and 37 RBIs, while freshman right fielder Quinlan Duhon has recorded a team-best eight home runs with 35 RBIs. Freshman Dee Dee Henderson has stolen a team-best 19 bases, followed by junior center fielder Camille Harris with 15.
In LSU’s current six-game winning streak, sophomore left fielder Leslie Klein leads the team with a .667 batting average. The All-American is 12-for-18 with three doubles, seven RBIs and seven runs scored. Junior third baseman Lauren Delahoussaye is just behind Klein with a .526 average over the last six games, going 10-for-19, with a double, six RBIs and seven runs scored.
As a team, the purple and gold are hitting .318 on the season with six players hitting for over a .300 average, while knocking 79 doubles, seven triples and 30 home runs for a .481 slugging percentage. In addition, LSU has stolen 62 bases with a .966 fielding percentage. Over the last six games, the team average is up to .346 with nine doubles and a home run.
Holly Currie leads Auburn with a .403 batting average, including a team-best 17 doubles, 13 doubles and 52 RBIs. Five AU players are batting over .300 for the season as Auburn has posted a .309 team average this year. AU has posted 13 triples and leads the SEC with 81 doubles and 53 home runs for a .509 slugging percentage.
In the circle for LSU, sophomore Emily Turner leads the way with a 14-9 record and a 2.27 earned run average. The Chula Vista, Calif., native earned all three wins for the purple and gold last weekend over Ole Miss and has now won her last six appearances, including two complete-game shutouts.
LSU has posted a 2.26 ERA as a team this season with 10 complete-game shutouts and 255 strikeouts, averaging 6.6 strikeouts per game. In the purple and gold’s current winning streak, LSU has been nearly flawless with a 1.05 ERA, 50 strikeouts and a .181 opponent’s batting average against. Turner is 4-0 with an 0.27 ERA, allowing just one earned run in 26 innings, while freshman Megan Jolly is 2-0 with an 0.54 ERA, allowing just one earned run in 13 innings.
Currie and Beth DiPietro lead Auburn in the circle. DiPietro is 20-5 on the season with a 1.67 earned run average, while Currie is 16-8 on the year with a 2.12 ERA. As a team, AU has a 2.02 ERA with 12 shutouts and 337 strikeouts, averaging seven strikeouts per game.
LSU is 26-6 all-time against Auburn, including a 13-1 record in Auburn, while Girouard is 11-4 all-time against AU, all while in Baton Rouge. The pair split four meetings last year, including a doubleheader in Baton Rouge and two games in the SEC Tournament, as the purple and gold won the final meeting to advance to the tournament championship game.
GAME FACTS: LSU (27-15, 9-12 SEC) vs. Auburn (39-13, 13-71 SEC)
DATE/TIME: Saturday, April 23 at Noon (DH) and Sunday, April 247 at Noon
STADIUM: Jane B. Moore Field, Auburn, Ala.
RADIO: LSU Sports Network (Country Legends 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge)
TELEVISION: None
INTERNET: Radio broadcast and live stats at www.LSUsports.net
SERIES RECORD: LSU leads 26-6