BATON ROUGE — Riding a six-game winning streak, the 12th-ranked LSU softball team returns home to face Centenary in a non-conference mid-week game on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Tiger Park.
The game will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network in Baton Rouge on The X – 104.5/104.9 FM. The broadcast can also be heard in the GeauxZone powered by USAgencies on LSUsports.net.
Moving up two places in the ESPN/USA Softball poll this week to No. 12, the Tigers (31-5) bring a 39-game winning streak against in-state opponents into the contest, having defeated seven Louisiana teams already this season. The Ladies (19-13) will be looking for the upset after posting wins over nationally ranked Auburn and Arkansas out of the Southeastern Conference earlier this season.
“We always have a healthy respect for a very well coached Centenary team,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “They came within an eyelash of pulling off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Regional play ever a few years ago with a near miss at Arizona. They give us a run for our money and we always have to come ready to play.”
LSU is off to the second-best start in school history, behind only the 32-4 beginning to the 1998 season that finished 58-14 and advanced to the NCAA Regionals for the first time in school history. LSU is coming off a series sweep at Kentucky last weekend.
Centenary comes in after taking three of four at Missouri-Kansas City to open Mid-Continent Conference play last weekend. The Ladies defeated Auburn, 9-6 in Auburn, and Arkansas, 6-4, at home, earlier this year.
Sophomore Vanessa Soto leads LSU with a .430 batting average on the season, including an SEC-best 13 doubles with three home runs and 31 RBIs. Junior Leslie Klein is just behind her with a .404 average, with nine doubles, three triples, four home runs and 11 stolen bases, while leading the team with 33 RBIs.
With six players batting over .300, the Tigers are hitting at a .334 clip for the season with an SEC-best 68 doubles, eight triples, 23 home runs and 66 stolen bases. In addition, LSU has a .966 fielding percentage, committing just 31 errors in over 900 chances this season.
Micah Rhodes leads Centenary with a .415 batting average, including six doubles, a triple and six home runs, leading the Ladies with 31 RBIs. In addition, she leads Centenary with 10 stolen bases.
The Ladies have four players who hit over .300 on the season, while Centenary is batting at a .290 clip for the season. The Ladies have recorded 39 doubles, eight triples and 25 home runs.
LSU has been impressive in the circle this year. Emily Turner leads the Tigers with a 12-2 record and a 0.53 earned run average. With eight complete-game shutouts, she has also recorded 93 strikeouts with only seven earned runs in over 90 innings of work. Dani Hofer has gotten the second most work on the team and has a 10-3 record with a 1.55 ERA. The freshman has posted 94 strikeouts with four shutouts in over 80 innings.
Megan Jolly leads the SEC with a spotless 0.00 ERA and 4-0 record, while Tiffany Garcia is second in the league with a 0.45 earned run average and a 5-0 record. As a team, LSU has a 0.82 earned run average with 19 shutouts and 248 strikeouts in 36 games.
In the circle, Ashley Lail has gotten most of the work for Centenary, pitching 121.2 of the Ladies’ 207.1 total innings. She is 12-7 on the year with a 2.01 earned run average and 117 strikeouts. Kristan Morton leads Centenary with a 3-1 record and a 1.82 ERA. As a team, the Ladies have a 2.90 earned run average with 174 strikeouts and seven shutouts in 32 games.
The Tigers have now won 39 straight games over Louisiana teams dating back to April 18, 2001, when LSU lost, 2-1, to UL-Lafayette. In 46 games against in-state schools under Girouard, the Tigers are 45-1 in six seasons.
LSU leads the overall series with Centenary, 10-0, going undefeated against the Ladies in Baton Rouge at 9-0. The Tigers have shutout Centenary in eight of the previous 10 meetings. Girouard is 38-1 all-time against the Ladies, including a 4-0 record while with the Tigers.
LSU will remain at home this weekend to host South Carolina in a three-game series at Tiger Park. The series will begin with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. The series will conclude with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. The final game will be televised by SEC-TV in Baton Rouge on FSN Southwest (Baton Rouge cable channel 38).
GAME FACTS: No. 13 LSU Tigers (31-5, 7-2 SEC) vs. Centenary Ladies (19-13, 3-1 Mid-Con)
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, March 29 – 6 p.m.
RANKINGS: LSU (#13 NFCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, #12 ESPN/USA Softball Poll)
STADIUM: Tiger Park (Baton Rouge, La.)
RADIO: The X – 104.5/104.9 FM
TELEVISION: None.
INTERNET: Audio broadcast and live stats in the GeauxZone powered by USAgencies at www.LSUsports.net
SERIES RECORD: LSU leads 10-0.