TEMPE, Ariz. — After a few travel delays in the morning, the No. 23 LSU softball team arrived Wednesday for the NCAA Tempe Regional.
The Tigers (32-16-1) are making an 11th NCAA Regional appearance since the program was reinstated in 1997. LSU is 33-20 (.623) in NCAA Tournament games, including trips to the 2001 and 2004 Women’s College World Series.
LSU opens the double elimination regional Friday against Cal State Fullerton. First pitch against the Titans is slated for 4:30 p.m. CT and will be televised live on ESPN U.
“It’s good to get to Tempe and start the adventure of postseason play,” head coach Yvette Girouard said. “Our players have worked hard and not everyone gets the chance to play at NCAA’s. We want them to have fun and remember what it was for them to play softball when they were 10 years old.”
Outfielder Jazz Jackson didn’t travel with the team due to being academically ineligible for the postseason. She was an All-SEC Second-Team performer this season for the Tigers. She hit .323 and was second on the squad with 13 multi-hit games.
Kirsten Shortridge headlines the offense with 75 hits on a .429 batting average as an All-SEC First-Team selection. She is currently on an eight-game hitting streak where she has posted a sparking .600 average during the season.
Rachel Mitchell has compiled hits in six of her last nine games and collected 23 of her team-best 37 RBIs over the last 26 games. Freshmen Ashley Langoni, Anissa Young and Juliana Santos have accounted for 40.1 percent of LSU’s RBIs. The trio also has knocked 17 of 27 of the team’s home runs.
“It all comes down to timely hitting in postseason play,” Giroaurd said. “Not only do we have to put ducks on the pond, but we have to drive those ducks home.”
In the circle, Cody Trahan is 4-1 with a 1.63 ERA and has tossed three complete games over her last five games. She has limited opponents to a .173 batting average and racked up 23 strikeouts in 30 innings of work.
Shortridge has strung together 12.1 scoreless frames over her last four appearances highlighted by three-hitter against South Carolina. During that stretch, Shortridge has trimmed her ERA from 4.70 to 3.16.
“Our pitchers are most successful when they work ahead in the count,” Girouard said. “It allows them to use all of their weapons.”
All of LSU’s games from the NCAA Tempe Regional will be televised by the ESPN Family of Networks in addition to being broadcasted live on The X 104.5/104.9 in the Baton Rouge area.