BATON ROUGE — After going 1-0 with a shutout last weekend, senior Emily Turner was named the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday as the sixth-ranked LSU softball team prepares to host Kentucky in a mid-week SEC doubleheader on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
The Tigers will celebrate “Professor Night” at Tiger Park as LSU faculty and staff are encouraged to come out and support the softball team. Between the two games of the doubleheader, a VIP presentation will be made to very important professors. The first 200 fans will receive free LSU softball notepad and pen sets.
The games will both be televised live on Cox Sports Television in Baton Rouge on cable channel 37. In addition, the doubleheader will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network in Baton Rouge on The X ? 104.5/104.9 FM and also in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net.
Turner went 1-0 in two appearances on the week without allowing a run. In the series opener against Auburn, she recorded her fourth complete-game win of the season. In that contest, she pitched her way out of trouble on several occasions as AU had five runners in scoring position, including two at third, and she finished without allowing a run.
With her 0.00 earned run average on the week and eight strikeouts, the senior All-American from Chula Vista, Calif., dropped her overall ERA to 1.29, which ranks sixth in the SEC, with a 12-4 record and 118 strikeouts. She also ranks in the top 10 in the league in wins, strikeouts and opponents’ batting average.
Last weekend, the Tigers (35-5, 10-2 SEC) swept a three-game conference series at Auburn, allowing just three runs while recording 18 in the first series sweep for LSU at AU since 2003. The Wildcats (17-14, 4-10 SEC) were swept in a three-game series at Arkansas over the weekend, the first three conference wins of the season for the Lady Razorbacks. Kentucky has now lost four of its last five games and is in fourth place in the SEC East.
This is the first of two conference doubleheader series for LSU since the league adopted a shortened SEC schedule this season. The conference has cut the number of league games from 30 to 28, making the two mid-week series doubleheaders instead of the traditional three-game series. The Tigers’ other scheduled doubleheader is against Mississippi State, which had originally been set for the mid-week, but was pushed back to the weekend since both teams had that weekend open and the student-athletes would not be forced to miss class.
“This will be different and new to our fans since the conference has gone to a 28-game schedule, which makes the mid-week series a doubleheader,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard, who became just the fifth coach in NCAA Division I history to earn her 1,100th career victory with the 9-0 win over Auburn on Saturday. “That schedule change is the reason you will only see two games against Kentucky this year. As a team, we will just try to keep playing as consistent as we have been.”
The Tigers are currently even with Alabama in the SEC West, but lead the division in winning percentage. The Crimson Tide have completed their two mid-week series, while LSU has not played either mid-week series, which has given Alabama four more games played than the Tigers. LSU is just a half game behind Tennessee overall and only slightly behind the Lady Vols in winning percentage as Tennessee has played both mid-week series.
Junior Dee Dee Henderson currently leads LSU at the plate this year. The slap-hitting designated player is hitting .427 with a double and 30 runs scored. In addition, she leads the team with 24 stolen bases in 26 attempts, giving her 73 career stolen bases, which is fourth in LSU history.
Junior Killian Roessner ranks second on the team with a .419, including 11 doubles, five home runs and 28 RBIs. The catcher from Manasquan, N.J., ranks second in the SEC in doubles and is tied for the team lead with five home runs. Senior Leslie Klein is hitting .410 on the year with an SEC-best 15 doubles, while also recorded five home runs and a team-best 39 RBIs. Klein is now just three RBIs and three home runs away from the school records in those categories.
Four starting Tigers are hitting over .300 on the season, including three batting over .400. As a team, LSU ranks second in the league with a .326 batting average and an SEC-best 64 doubles. The Tigers have also hit seven doubles, 34 home runs and scored 243 runs in 40 games.
As a team, the Tigers have a 1.15 earned run average, second best in the conference, and are allowing opponents to hit just .158 against them, also the second best in the league. In addition, LSU pitchers have struck out 350 batters, which averages out to over nine strikeouts per seven innings.
Among the regular SEC starters, Turner leads the way with a 1.29 earned run average and is 12-4 on the season with 118 strikeouts. Sophomore Dani Hofer leads the team with a 14-1 record, while posting a 1.35 ERA and 156 strikeouts. Both freshman Cody Trahan and junior Tiffany Garcia are undefeated on the year, combining for a 9-0 record. Trahan has yet to allow an earned run in give appearances, while Garcia has a 1.04 earned run average in eight appearances.
For the season, Kentucky is hitting .317 as a team, including 49 doubles, 10 triples and 38 home runs for a .540 slugging percentage. Brooke Marnitz leads the Wildcats with a .415 batting average and an SEC-best 13 home runs and 43 RBIs. Six of Kentucky’s starters are hitting over .300 on the year, with four over .350.
The downfall for the Wildcats appears to be with their pitching as Kentucky has recorded a 4.32 earned run average on the season and have given up an average of 5.26 runs per game. Jennifer Young has the most appearances of the year for the Wildcats with 19. She has posted a 6-5 record with a 3.66 earned run average and 24 strikeouts. Former Tiger reliever Megan Jolly has made 17 appearances for Kentucky with a 6-4 record and a team-best 31 strikeouts. As a team, the Wildcats have recorded only 89 strikeouts with two shutouts in 31 games.
LSU leads the overall series with the Wildcats, 23-1, with the only loss coming in 2005. The Tigers are also 12-1 in Lexington. Girouard is 17-1 all-time against Kentucky, with all 18 meetings coming while with the Tigers.
LSU will continue SEC play at home this weekend as the Tigers host South Carolina in a three-game series. The series will begin with a doubleheader on Friday at 4 p.m. and conclude with a single game on Saturday at 1 p.m. Teams will take over the park against the Gamecocks. Local teams who are interested in more information about the weekend can contact Jenni Peters in the LSU Promotions Department at (225) 578-3917. The first 500 fans will get free LSU softball team sports backpacks.
SERIES FACTS
No. 6 LSU Tigers (35-5, 10-2 SEC) vs. Kentucky Wildcats (17-14, 4-10 SEC)
DATE/TIME
Tuesday, April 3 ? 4 p.m. (DH)
STADIUM
Tiger Park in Baton Rouge, La.
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network (WNXX-FM, The X -104.5/104.9 in Baton Rouge)
INTERNET
Live audio and stats in the Geaux Zone at LSUsports.net
TV
Cox Sports Television ? Cable channel 37
SERIES RECORD
LSU leads 23-1