BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 5/7 LSU (30-4, 8-4 SEC) will play seven games in nine days, beginning with a three-game series at No. 10 Florida (32-5, 7-2 SEC) April 6-8 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, Fla.
All three games will be televised with Eric Frede and Madison on the broadcast, while the Voice of LSU Softball, Patrick Wright, will have the call on 107.3 FM in the Baton Rouge Area and the LSU Sports Radio Network.
Game one will be at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday on ESPN, game two is scheduled for noon CT on Sunday on ESPN2, and the series finale will be at 6 p.m. CT on Monday on SEC Network.
LSU is on a six-game winning streak, highlighted by a sweep over then-No. 11/12 Texas A&M last weekend, to improve to 10-2 against nationally ranked programs this season, and are 2-0 versus opponents in the top 10. The Tigers rank No. 3 in the SEC with a .329 batting average behind 294 hits (No. 4 in the SEC) and have a 2.36 ERA with 219 strikeouts. LSU also ranks No. 3 in the league with a .976 fielding percentage and is the conference leader with 19 double plays.
The Tigers have a deep lineup with seven players batting over .320 with at least 50 at-bats. Outfielder Ali Newland, who is batting .364, highlights the team with seven home runs, including two grand slams this season. Newland has homered in the last two games and has 39 hits, 32 RBIs, and 25 runs scored. Newland paces the team with a .356 batting average behind 16 hits and 10 RBIs in SEC games alone.
Outfielder Ciara Briggs (.363) ranks No. 8 in the SEC with 35 runs and No. 9 with 41 hits to lead the team. Briggs also has a team-high 11 stolen bases. Second baseman Karli Petty leads the way with a .370 batting average behind 20 hits in 23 games played, outfielder McKenzie Redoutey is hitting .344 with 31 hits and four home runs, and first baseman Raeleen Gutierrez is batting .337 with 33 hits, including five home runs, and leads the team with 15 extra-base hits and a 20-game reached-base streak.
Shortstop Taylor Pleasants rounds out the top hitters with a .323 batting average, has 31 hits, ranks No. 8 in the SEC with a team-high 34 RBIs, and has six home runs, including two walk-offs this season.
Right-handed pitcher Sydney Berzon (13-1) has struck out 99 batters (No. 8 in the SEC) in 97.0 innings pitched and has thrown eight complete games in 21 appearances with a shutout and three saves. Berzon is coming off a weekend where she won all three games in the LSU-Texas A&M series behind a 0.48 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 14.2 innings pitched.
Pitcher Raelin Chaffin is 9-2 with a 2.44 ERA, 56 strikeouts, and two complete-game shutouts. Utility pitcher Kelley Lynch posts a 4-1 record in 49.1 frames and has 46 strikeouts while holding opposing batters to a staff-low .174 average, which ranks No. 8 in the SEC. Lynch also bats .270 this season with 17 hits and 14 RBIs.
LSU trails Florida 36-37 all-time and returns to Gainesville for a three-game series for the first time since 2021. The Tigers’ last series at Florida was in 2015.
