BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 19/17 LSU will host its second regular-season tournament when it welcomes Howard, Michigan State, and UL Lafayette to Tiger Park for the 2026 Purple & Gold Challenge on Feb. 20-22.
LSU (8-4) opens the tournament Friday, Feb. 20 at 6:30 p.m. CT, facing Michigan State (6-3). The Tigers will then play two games on Saturday, Feb. 21: first at 4 p.m. CT against UL Lafayette (6-4), then at 6:30 p.m. CT in a rematch with Michigan State. Sunday wraps up the weekend as LSU takes on Howard (6-3) at 1:30 p.m. CT. Coverage for all LSU games will stream on SEC Network+, with Garrett Walvoord and Yvette Girouard calling the action.
LSU is 29-17 against the 2026 Purple & Gold Challenge field, including a 1-1 record against Michigan State and a 28-16 mark versus UL Lafayette. LSU and Howard will meet for the first time on Sunday.
The Tigers are coming off their fifth run-rule victory of the season. They defeated South Alabama 10-2 in five innings on Tuesday night. LSU is 7-0 at home this season and enters the weekend batting .280, backed by 80 hits. LSU leads the nation with nine triples, contributing to 29 extra-base hits, and ranks No. 3 in the country with 60 walks. Defensively, the LSU pitching staff has a 3.05 ERA, 58 strikeouts, and two shutouts. The defense has turned 10 double plays, which is the third most in Division I Softball this season.
Senior outfielder Jalia Lassiter leads LSU in batting average (.471), hits (16), runs (16), slugging percentage (.735), on-base percentage (.596), and is 6-for-6 in stolen bases. Lassiter is on an eight-game hitting streak and has reached base successfully in 20 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Utility players Sierra Daniel (.429), Alix Franklin (.333), and Tori Edwards (.321) round out the top hitters for LSU. Franklin leads the country with four triples and also tops the team with six extra-base hits. Meanwhile, T. Edwards paces the squad with 13 RBI and 12 walks.
Pitcher Jayden Heavener (2-2) anchors the pitching rotation with a 2.96 ERA and a team-leading 26 strikeouts over 23.2 innings. Tatum Clopton (3-1) follows with 13 strikeouts, while Paytn Monticelli (1-1) has contributed 10 strikeouts, illustrating the depth of LSU’s pitching staff.
For the latest news and information on Tiger softball, visit www.lsusports.net/softball. Fans can follow the team on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/lsusoftball and @lsusoftball on Instagram and X.
