BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 20/15 LSU will make its final road trip of the regular season to Starkville, Miss., to take on No. 17/19 Mississippi State on April 24-26 at Nusz Park.
The series opener is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT on Friday. Game two on Saturday will begin at 2 p.m. CT, and the series finale on Sunday is set for 11 a.m. CT. All three games will be streamed on SEC Network+ with Anthony Craven and Brittany McKinney on the call. Patrick Wright, The Voice of LSU Softball, will provide commentary on LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates, including Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge, streaming at LSUsports.net/live, and in the LSU Sports Mobile Apps.
LSU (32-14, 9-9 SEC) leads Mississippi State (34-14, 6-12 SEC) in the all-time series 68-12, including a 33-9 mark when the teams face off in Starkville. The Tigers are on a four-game winning streak in the series, including a 5-0 victory last year in the 2025 SEC Tournament. LSU has won the last seven regular-season series versus the Bulldogs.
LSU has won nine of its last 11 games, five of six in the SEC, and has claimed three of its last four SEC series, including two on the road. The Tigers have a .273 batting average with 321 hits, 260 runs, and 230 walks, ranking No. 5 in the nation. The Bayou Bengals have launched 23 home runs over the last 15 games and have eight multi-home run games in that same sample size. The pitching staff has a 2.76 ERA and 227 strikeouts, and the defense boasts a .976 fielding percentage, tied for the program’s single-season record. LSU’s defense has turned 21 double plays, the fourth-most in the SEC and the ninth-most in the LSU single-season record book.
Jalia Lassiter, who is on a 15-game reach streak, leads the team with a .343 batting average. 48 hits and 50 runs. Lassiter has scored 50 or more runs for the second consecutive season and ranks No. 16 among active Division I players with 173 career runs.
Sierra Daniel and Kylee Edwards follow with .328 batting averages. Daniel has 44 hits with 32 runs and 27 RBI, and K. Edwards has 45 hits, including nine homers, and 30 runs on the year. K. Edwards leads the team with a six-game hitting streak entering the weekend.
Alix Franklin leads the SEC with six triples, and Tori Edwards paces the team with 11 home runs, 36 RBI, and 38 walks.
Paytn Monticelli (6-3) is this week’s SEC Pitcher of the Week. Monticelli claimed all three wins in the series against Ole Miss with 7.0 shutout innings. Overall this season, Monticelli has a 3.02 ERA and 49 strikeouts over 48.2 innings.
Jayden Heavener leads the staff with an 11-6 record. Heavener has pitched 13 complete games, three shutouts, including a no-hitter and two saves. In 115.1 innings, the left-hander has 98 strikeouts and has held opposing batters to a .213 clip. Cece Cellura is 6-4 in the circle, with 32 strikeouts, a 3.50 ERA, and five complete games.
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