TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – LSU is ready for a Super Regional showdown against No. 1 overall seed Alabama in a best-of-three series May 22-24 at Rhoads Stadium, with a berth in the Women’s College World Series on the line.
The first game of the weekend is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on Friday, May 22, on ESPN2, and the second game will be at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 23, on ESPN. Sunday’s game time is to be determined if a game three is necessary.
Eric Frede and Brittany McKinney will call each game of the weekend, and fans can also listen to the action on the LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates with Patrick Wright, the Voice of LSU Softball, including on Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge, streaming at LSUsports.net/live, and in the LSU Sports Mobile App.
LSU leads Alabama in the all-time series 49-44 and has won six of the last 10 meetings, including three of the last four matchups. The Tigers beat the Tide in a three-game series last season, 2-1. LSU also holds a 2-0 advantage over Alabama when they meet in the NCAA Tournament, both of which were in the WCWS. In 2015, LSU defeated Alabama 5-3, then won 6-4 in 2016 in OKC.
LSU, which is making its 11th NCAA Super Regional appearance and its ninth under Head Coach Beth Torina, has won eight of its last nine games and 12 of its last 15 entering the weekend. The Tigers have bumped their batting average to .291 behind 431 hits, including 57 home runs. The Bayou Bengals have outscored their opponents 347-165 this season, highlighted by a 185-73 margin in the first three innings. The LSU pitching staff has a 2.65 ERA, 12 shutouts, and 279 strikeouts in 375.2 innings. In the Baton Rouge Regional, the staff threw three complete games by three different pitchers. The pitchers are backed by a strong defense that has a .976 fielding percentage, has turned 28 double plays, and has a single-season low of 37 errors.
Jalia Lassiter, a four-time NFCA All-Region selection, has been dominant throughout the season. She is the seventh LSU Tiger to have 60 hits and 60 runs in a single season, and the first to do so since 2019 (Aliyah Andrews). Lassiter is second on the team with a .348 average at the plate but paces the team with 63 hits and 61 runs.
Kylee Edwards leads the Tigers with a .349 batting average on 60 hits, including 10 home runs, and has 43 runs and 40 RBI this season. K. Edwards leads LSU with 18 multi-hit games, 13 multi-RBI games, and has a team-best 17-game reach streak. Earlier this season, K. Edwards became the first LSU Tiger to hit for the cycle (April 3), and the fifth player from the SEC to achieve the rare statistic.
Sierra Daniel rounds out the LSU’s .300 hitters with a .341 average on 59 hits. Daniel has scored 45 runs, has 31 RBI, and has drawn 34 walks. Daniel also owns a .984 fielding percentage and has turned 15 double plays from second base.
LSU pitcher Jayden Heavener leads the staff with a 13-8 record. Heavener has pitched 15 complete games and has five shutouts, including a no-hitter, with two saves. In 132.1 innings, the left-hander has 120 strikeouts and four double-digit strikeout games this season. She is coming off her 10th career shutout in the 8-0 victory over Akron to open the Baton Rouge Regional.
Paytn Monticelli (9-3) is on a six-game winning streak when she is the pitcher of record. During the six-game winning streak, she has a 0.50 ERA with 18 strikeouts and has allowed two earned runs in 28.0 innings. In 76.0 innings overall, the senior has a 2.39 ERA and 62 punchouts.
Cece Cellura is 9-5 in the circle with 48 strikeouts and has a 3.12 ERA over 98.2 innings. Cellura has allowed 17 walks all season, the fewest walks by an SEC pitcher with a minimum of 90.0 innings. She is coming off her first career complete game shutout (vs. Virginia Tech, May 16), which was the program’s 30th shutout in the NCAA Tournament.
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