It’s been six years since the LSU softball team finished a regular season with sole possession of the Southeastern Conference West Division title.
With a new coaching staff and a completely fresh crop of players since 2007, no one associated with the current LSU squad knows what winning the SEC West feels like. But that could be about to change.
No. 8 LSU (40-11, 15-6 SEC) begins the final weekend of regular-season SEC play today against Georgia with at least a share of the SEC West title already in hand. The Tigers need only one win against the Bulldogs (35-18, 12-9 SEC) to secure sole possession of the title.
The Tigers assured themselves at least a share of the top spot after sweeping No. 7 Alabama last weekend to open up a three-game lead on the Crimson Tide, which has perched itself atop the SEC West standings every season since LSU’s divisional championship in 2007.
“It’s amazing for all of us to be a part of the team that finally got the SEC West back to LSU,” said junior infielder Allison Falcon.
The Tigers are also jockeying for positioning in the SEC Tournament, which begins Wednesday in Lexington, Ky.
The SEC East has more depth than the West this season, with four teams boasting at least 12 conference wins. Only LSU and Alabama hold that mark in the West.
With all those teams clustered at the top of the conference rankings, LSU could receive anywhere from a No. 1 to a No. 5 seed in next week’s tournament.
“We’re not just going to go for one win,” Falcon said. “We don’t want to just go for the [SEC West title]. We want to go in there and make a statement and finish the season out really well.”
Luckily for LSU, it is coming off perhaps its best weekend performance of the season in the sweep against Alabama, while Georgia has lost three of its last four.
But the Bulldogs pose perhaps the most threatening power lineup in the league, ranking in the conference’s top-2 in team batting average (.339), hits (466), runs scored (362), home runs (84), doubles (75) and RBIs (331).
The matchup will pit Georgia’s potent lineup against LSU’s stellar pitching staff, led by the reigning Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week, Rachele Fico.
Fico has led 11 of LSU’s 15 conference victories from the circle, and the senior ace enters the weekend just two strikeouts shy of passing former LSU All-American Emily Turner for third place on the program’s all-time list.
Joining Fico in the circle will be juniors Ashley Czechner and Meghan Patterson, who have both helped LSU collect a 2.02 team ERA that ranks fourth in the SEC.
Czechner notched the win in the second game of LSU’s sweep of Alabama to extend her record to a perfect 10-0 this season. It was her second consecutive victory against a top-25 opponent after pitching five shutout innings against No. 11 Missouri the prior weekend.
Czechner seems to have passed Patterson for the Saturday starter position, but Patterson still holds the staff’s lowest ERA at 1.62.
LSU coach Beth Torina said with all that’s riding on this weekend’s series, she doesn’t have to worry about keeping her team from looking ahead to the postseason.
“I think it’s a pride thing at this point,” Torina said. “We want to win. We want to make sure we’re putting ourselves in the best possible spot we can for the regional selection committee, and I don’t think this team ever takes the field without a win in mind.”
