The No. 16 LSU softball team (5-0) is off to a fast start, but it will be tested again this weekend at the Tiger Invitational. LSU will play a doubleheader today, facing Hofstra (0-0) at 4 p.m. and Central Arkansas (4-2) at 6:30 p.m. at Tiger Park.
LSU coach Beth Torina said this weekend will provide a stern test for the Tigers.
“I think our schedule pretty much gets tougher every week from here on out,” Torina said.
Torina said Hofstra is traditionally a great softball program. The Pride finished last season 34-15 and lost in the Norman Regional to Texas A&M.
However, the weekend’s biggest test could come Saturday and Sunday, when the Tigers take on No. 20 Notre Dame (4-1).
“I think Notre Dame is a really quality opponent,” Torina said. “They had some good wins last weekend.”
The Fighting Irish opened their season at the SoCal Collegiate Classic and recorded several noteworthy wins. Notre Dame defeated then-No. 7 UCLA 8-4 and split its games with Cal State Fullerton, which has climbed into this week’s rankings at No. 25.
LSU started its season in dominating fashion at last weekend’s Tiger Classic, and the Tigers owe a big part of their five wins to solid pitching performances in the circle.
Sophomore Baylee Corbello won both starts while only giving up eight hits, four runs and two walks. She struck out 12 and finished the weekend with a 2.55 ERA in 11 innings pitched.
Sophomore Kelsee Selman, freshman Allie Walljasper and freshman Carley Hoover all pitched complete games. Hoover relieved Corbello on Sunday and sealed the Tigers 4-2
victory against North Carolina State. Selman and
Walljasper threw shutouts and Walljasper hit her first home run Saturday.
The Tigers started slowly at the plate in their opening game against Memphis, but the bats came alive by the end of the game, and they stayed hot all weekend. The team finished the weekend hitting .366 and scored 34 runs across the five games.
Junior shortstop Bianka Bell led the way, recording nine hits to finish with a .563 batting average. She hit three doubles, three home runs and batted in 10 runs.
Senior center fielder A.J. Andrews, sophomore right fielder Bailey Landry, juniors first baseman Sandra Simmons and catcher Kellsi Kloss each finished with six hits as well.
Hoover said the team looked good in all aspects of the game, but there is still work to be done.
“I think we looked very, very good all-around,” she said. “We have to polish up some edges I would say but nothing too
severe.”
Torina said there are many things the team will continue to work on and there is a long way to go before her team is where it needs to be. Corbello said the opening weekend helped identify the areas that need to be sharpened.
“We know what we need to work on now that we played some games,” Corbello said. “So I think that we’re just going to work on sharpening those things up, and then hopefully next weekend will better.”
You can reach Jack Woods on Twitter @Jack_TDR.