The rainstorms kept the Tigers pinned in the locker room Wednesday night, but they will be on the prowl again in Alabama this weekend. After the cancellation of a midweek game with McNeese State, No. 10 LSU (29-7, 8-3) goes on the road this weekend to play its second consecutive series against a Southeastern Conference foe ranked in the top three. LSU senior catcher Killian Roessner said the night off gave some of the players a chance to catch up on school work. “A lot of us had tests [Thursday] and some papers and quizzes, so I think some of us took advantage of the time off to work on our studies,” Roessner said. LSU junior pitcher Dani Hofer said although the players got a chance to catch up on school work, the team was disappointed the game was canceled. “We definitely wanted to play – just another way to fix any kinks before we go to Alabama,” Hofer said at practice Thursday. “But I think we’re having a good practice out here [Thursday], so I think we’re OK.” LSU coach Yvette Girouard said she expects this weekend to have a better result than this past weekend’s road sweep at the hands of No. 3 Florida.
“We’ve never really played that well at Florida, which I didn’t want to say out loud – but we never got swept,” Girouard said. “We’ve always played well at Alabama, so I’m hoping that trend continues.” Two years ago, the Tigers went 2-1 during the trip to Tuscaloosa, Ala. “It was a pretty awesome weekend overall for the team,” Roessner said. “Personally I remember I don’t think I did too well, but at that point I didn’t even care because I knew we won.” But even with all the talent on the field for the No. 2 team, one of the biggest obstacles for the Tigers this weekend could be the Alabamans in the stands. “Kudos to Alabama,” Girouard said, “They sold 1,500 season tickets. There’s a lot of baseball programs in the country that would kill for that, so the place is going to be jam-packed.” Hofer said Alabama was the toughest place to play softball in the SEC. “Definitely, they get such a good crowd turnout,” Hofer said. “We’ve been told it has been sold out, so we already know it’s going to be a crazy amount of people.” Girouard, Roessner, and Hofer all said the crowd is one of the toughest home crowds, not just because of the size, but because of the demeanor of the fans. “They’re one-of-a-kind,” Hofer said. “They’re a little bit more blunt with what they say.” Hofer said the most recent time the Tigers traveled to Alabama, the fans made fun of the players and their families. “They had a media guide, so they were just reading all about our backgrounds,” Hofer said. “Nothing too harsh. I think fans know their limit on what they should say.”
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