The LSU softball team did not have much of a shake up from its normal routine during spring break, but the Tigers traded the lack of rest for a first-place seat at the top of the Southeastern Conference West standings.
The Tigers, ranked No. 5 in the latest ESPN/USA Softball poll, went 7-1 while classes were out of session and now lead the western division just ahead of No. 3 University of Alabama.
LSU’s 14-3 conference record is good enough for an 82.4 winning percentage. The Crimson Tide have won 78.9 percent of their conference games and have a 15-4 record, which includes two losses to the Tigers.
The University of Tennessee Volunteers lead the SEC with a 14-2 record and rank No. 1 in the nation. LSU faces the Vols in its final home series of the season Apr. 28 and 29.
The Tigers swept the University of Auburn on the road to begin the break before sweeping a doubleheader Tuesday against the University of Kentucky and taking two of three games from the University of South Carolina this past weekend.
Sophomore pitcher Dani Hofer showed no signs of a sophomore slump over the break. The Safety Harbor, Fla., native earned five of the Tigers’ seven wins and improved her season record to 17-1.
Hofer and senior pitcher Emily Turner are currently fifth and sixth in the conference in ERA with averages of 1.25 and 1.37, respectively.
Mar. 31 – Apr. 1 LSU vs. Auburn (LSU wins series, 3-0)
Senior pitcher Emily Turner walked one batter and struck out eight in LSU’s 9-0 win against Auburn in game one of the Saturday afternoon doubleheader. Freshmen outfielders Rachel Mitchell and Jazz Jackson collected two hits each in the contest, and junior shortstop Andrea Smith scored two runs in the game.
Hofer struck out nine batters and allowed only three hits in LSU’s 4-1 win in the back end of the doubleheader. Junior catcher Killian Roessner and junior third baseman Tayl’r Hollis each went 2-for-3 in the contest, and Mitchell drove in three of the Tigers’ four runs.
LSU closed the series with a 5-2 victory on April Fools Day. After Turner allowed two hits and walked one in an inning of work, Hofer entered the game in relief, pitched six innings and recorded nine strikeouts.
Hollis and senior centerfielder Leslie Klein both hit two-run homer runs to carry the Tigers to their sixth win against Auburn in the past seven matchups.
Apr. 3 LSU vs. Kentucky (LSU wins series, 2-0)
The Tigers swept Kentucky, 4-0 and 8-4, in their second midweek doubleheader of the season.
Turner pitched her fifth complete game shutout this season in the opener while Hofer notched another victory in the second game.
Junior Shannon Stein went 1-for-2 in the game and picked up her first hit since Feb. 25 against Louisiana Tech University. Stein, who serves as team co-captain of the Tigers along with Roessner and senior Kristen Hobbs, missed 18 games because of a broken finger before returning to action Mar. 28 against McNeese State University.
Stein went 0-for-7 in the Auburn series but found her swing against the Wildcats, recording two hits, an RBI and a run.
Klein led the way for LSU with four total hits and two runs.
Apr. 6 – Apr. 7 LSU vs. South Carolina (LSU wins series, 2-1) The Gamecocks snapped the Tigers eight-game winning streak Friday afternoon with a 2-1 win against LSU. South Carolina pitcher Melissa Hendon earned the win with a complete-game, one-hit performance.
LSU defeated the Gamecocks in the second game of the doubleheader, 8-0, and closed out the series with a 2-0 win on an unusually cold Saturday afternoon.
Following the game LSU coach Yvette Girouard praised Hendon’s performance in the circle.
“Hendon had my attention because I had seen what she did against [the universities of] Alabama and Tennessee, and they legitimately struggled against her,” Girouard said in a news release. “I think they are a much better team with her on the mound than they show. If they could get a little more run production, she would be quite effective.”
—–Contact Tyler Batiste at [email protected]