The No. 20 LSU softball team is still jockeying for position entering the season’s final weekend.The Tigers (30-14-1, 13-9-1) hold fourth place in the Southeastern Conference by just one win and need a good performance against Auburn (28-24, 8-17) to avoid losing it.”We’d certainly like to finish the season as high as we can,” said LSU coach Yvette Girouard. “We need to enter the postseason with a good mind frame.”A performance like last weekend’s would certainly boost the Tigers’ confidence heading into the postseason. LSU didn’t allow South Carolina to score in a three-game sweep, outscoring the Gamecocks by a combined total of 20-0.”Obviously Auburn is a different challenge than South Carolina was,” Girouard said. “South Carolina is reeling a little bit, and this is a better ball club in Auburn.”The wins offset a sweep the Tigers suffered at the hands of No. 1 Florida. The Gators knocked LSU out of contention for third place in the SEC, but the Tigers can stay in the top half of the SEC tournament’s eight-team bracket with a successful series against Auburn.”We have new goals now — we’ve got to score in the first three innings, and I’d like to see us do that,” Girouard said.Softball isn’t the only thing weighing on the Tigers’ minds. Just like the rest of the LSU community, the softball team begins final exams next week, just two days after returning from Auburn.”This is a very stressful time for our team,” Girouard said. “As coaches we have to be very aware of everything going on with them and don’t put any undue pressure on them.”Auburn is in a much more precarious position. The Tigers are No. 8 in the SEC — the last available position in the SEC tournament. Both Ole Miss and Mississippi State are within two games of Auburn, and either could overtake them for the final spot with a successful weekend.”They’re still fighting to get into the tournament, and they’re at home,” Girouard said. “This is their best shot — it’s their only shot to get in. No SEC coach wants to not get into the tournament. It’s added pressure on that team and that coaching staff, and I’m sure they’ll be fired up.”—-Contact David Helman at [email protected]
Softball: Tigers to finish regular season
April 29, 2009