So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye.
No. 21 LSU (35-15, 16-9) will bid adieu to the regular season this weekend when it hosts South Carolina (25-27, 6-19) for the final series of the year.
The series will also mark LSU coach Yvette Girouard’s last appearance in Tiger Park at the helm for the Tigers. The legendary coach will retire at the end of the season, and junior pitcher Brittany Mack said she wants to send Girouard out with a bang.
“I hope the stands are packed,” Mack said. “I hope we break our all-time [attendance] record. I want everyone to be there and congratulate her on her career success and thank her for everything she’s done.”
Girouard, whose collegiate coaching career spans 31 years — 11 with LSU — said the high point of her final season came when the Tigers swept then-No. 1 Alabama.
“That weekend was phenomenal,” Girouard said. “We had always dreamed of sweeping them, but at that point we weren’t playing well and they were.”
Friday, the Tigers will also honor the team’s three seniors — outfielders Tiffany Shaw and Ashley Applegate and infielder Jessica Mouse.
For Applegate and Mouse, their final season at LSU hardly went according to plan. Both suffered preseason injuries that kept them sidelined the entire season.
Girouard said it has been difficult not having them, but she didn’t rule out the possibility of them returning next season with redshirts.
“It’s been horrible to not be able to write their name in the lineup,” Girouard said. “I’m sure it hasn’t been fun for them.”
On the field, LSU hopes to maintain a late-season run that has put it in prime position looking ahead to the postseason.
The Tigers have won nine straight games and 20 of their last 23 games dating back to March 19.
LSU holds second place in the Southeastern Conference Western Division behind Alabama and has clinched a spot in the SEC tournament for the 15th consecutive season.
The Tigers haven’t had any trouble getting past South Carolina recently, winning 13 of their last 15 matchups with the Gamecocks. LSU has recorded seven consecutive shutouts against the Gamecocks.
South Carolina may have trouble breaking that streak against Mack (16-5) and sophomore pitcher Rachele Fico (13-9).
The two pitchers have not lost a decision since April 17 and combine for a 2.74 ERA.
Sophomore catcher Lauren Houston stressed the importance of making Girouard proud in her last series at Tiger Park.
“All we’re going to try and do is keep playing well and keep playing hard the way we have been,” Houston said. “We’re on a winning streak so we’re just going to keep playing Tiger softball.”