Seven games are all that stand between the No. 5 LSU softball team and the opening of Southeastern Conference play against No. 4 Alabama on March 11.
But first, the team must finish a midweek doubleheader against Longwood and the LSU Invitational that opens with a doubleheader today.
The hometown Tigers (14-2) will be the only ranked squad in the Invitational’s five-team field, which features just one team above .500 other than the hosts. Coach Beth Torina said she wants to clean up certain aspects of her team’s play before SEC games begin.
“We need to get our confidence back [on the defensive side],” Torina said. “It’ll be nice to get more people at bats and get everyone ready.”
Defensive issues have been plaguing the Tigers early this season, but the team has started to resolve its fielding problems.
Torina’s squad played errorless softball in its midweek matchup with Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday. The flawless play ended a streak of eight games with a defensive mistake dating back to Feb. 20.
There have been close calls, but errors have only truly cost LSU one game when it fell to Pacific 2-1 on Feb. 13. The team allowed both Pacific runs on errors.
“We are coming together as such a strong team,” said sophomore outfielder Emily Griggs. “I’m focusing on our strengths, taking [the Invitational] one game at a time and never overlooking anybody.”
This weekend will prove whether the Tigers have truly put their issues behind them.
LSU opens the weekend against a Memphis squad that started 2016 at 1-9, but have begun to turn its season around, winning five of its last six contests. The visiting Tigers have no seniors and just seven juniors on their 22-man roster, with four players hitting above .300.
But they have fielding issues of their own.
Memphis (6-10) is managing a meager .924 fielding percentage thanks to 35 errors in its 16 games. The percentage is ranked No. 273 of the NCAA’s 287 Division I teams.
Torina’s squad should be able to force miscues from the visiting Tigers and manufacture runs.
“It’s important to not look past this weekend,” sophomore pitcher Carley Hoover said. “Some good offense, some good pitchers, we’ve been working on it all week, our game plan. We’ll be ready to go.”
LSU will finish today’s festivities with a late-night battle with Tennessee Tech.
After winning three of their first five, the Golden Eagles are in free fall. The Cookeville, Tennessee team has dropped each of its last eight fixtures and is managing just 2.4 runs per game during that stretch.
Tennessee Tech has struggled from the plate, averaging just .210 as a team with only freshman Leigh Thomas hitting above .300, among players with more than three at bats. She leads the team with a batting average of .400.
“We want to limit the mental mistakes,” senior shortstop Bianka Bell said. “We want to be the first ones to score runs, instead of having [opponents] score before us. Find ways to win in different areas, not just one aspect of the game.”
The Tigers will finish the weekend with a doubleheader against Liberty and Louisiana Tech on Saturday before a rematch with Tennessee Tech on Sunday to close out the event.