The No. 4 LSU softball team returns back to the friendly confines of Tiger Park against in-state foe Nicholls State at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
The Tigers (25-5, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) have posted a 19-2 record at home and Tuesday will be their first home game since March 13, when they defeated No. 6 Alabama, 8-1.
Of course, playing at home is always a plus for teams, but LSU players tend to find Tiger Park a special stadium.
“Our fans are just so loyal,” said junior infielder Sahvanna Jaquish. “They really come out and show their support for us. The energy in Tiger Park is just electrifying.”
LSU is looking to bounce back from its series defeat against Texas A&M last weekend after its offense crossed home plate only 13 times in 21 innings. against the Aggies (27-2, 2-1 SEC).
Even with the poor offensive showing over the weekend, the Tigers remain ranked seventh in the country in terms of runs scored with 242 runs and are batting at an average of .366, placing them at No. 6 in the country.
Nicholls (16-11, 3-2 Southland Conference) are winners of three out of its last five games.
Senior pitcher Hannah Hydel spearheads the staff, for the Colonels. Nicholls tout’s a team 2.37 ERA which is the lowest Southland and are second in the conference in terms of scoring runs given up, with 77.
Hydel (8-5), the presumed starter on Tuesday, has appeared in a team-leading 18 games for the Colonels, averaging a team-low ERA of 1.78, which is also ranks second in the Southland.
The Colonels also present a strong defensive unit with a fielding percentage of .968, which ranks second in the Southland. Along with a high fielding percentage, the Thibodaux-based squad has only committed 25 errors this season, compared to LSU’s 39 defensive errors this year.
It could be easy for the Tigers to overlook the midweek matchup versus the Colonels, with the No. 1 ranked team, Florida Gators, trekking to Tiger Park this Friday.
But midweek matchups haven’t been an issue for the Tigers. So far this season LSU is 5-0 in midweek games and have outscored teams by a margin of 52 to 8.
“We can’t sleep on any team,” said senior shortstop Bianka Bell. “Everybody is going to come with their best effort.”
You can reach Josh Thornton on Twitter: @JoshT_TDR