Last season, South Alabama came into Tiger Park ranked No. 24 looking for an upset of then-No. 1 LSU.
It didn’t happen.
The Tigers defeated the Jaguars by mercy-rule 8-0 in five innings.
After a successful 4-1 weekend at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, the No. 5 LSU softball team returns to Tiger Park to face South Alabama tonight and the storylines haven’t changed much.
The Jaguars (6-3) will roll into Baton Rouge looking to upset a highly-ranked Tiger squad (8-2) with first pitch set for 6 p.m. But LSU’s lineup isn’t quite set.
“We’ve been moving people around since the season started, trying to decide what our best look is,” said LSU coach Beth Torina. “Who are our nine best [players] … We’ve seen some people in different places.”
The Tigers have thrived off their offense, averaging 7.9 runs per game, and may need to maintain that average to keep the four-game win streak alive against the Jaguars. South Alabama is averaging 6 runs per contest and are coming off a 10-2 run-rule win against Southern Mississippi.
Defensive errors have been an ongoing issue early for LSU this season, and Torina said it’s something her squad needs to work on. The Tigers are committing 1.1 errors per game, giving them a .956 fielding percentage.
“We made some mistakes we need to clean up there on the defensive side,” Torina said. “[The Big League Dream Complex] is definitely a tough place to play defense, but it’s something that we’ve got to keep working on.”
That fielding percentage leaves the Tigers ranked No. 127 in the NCAA. Despite the errors, the Tigers are allowing just 2.2 runs per contest.
But a home game against the Jaguars may be just what the team needs to right itself.
LSU swept its six midweek games in Tiger Park last season. The team outscored its opponents 50-9 with an average margin of victory of nearly seven runs per game.
“We’re always trying to get better,” Torina said. “Hopefully as the season gets a little deeper and we get more reps under our belt, those things will go away.”
Torina has shown she is willing to start any of her four pitchers in the circle. After sophomores Carley Hoover and Allie Walljasper pitched on Sunday, the likely starting pitcher will be either junior Baylee Corbello or freshman Sydney Smith. However, Hoover or Walljasper could make an appearance in relief.
The LSU pitching staff is currently maintaining a 1.54 ERA, while Smith is averaging nearly half that with a .78 ERA. Corbello’s ERA is the highest on the team, 2.80, but is allowing a team-low opponent batting average of .211.
Whichever Tiger pitcher is given the nod, the Jaguars will have a hard time hitting and earning runs, especially if LSU cleans up defensively.

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Wingate Jones

LSU sophmore infielder Sydney Bourg (10) leading cheers during their 13-2 victory on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016 at Tiger Park