The LSU softball team needs some wind in its sail, according to LSU coach Yvette Girouard.
The Tigers, coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of No. 10 Alabama last weekend, will look to get back on course today when LSU (17-8, 1-8 Southeastern Conference) takes on Mississippi State this afternoon in Starkville, Miss.
LSU is currently the loser of seven straight games and eight of the last nine. Girouard said the team has proved well on the practice field despite the losing streak.
“We had great practices last week,” Girouard said. “Attitude is everything, and this ship has a hole in it. We just have to find a way to sail it in with the hole in it.”
Girouard said she blames the losing streak on a number of different things.
“It’s a little bit of everything,” Girouard said. “When you’re not stopping opponents, you have to score a lot of runs. Consequently, we’re not scoring any.”
LSU ranks seventh in the conference with a team ERA of 2.73 and ranks eighth in runs scored with 144.
Having suffered their worst loss in 26 years in last Saturday’s 13-0 defeat, Girouard said the remainder of the season will rely on whether or not the team can stick together.
“They’re hard workers, and they have been since day one,” Girouard said. “All we have is each other, and we just have to stick together.”
Mississippi State (21-15, 3-6 SEC) is led by freshman Courtney Bures, batting .408 with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs. Bures also ranks second in the conference in slugging percentage (.808) and triples (5).
Girouard said a series against a team like Mississippi State could serve as a stepping stone in trying to get the team back on track.
“It would be a good opponent to maybe get healthy on,” Girouard said. “But of all times to have to start on the road, this was probably not the team that needed to do that.”
Offensively, freshman Quinlan Duhon leads LSU, batting .395 with 24 RBIs and a .744 slugging percentage.
Freshman Tiffany Garcia is the likely starter, boasting a 5-2 record with a 2.90 ERA.
According to Girouard, injuries to several of the team’s pitchers have also played a role in LSU’s losing streak.
“We’re injured pitching,” Girouard said. “Megan Jolly has been bothered by a pulled rib muscle, and she’s never gotten healthy. Turner’s got a sore rotator-cuff, and consequently they’re not practicing during the week so we can have them out there on the weekends.”
For junior Camille Harris, a successful season will now only come if the team concentrates on the next game.
“Our goal is always a sweep,” Harris said. “But right now, we’re definitely going to take it one game at a time.”
Following LSU’s series at Mississippi State the Tigers have a six-day break before welcoming Arkansas to Baton Rouge for a three-game set next Wednesday.
Girouard remains just two wins shy of the 1,000-win plateau, a mark reached by just four other NCAA Division I coaches.
“We have two options,” Girouard said. “To get better, or get better. There are no other options with us.”