The 11th-ranked LSU softball team enters this weekend’s series against Kentucky with one thought in mind– the completion of a sweep.
The Wildcats come into Tiger Park dead last in the Southeastern Conference with a 1-19 league record and have lost 18 consecutive games. LSU coach Yvette Girouard realizes anything less than a sweep would be a disappointment.
“We obviously have to sweep this weekend,” Girouard said.
LSU trails SEC West leading Alabama by two games in the loss column, and Girouard said this weekend presents a golden opportunity for the Tigers, especially with the Crimson Tide playing a decent Mississippi State club.
“If we are going to make any kind of run at this thing, we have got to take all three,” Girouard said. “Alabama still has to play South Carolina [12-7 SEC], and they still have to play [East leading] Georgia. The bottom line for us is we need to take care of our own business.”
LSU defeated Nicholls State 2-0 on Wednesday but has not faced an SEC opponent since March 30 when it defeated ‘Bama, 2-1, at Tiger Park.
After this weekend, the Tigers still have the three last place teams in the SEC West on their schedule: Ole Miss, Arkansas and Auburn. Girouard said this is an advantage for LSU.
“We feel like there are a lot of things in our advantage,” Giroaurd said. “We have the lower rung SEC teams, and we are at home, we played well last night [Nicholls win], and we need to get on a roll here and sweep some of these series, and we could be right back in it.”
Girouard will send the normal starting rotation to the circle, with Kristin Schmidt, who owns a 18-9 record pitching the first game at 11:00 a.m, and Tessa Lynam, who is 12-2, to follow in the second game.