After a hard-fought 1-2 weekend, No. 20 LSU softball travels to Columbia, Missouri, to take on Mizzou for its fifth conference matchup of the season.
In the two Tiger teams’ history, LSU holds a 17-13 advantage over Mizzou, with an 8-7 record at the Mizzou Softball Stadium. In its last matchup against the team in 2024, LSU fell 2-1 to Mizzou at Tiger Park. In the last 10 matchups between the programs, the Tiger teams are both an even 5-5.
LSU (23-12, 4-8 SEC) recently dropped a lengthy and well-fought series to No. 3 Oklahoma. The Tigers evened the series in Game 2, but the final game simply slipped away due to pitching errors and exhaustion.
In the second game of the series, a huge upset handed OU its first conference loss of the season and the Tigers’ first win over the program since 2015, something that hung over the Sooners heading into the final game and might’ve been the revenge that backfired for the Tigers later on. In Game 2, LSU ended the Sooners’ 22-game win streak.
Even with a few pitching errors in a single game, LSU’s bullpen depth has consistently been getting better and more aggressive in its approach in the circle. With Torina rotating between two main starting pitchers: sophomore Jayden Heavener and junior Cece Cellura, the weekend rotation has become a more confident threat to its opponents.
Heavener is 8-6 in the circle across 18 appearances and 12 starts, boasting a 2.76 ERA. She has pitched 91 innings as the Tigers’ ace, holding her opponents to a .223 batting average, while leading the staff with 76 strikeouts.
The young sophomore has struggled a bit in terms of walks and hitting opposing batters. Heavener has walked 46 batters and hit 19, the most hit batters in the SEC by a pitcher.
Cellura, on the other hand, boasts a 3.65 ERA and a 4-4 record across 12 appearances in her first season with the Tigers. She’s pitched 52 innings in purple and gold, striking out 23 opponents with a .318 batting average.
On the offensive side, Jalia Lassiter and Sierra Daniel, like usual, lead the Tigers’ offensive stats. There’s a reason why head coach Beth Torina has them as the two leadoff hitters in the batting order.
Daniel leads the Tigers’ offense with a .333 batting average in all 35 games played. She has 33 hits on the season and scored 22 runs, driving in 15 RBIs. Lassiter follows behind Daneil with a .327 average and leads LSU with 35 hits, 34 runs and 60 RBIs in her senior season.
Junior shortstop Kylee Edwards has had herself quite a stretch as of late on both offense and defense. In the Tigers’ series against OU, Edwards clobbered three home runs, two of which came in the second game of the series to advance the Tigers’ lead and eventually hand them the win.
To oppose, Mizzou recently swept Auburn in a three-game series and holds a 20-18 overall record, with a 4-5 record in conference play. At home, the Mizzou Tigers are 8-4, and against ranked teams, just 4-7.
Junior Stefania Abruscato leads the Mizzou offense with a .366 batting average in 112 at-bats on the season so far. She leads the team with 41 hits and 18 runs. Behind her stands freshman pitcher Abby Carr with a .324 average, 18 runs and 34 hits with 35 RBIs, but Carr leads her team with 10 home runs on the season.
Carr is a two-way player for Mizzou, as she holds a 4-3 record in the circle and has the lowest ERA on the staff at 2.15.
Joining her on the mound, senior Cierra Harrison holds the team’s best record in the circle at 8-4 with a 3.36 ERA. Behind follows right-handed junior Marissa McCann, who boasts a 6-7 record in her 20 appearances. McCann has pitched 87 innings for Mizzou and leads the staff with 81 strikeouts, but has allowed 77 hits, 49 runs and 33 walks.
Game 1 of the series will begin April 2 with the first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at the Mizzou Softball Stadium.
