The LSU softball team saved the best for last.
The No. 12 Tigers will begin their final home conference series today against defending national champions No. 4 Alabama — the highest ranked opponent they’ll face in the regular season.
LSU (37-11, 12-6 Southeastern Conference) will look to bounce back from its first SEC series loss to No. 11 Missouri last weekend. Missouri’s ace Chelsea Thomas shut down LSU’s lineup in games one and three to secure that series, so LSU is hoping to liven its bats against another stout pitching staff.
Jackie Traina, who boasts a 2.12 ERA to go along with a 17-4 record, is the top pitcher LSU will contend with from Alabama (40-7, 12-6 SEC). She also leads the Crimson Tide, which boasts a .337 team batting average with 13 home runs, hitting in the middle of the lineup.
“When you have a pitcher like Jackie Traina, on any day she can beat anyone in the country,” said LSU coach Beth Torina.
LSU senior pitcher Rachele Fico, who took both losses in the Missouri series, said the Tigers have to be more aggressive at the plate and on the mound to beat Alabama this weekend.
“We can’t be playing defensively throughout the game,” Fico said. “I can’t pitch defensively. We can’t hit defensively. We need to attack and go right at them with our best game.”
Despite LSU’s increased offensive production this season, the Tigers’ numbers still pale in comparison to Alabama’s offensive machine.
Both lineups are similar, with each team fielding three slappers in the lineup, but Alabama boasts a trio of players who bat above a .400 average for the entire season, while LSU has none.
The Crimson Tide is led by outfielder Haylie McCleney, who has the SEC’s second-highest batting average at .479, but outfielder Kayla Braud and second baseman Kaila Hunt also rank in the top 10, hitting .435 and .408 respectively.
“We really need to focus on what our strengths are,” Fico said. “When you’re facing a team with so many great hitters, one through nine, that can almost get in your head a little bit when you’re worrying about what their strengths are and what they hit well. We can’t let our focus shift.”
This weekend’s series will go a long way in determining who finishes with the regular season SEC West title, with LSU and Alabama tied atop the SEC West standings with 12-6 records in conference play.
LSU players and coaches said their goal throughout the season was to win every conference series because doing so would most likely assure them an SEC West crown and a solid position heading into postseason play.
Though they fell short of their goal against Missouri, the Tigers are still right where they want to be heading into the series with Alabama, Torina said.
