The No. 1 LSU softball team hits the road for its second road series in league play against No. 16 Kentucky, beginning today at 5:00 p.m.
Auburn swept the Wildcats (21-8, 1-5 Southeastern Conference) last weekend, but the Tigers (31-1, 5-1 SEC) are not taking their opponent lightly.
“Kentucky is always very well coached and very well prepared, and we have no doubt they will be this time,” said LSU coach Beth Torina. “They’re coming off a tough weekend against Auburn. They always rebound really well, too, in the history of their program, so it’s something we all need to be concerned about — that we need to be ready for — and we need to be prepared to give them our best game no matter what their record is.”
Junior pitcher Kelsey Nunley leads Kentucky’s pitching staff with a 9-4 record, a 1.89 ERA and 71 strikeouts this spring. Her 30-11 record, 1.88 ERA and 219 strikeouts last season earned her a Second Team All-SEC honors distinction.
The Wildcats knocked the Tigers out of the SEC Tournament during the only game in which the teams played against each other last season. 
Nunley was instrumental in Kentucky’s 4-3, extra-inning triumph. She pitched all nine innings, allowing six hits and three runs on 138 pitches.
“Kentucky has a very good pitcher in Kelsey Nunley, and they have some new pitchers that we haven’t seen yet,” said junior catcher Kellsi Kloss. “They’re going to be a very good team. They are similar to us offensively, too, and they’re very scrappy, too. They’re not going to give it easy to us at all. We’ve got to earn every single thing we get over there.”
Kentucky is hitting .286 as a team and possesses some dangerous hitters throughout its lineup. The Wildcats have four starters hitting better than .300 and five players with at least four home runs.
Junior infielder Christian Stokes leads the way with a .374 average, six home runs and 62 total bases. 
LSU enters the weekend riding a six-game win streak. Since dropping their first game of the season to Florida on March 13, the Tigers have responded by winning the final two games of the series against the Gators, defeating in-state foe Nicholls State, sweeping No. 6 Oklahoma and easing by No. 24 South Alabama.
LSU will have to win away from Tiger Park, where it is 24-0 this season. However, LSU has proven it can play away from home and still find success. 
The Tigers won all five of their games at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, California, and took two of three games against then-No. 1 Florida at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
LSU’s lineup has been explosive, scoring 251 runs in 32 games. 
The Tigers are hitting .365 as a team to go with a .596 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .453.
Despite playing on the road, LSU will approach the game in the same manner as usual.
“Everyone is gunning for us, [so] we know we have a target on our back,” Kloss said. “But at the same time, we have to keep playing LSU softball. That doesn’t mean we get out of our element at all.”
You can reach Jack Woods on Twitter @Jack_TDR.