For the fourth-straight week, the eighth-ranked LSU softball team will face a top-25-ranked opponent when the No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats roll into Tiger Park at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
“The SEC is always tough,” sophomore pitcher Allie Walljasper said. “Mentally, we just have to prepare for what’s coming up next and what we’re doing in practice to prepare ourselves.”
The Tigers (29-9, 5-7 Southeastern Conference) will play a rare Saturday-Sunday-Monday series for the first time this season against the Wildcats (31-8, 8-4 SEC).
The rarity of this series will give the Tigers more time to prepare for Kentucky, players and coaches said.
“It’s nice this week to have an extra day,” coach Beth Torina said. “With a Saturday-Sunday-Monday series, having an extra day to really gather ourselves.”
Lately, LSU hasn’t fared too well against top-25-ranked opponents, as it has posted a losing record of 7-8 against top-tier ball clubs.
Despite their losing record, the Tigers have a boosted morale after their series win against No. 10 Georgia last weekend, and they are looking to build on it this weekend.
“I like to say the way we won Friday night was a huge confidence boost,” Torina said. “Almost a turning point for us. We needed that win. We certainly can win in a lot of ways, [so] that was something we hadn’t done very often, a big comeback victory like that.”
The Tigers are winners of three of their last four games, and the Wildcats enter the series fresh off getting swept by No. 3 Auburn in Lexington at John Cropp Stadium. The Kentucky offense only scored six runs in the series.
Senior pitcher Kelsey Nunley and junior pitcher Megan Prince leads the Wildcats pitching staff, which ranks in the top-three in ERA, opposing batting average and batters struck out in the SEC.
“They are definitely good,” hitting coach Howard Dobson said. “Nunley has been there for a while, carried them, brought them to the world series. They are definitely capable, so is everybody else in the SEC.”
Offensively, the Wildcats are one of the worst teams in the SEC. Kentucky ranks in the bottom half of the SEC in runs scored, hits and batting average.
Regardless of the Wildcats’ low offensive rankings, the constant test of playing top teams in the SEC is a learning process for the Tigers, freshman shortstop Amber Serrett said.
“It’s challenging,” Serrett said. “It makes all of us better, and all of us one step closer and know that we’re one more step ready for the College World Series.”
After not hitting a single home run since March 19 against Texas A&M, the Tigers have crushed long balls in all but one of the last four games.
LSU first baseman Sandra Simmons has led the offensive charge, and she currently has a seven-game hit streak, batting .394 during SEC play.
“We’re starting to look a little better,” Dobson said. “We’re just trying to get back to doing what we do well and not worrying about what the pitcher is trying to do in our strengths.”
With the challenge of another strong SEC opponent looming, Torina already knows this weekend will be tough, but she feels good about where her team is now.
“We definitely have our work cut out for us,” Torina said. “I feel good about the spot our team is in right now, and I feel really confident in the spot that we are.”