The decreased softball core and bat regulations that took place this offseason have yet to slow down the LSU bats.
LSU (6-3) enters this weekend’s Purple and Gold Challenge with a .360 team batting average and six starters batting better than .340.
“I can’t believe how well we are hitting the ball,” said junior catcher Leigh Ann Danos. “[Stephanie] Hill has come out and is just unstoppable right now. Our whole team has stepped up in hitting, and it is awesome.”
Hill, a sophomore first baseman, leads the team in batting average (.571), slugging percentage (.952) and hits (12).
Coach Yvette Girouard said if the pitching can catch up with the hitting, then the Tigers will be tough to beat this season.
“If our pitching becomes solid, which I know it will, then I think this team will be one to be reckoned with because we are swinging the bat with a lot of confidence right now,” Girouard said.
The Tigers will host Alcorn State, Louisiana Tech, Southern Mississippi and Texas-San Antonio in the three-day tournament at Tiger Park, with LSU’s first game Friday at 12:30 p.m. against Alcorn State.
The biggest threat to the Tigers this weekend will be the UTSA Roadrunners, Girouard said.
“[UTSA] is swinging the bats very well right now,” Girouard said.
UTSA (6-3) is led by senior second baseman Christy Brownlee. Brownlee is batting .308 with a team-high four home runs and 11 RBIs.
“I think this weekend is an opportunity for us to come out and really dominate,” Danos said. “For us to really play against ourselves and it does not matter who we play, but to just play to our best and really get some things done.”
At last weekend’s UNLV Softball Classic, the Tigers went 3-1, but for the second straight weekend lost to a Top 5 opponent.
Senior pitcher Kristin Schmidt said the losses to California and Oklahoma the past two weeks have been a little bit of a letdown, but have shown the Tigers that they are not too far from the upper echelon teams.
This weekend’s competition may not be as good as the previous two, but Schmidt said she still wants the pitching staff to come out and dominate.
“We want to come out and dominate our opponents, while taking our pitching up to another level,” Schmidt said.
While Schmidt wants the pitching to step it up, Girouard said it has been the defense that has been the biggest disappointment.
The Tigers have committed 13 errors in nine games, but Girouard said the defensive struggles have occurred because of a lack of focus and are correctable.
The tournament features round robin play on Friday and Saturday with championship play on Sunday.
LSU is 11-4 all-time against the Purple and Gold Challenge field. The Tigers are 6-0 in their series against La. Tech, 10-4 all-time against USM and 1-0 all-time against UTSA. Friday’s meeting between LSU and Alcorn State will be the first meeting between the two schools.