By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
If LSU softball coach Beth Torina is to return to the College World Series in Oklahoma City for the first time since 2017, she will have to get past No. 1 overall seed Alabama in Tuscaloosa and beat LSU’s first choice for its coach after the 2011 season.
And Torina’s No. 16 seeded Tigers looked capable all weekend as they blitzed the competition in an NCAA Regional at Tiger Park, advancing on Sunday afternoon with a 7-2 victory over 14th-ranked Virginia Tech after also beating the Hokies, 8-0, on Saturday and Akron, 8-0, on Friday.
LSU (40-17) advances to the Super Regional round for the second time in three years and will play Alabama (52-7) in the best-of-three series beginning Thursday or Friday at 3,940-seat Rhoads Stadium with the World Series on the line. Game days and times at Alabama will be announced later Sunday by the NCAA along with the rest of the details for the other Super Regional games.
LSU’s website had LSU and Alabama opening up on Thursday but playing for four days, which can’t happen unless there is a rainout. Meanwhile, the Tuscaloosa News had the LSU-Alabama Super Regional opening on Friday and running through Sunday. So, who’s on first?
Torina and Alabama coach Patrick Murphy have never met in the postseason and have not played this season. LSU beat the Tide, 8-0 and 2-1, with an 8-5 loss in a three-game series on April 4-6 in Baton Rouge in the 2025 season.
Murphy accepted the LSU job after the 2011 season when coach Yvette Girouard retired, but changed his mind three days later and returned to Alabama. He won his lone national championship in the 2012 season before a runner-up finish in 2014. Murphy, who took over at Alabama in 1999, has taken the Tide to the World Series 13 times from 2003-24.
LSU then hired Torina, who had taken Florida International to the 2010 NCAA Regional. She led the Tigers to the World Series in her first season in 2012 and three more times in 2015, ’16 and ’17.
“I don’t even know where to start on our team,” Torina said after the win Sunday. “I’m so proud of this entire group. I’m proud of their growth and the senior leadership. Every time our senior class decides that it’s time to go, those are the ones that go the best. This senior class has been incredible this weekend.”
Senior Paytn Monticello, pitching her last game at Tiger Park, held Virginia Tech (48-12) to one earned run on five hits with two strikeouts and zero walks for a complete-game victory on Sunday to go to 9-3 on the season. Virginia Tech starter Bree Carrico (15-2) allowed eight hits and four earned runs with no strikeouts and a walk in taking the loss.
Trailing 2-0 after two innings, LSU took a 4-2 lead in the third with a solo home run by senior Jalia Lassiter, a two-run single by senior Maci Bergeron and an RBI double by Ally Hutchins. Lassiter finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Bergeron was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Alix Franklin went 3-for-4.
The Tigers extended their lead to 6-2 in the fifth on an RBI single by Lassiter and an RBI fielder’s choice grounder by Sierra Daniel. LSU scored an unearned run in the sixth for the 7-2 lead.
“There are so many cool stories in here – the day that Alix Franklin had, the weekend Maci Bergeron had,” Torina said. “Jalia always has a good weekend. Paytn Monticelli’s story – it makes me feel super emotional to think about what she just did out there and the journey that took her to LSU. Avery Hodge isn’t up here, but our senior class was incredible in making this happen.”
And Torina went on.
“It was a total team effort,” she said. “We executed the plan beautifully. We knew the plan was not going to be won in one moment, but by death by a thousand cuts. We did exactly that, pressure throughout the whole weekend. I couldn’t be prouder of this team, and I’m excited for what’s in front of us.”
Be the first to comment