TIGER RAG NEWS SERVICES
LSU is ready for a Super Regional showdown against No. 1 overall seed Alabama in a best-of-three series beginning Friday (6 p.m., ESPN2) at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa with a berth in the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City on the line.
Game two will be at 2 p.m. Saturday on ESPN. Sunday’s game time is to be determined if a game three is necessary. The games will also be available on radio via the LSU Radio Network (107.3 FM) in Baton Rouge and streaming at LSUsports.net/live and on the LSU Sports Mobile App.
LSU leads Alabama in the all-time series 49-44 and has won six of the last 10 meetings, including three of the last four matchups. The Tigers beat the Tide in a three-game series last season, 2-1. LSU also holds a 2-0 advantage over Alabama when they meet in the NCAA Tournament, both of which were in the World Series. In 2015, LSU defeated Alabama 5-3, then won 6-4 in 2016 in Oklahoma City.
LSU, which is making its 11th NCAA Super Regional appearance and its ninth under coach Beth Torina, has won eight of its last nine games and 12 of its last 15 entering the weekend. The Tigers have bumped their batting average to .291 behind 431 hits, including 57 home runs.
The Tigers have outscored their opponents 347-165 this season, highlighted by a 185-73 margin in the first three innings. The LSU pitching staff has a 2.65 ERA, 12 shutouts, and 279 strikeouts in 375.2 innings. In the NCAA Regional in Baton Rouge last weekend, the staff threw three complete games by three pitchers – Jayden Heavener, Paytn Monticelli and Cece Cellura. The pitching staff is backed by a strong defense that has a .976 fielding percentage, has turned 28 double plays, and has a single-season low of 37 errors.
Heavener leads the staff with a 13-8 record and has pitched 15 complete games with five shutouts, including a no-hitter, and two saves. In 132.1 innings, the left-hander has 120 strikeouts and four double-digit strikeout games this season. She is coming off her 10th career shutout in the 8-0 victory over Akron to open the Baton Rouge Regional.
Monticelli (9-3) is on a six-game winning streak when she is the pitcher of record. During the six-game winning streak, she has a 0.50 ERA with 18 strikeouts and has allowed two earned runs in 28.0 innings. In 76.0 innings overall, the senior has a 2.39 ERA and 62 punchouts.
Cellura is 9-5 in the circle with 48 strikeouts and has a 3.12 ERA over 98.2 innings. Cellura has allowed 17 walks all season, the fewest walks by an SEC pitcher with a minimum of 90.0 innings. She is coming off her first career complete game shutout (vs. Virginia Tech, May 16), which was the program’s 30th shutout in the NCAA Tournament.
Jalia Lassiter, a four-time NFCA All-Region selection, has been dominant throughout the season on offense. She is the seventh LSU Tiger to have 60 hits and 60 runs in a single season, and the first to do so since 2019 (Aliyah Andrews). Lassiter is second on the team with a .348 average at the plate but paces the team with 63 hits and 61 runs.
Kylee Edwards leads the Tigers with a .349 batting average on 60 hits, including 10 home runs, and has 43 runs and 40 RBIs this season. K. Edwards leads LSU with 18 multi-hit games, 13 multi-RBI games, and with a 17-game reach-base streak. On April 3, K. Edwards became the first LSU Tiger to hit for the cycle, and the fifth player from the SEC to achieve the rare statistic.
Sierra Daniel rounds out the LSU’s .300 hitters with a .341 average on 59 hits. Daniel has scored 45 runs, has 31 RBIs, and has drawn 34 walks. Daniel also owns a .984 fielding percentage and has turned 15 double plays from second base.
For the latest news and information on Tiger softball, visit www.lsusports.net/softball. Fans can follow the team on its social media channels, including www.facebook.com/lsusoftball and @lsusoftball, as well as on Instagram and X.
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