Softball: #9 Florida 6 / #19 LSU 1 / FINAL

https://lsusports.net/news/2022/04/28/softball-welcomes-florida-on-senior-weekend-at-tiger-park/

BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 19 LSU (31-17, 10-8 SEC) is set for its final home series of the regular season as they welcome No. 9/10 Florida (36-12, 11-10 SEC) to Tiger Park April 29-May 1 for senior weekend.

The LSU Softball program will recognize Jordyn Perkins, Shelbi Sunseri, and Shelby Wickersham for their contributions to the program this weekend during senior day festivities.

The first game of the series will be at 6 p.m. CT Friday and will be streamed on SECN+ with Lyn Rollins and the legendary Kent Lowe calling the action. Saturday and Sunday’s first pitch are scheduled for 11 a.m. CT with Mark Neely and Amanda Scarborough on the call on ESPN2. The voice of LSU softball Patrick Wright will also call the game on the LSU Sports Radio Network, 107.3 FM in the Baton Rouge area.

The Tigers are winners in nine of their last 11 games. In that 11-game stretch, LSU has swung the bat well, logging 91 hits and 16 home runs. LSU has a .298 batting average with 373 hits, 55 home runs, and 274 RBIs this season. Defensively, the Tigers have the fifth lowest ERA in the conference at 2.89 with 259 strikeouts.

Sophomore Danieca Coffey leads the Tigers with a .395 batting average and 62 hits (No. 2 in SEC) to go along with 21 RBIs. Sophomore Ciara Briggs is hitting .389 this season and has 61 hits (No. 3 in SEC), a team-high 47 runs (No. 4 in SEC) and has 26 RBIs. Sophomore Taylor Pleasants continues to trend upwards and is batting .331 behind a team-high 25 extra base hits and 96 total bases. Pleasants has 13 doubles (No. 3 in SEC), 11 homers, and one triple that helps make up a .662 slugging percentage. Junior Georgia Clark (.275) leads the SEC with 56 RBIs and her 14 home runs rank No. 6 in the program’s single season record book. Sunseri (.259) follows with 13 home runs this season – a mark tied with Pleasants (2021) at No. 10 in the program’s record book for the most homers in a single season. Sunseri ranks No. 3 all-time with 46 career home runs.

Junior Ali Kilponen is 16-4 in the circle with a 2.25 ERA. Her 120 strikeouts sit No. 7 in the SEC and has totaled five shutouts and one no-hitter this season. Sunseri is 7-7 with a 3.06 ERA and has 55 strikeouts, while freshman Raelin Chaffin (6-2) this season on the rubber with a 3.30 ERA, 46 strikeouts, and has two complete games and one shutout in 13 appearances. In 16 appearances and 48 innings pitched, Wickersham (2-4) has a 3.06 ERA and has 36 strikeouts and one shutout this season.

THE LINEUP

The all-time series between LSU and Florida is tied 35-35 with LSU looking to snap a four-game losing streak. LSU won the last three-game series at Tiger Park 2-1 on March 16-18, 2019.

The Gators are coming off a 5-0 victory over Stetson after being swept at home by Arkansas last weekend. UF is an impressive 12-2 as the visiting team this season and are on a five-game winning streak as the road team in SEC play. Florida is batting .314 and has a league-best 17 triples and 108 stolen bases. They also rank No. 2 in the conference with a 2.43 ERA and hold opposing batters to a league-low .202 average behind 291 strikeouts.

Junior Skylar Walker leads the Gators with a .403 batting average and leads the SEC with 60 runs and 41 stolen bases. She also contributes 52 hits and 36 RBIs. Freshman Kendra Falby is batting .393 and leads the team with 59 hits and adds 28 stolen bases. Senior Cheyenne Lindsey (.347), sophomore Katie Kistler (.321), and freshman Sam Roe (.310) are all batting over .300, and senior Charla Echols (.293) leads the team with 44 RBIs on 39 hits.

ON DECK

LSU end the regular series with a three-game series at Mississippi State May 6-8 in Starkville, Miss.

Let's geaux ladies!

And gone, just like that. Not the best follow up

Good job getting the lead runner there.

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Why do the continue to start Wickersham...Puzzling to say the least. You can throw your best pitcher in every damn game in sofball. Smh

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I'll be honest I would have rather started Chaffin. Chaffin does have a tendency to give up the long ball at times but Wickersham hasn't looked good either lately. I would rather build for the future with Chaffin at this point if they are all struggling.

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You can throw your best pitcher in every damn game in sofball

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Sure, if you want Kilponen to have a dead arm come postseason.

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Why do the continue to start Wickersham

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That's a question only Beth Torina can answer. It makes zero sense when you're trying to position yourself for the postseason.

Teams like Arizona and UCLA have won national championships while throwing essentially one pitcher all season.

Put your best on the mound

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Why do the continue to start Wickersham

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She is a senior and this is LSU's "senior appreciation weekend".

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Why do the continue to start Wickersham...Puzzling to say the least. You can throw your best pitcher in every damn game in sofball. Smh

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Wick has the second best stats of the pitchers atm. Would think the start has something to do with senior weekend, thinking Sunseri gets the start tomorrow.

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Well the damn pitcher for OU couple years ago threw every damn game...It turned out ok...if I remember

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She may have done that in the postseason, but I don’t think she did it all year. I’d have to look it up. You could be right.