2/28/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Chelsey Chamberlain



   BATON ROUGE – The LSU softball team secured two wins Saturday night in Tiger Park to close out the LSU Invitational. The Tigers defeated No. 9 ULL 3-2, and Buffalo 7-1. The Tigers improve to 10-5 on the season, while ULL falls to 9-1 and Buffalo moves to 0-8.
The Tigers are set to square up in a midweek match up against Southern Miss on Tuesday at 6 p.m. This game will stream on SEC Network+ and will be available via live stats.


Game 1
   The Tigers got on the board first in game one. In the bottom of the third, Aliyah Andrews slapped a two out single then added a stolen base to move herself into scoring position. Taylor Pleasants drove in Andrews with a single up the middle and the Tigers took a 1-0 lead over ULL.
The Cajuns were able to plate a run in the top of the third and the Tigers made the change in the circle to Maribeth Gorsuch. UL-Lafayette was able to plate another run and loaded the bases, but the Tigers got out of the inning.
   In the bottom of the fourth, Georgia Clark crushed a solo shot over the left field wall to tie the score at two.
In the bottom of the sixth, Briggs laid down a bunt. The Cajuns threw the ball away and Briggs came all the way around to score what would end up being the winning run.
In the top of the seventh the Cajuns were able to put a runner on with one out and the Tigers went to Ali Kilponen in the circle to close the game out. Kilponen and the Tigers recorded the final two outs to secure the win.
   Andrews went 2-for-3 in the box, while Pleasants and Briggs both went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Clark also went 1-for-3 in game one with a solo homerun.
Gorsuch recorded the win for the Tigers and moves to 2-0 on the season. Kilponen earned her first save on the season when she entered in the seventh to close out the game.


Game 2
   Andrews got things going in the bottom of the first with a single. She stole second and would come around to score on Pleasants double.
Buffalo would tie the game up in the next inning on a solo shot over the left field wall but that was it as Morgan Smith and the Tigers shut down the Bulls the rest of the way.  
In the home half of the second, Tidwell laid down a bunt and followed with a stolen base and was plated on an Andrews double up the middle. The Tigers took the lead back 2-1 over Buffalo.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Tigers loaded the bases with one out and Taylor Pleasants plated a runner on a deep sacrifice fly to centerfield.
   The Tigers were able to add explosive offense in the bottom of the sixth. Anna Jones led off with a
bunt single and stole second. Andrews grabbed another infield single, and Pleasants walked to load the bases. Amanda Doyle hit a deep sacrifice fly to plate Jones from third. Akiya Thymes laid down a bunt that forced a Buffalo error to plate Andrews. Raeleen Gutierrez laced a single to the right center gap that scored two, increasing the Tigers' lead to 7-1.
   Morgan Smith was able to close out the game in the circle and secure the 7-1 victory for the Tigers. Smith moves to 2-0 on the season. She recorded three strikeouts on the game.
Andrews went 4-for-4 with a double and one RBI and a combined 6-for-7 on the day. Briggs was 2-for-4 with a double, while Pleasants was 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI. Gutierrez went 1-for-1 with two RBI.


Torina's Thoughts

Thoughts on the Briggs game winning bunt against ULL…
   "I've seen things like that, but I haven't seen anything bounce like that in Tiger Park before. You kind of hate to see a game like that come to an end on a play like that, but we'll take the win any way we can get. I think it was a huge game for us to kind of get our mentality back to where it needs to be going forward in the season."

Thoughts on the difficult schedule from this past week…
   "I really hope that come the end of May we are the most prepared team in the country, we've played these huge teams early on, but I think at the end of the day it is really going to pay off for us. I've tried to talk to my team telling them they're not going to hit .450 right now against these types of teams but what we want is a W in the win column at the end of the day, so I believe it's going to pay off for us in the long run."

On Aliyah Andrews… 
   "You just can't say enough about Aliyah. The third catch in the ULL game, I never thought that was going to be something that she could catch, I thought it was a base hit all the way. She's a great leadoff hitter and probably one of the best centerfielders in the country."

​On Maribeth against the Cajuns…
   "She's our leader and when she's out there she gets us to compete. We have a lot of young people out there on the field, six or seven that have never started an SEC game. Maribeth makes us calm and makes us feel safe and I think she's a great leader for us out there on the field."

2/26/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Chelsey Chamberlain



   BATON ROUGE – The LSU softball team dropped a doubleheader Friday night to No. 10 Oklahoma State, falling in game one 1-0 and 3-1 in game two. Tigers fall to 8-5 on the season while the Cowgirls move to 11-0 on the year.
The Tigers close out the LSU Invitational Saturday with two games, taking on No. 9 UL-Lafayette at 4 p.m. and Buffalo at 7 p.m. Game one with ULL will stream live on SECN+ with game two airing on SEC Network.

Game 1
Oklahoma got on the board in the second inning, plating a runner on a single to centerfield taking a 1-0 lead.
That would be it the rest of the way as it was a pitcher's duel for the next five innings.
Aliyah Andrews was able to get the first hit of the day for the Tigers with a single to left field. The Tigers came close to scoring in the bottom of the sixth when Amanda Doyle reached on an error. Akiya Thymes entered to pinch run and she advanced to second on a fly out by Sunseri. Thyme moved to third on a wild pitch and was in scoring position. Ciara Briggs drew her third walk of the day to put runners on the corners, but the Tigers weren't able to plate a run in the bottom of the inning.
Despite recording six strikeouts, Sunseri took the loss in the circle and moved to 3-2 on the year.
Andrews and freshman Danieca Coffey were the only Tigers to record hits in game one.

Game 2
The Cowgirls put two runners on early in the top of the second, but Shelby Wickersham added a huge strikeout in the circle to record the first out of the inning. The Cowgirls plated one run on an infield single and the Tigers made a switch in the circle, going to Ali Kilponen. Kilponen was able to get Oklahoma State to pop up to end the inning.  
In the home half of the inning, Doyle drove a solo shot over the left field wall to even the score at one early in the game.
An error got the Tigers in the fifth to allow the Cowgirls to score two more, giving Oklahoma State a 3-1 lead the rest of the way.
The Tigers tried to get things going at the plate as Ciara Briggs led off the bottom half of the fifth with a triple to the left center gap, but she was left at third.
Wickersham, who made the start for the Tigers, recorded three strikeouts in 1.2 innings of work. Kilponen recorded five strikeouts in 5.1 innings and took the loss for the Tigers, dropping to 1-2 on the year.
The Tigers had three hits in game two. Doyle went 2-for-3 with a home run while Briggs went 1-for-3 with a triple.

​Torina's Thoughts
"We couldn't seem to come up with the timely hits, and you know credit to them (Oklahoma State) for making big pitches in big situations."

2/26/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports


   BATON ROUGE, LA: The #11 ranked Tigers (8-3) would host #10 ranked Oklahoma State (9-0) in game two of this weekend's "UL/LSU Invitational"..  LSU is coming off a 4-0 victory over the UL Ragin Cajuns on Thursday night. The Tigers have won three straight. All three have been shutout victories. Shelbi Sunseri would get the start for LSU, while the undefeated Cowgirls would send Kelly Maxwell to the circle.


   After a scoreless first inning, the Cowgirls would get on the board first in the top of the second. Oklahoma State would have runners at first and second with two outs. Kiley Naomi would hit a RBI single to center field, putting the Cowgirls up 1-0.

   The game would settle into a great pitchers duel, as both teams would struggle for hits and base runners. 

   LSU would threaten in the 4th inning but would leave two runners on base.

   Oklahoma State would have their turn to mount a scoring opportunity in the top of the 6th, but Sunseri and the LSU defense would get out of the inning with no damage done. 

   The Tigers would again get base runners. This time in the bottom of the 6th inning. Amanda Doyle would reach 1st base safely on a dropped fly ball in right field.
   Thymes would pinch run for Doyle.  Sunseri would then fly out to right field to advance Thymes to second. Two batters later, Thymes would advance to third base on a wild pitch.
   Ciara Briggs would walk, then steal second.  But the Tigers would end up stranding both as they
weren't able to find the huge timely hit to get on the score board. 

   LSU would have one final opportunity to make something happen as we would head to the bottom of the 7th inning, but Kelly Maxwell would prove to be too much for the Tiger hitters as she would finish them off, three up-three down to help the Cowgirls squeak out a 1-0 victory. 

   Oklahoma improves to 10-0, while LSU falls to 8-4.

2/25/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports


   LAFAYETTE, LA:  The #11 ranked LSU Tigers (7-3) would travel Lafayette to take on the #7 ranked UL Ragin Cajuns (6-0) to play the first game of the LSU Invitational. LSU would send Maribeth Gorsuch to the circle, while UL would go with Summer Ellyson. 


   The Tigers would strike first and early as Aliyah Andrews would start things with a lead off single. Taylor Pleasants would then step to the plate and rip a double to right center field to score Andrews to put LSU up 1-0.

   All would remain quiet until the bottom of the 4th inning when UL would threaten with runners on second and third with two outs, but Gorsuch and the LSU defense would collect the final out to end the Cajun's scoring opportunity. 

   LSU would plate another run in the top of the 5th inning as Anna Jones would score from 3rd base on UL fielding error with two outs.  2-0 Tigers after five innings. 

   The Tigers would increase their lead to 3-0 in the 6th, as Shelbi Sunseri would lead off the inning with a triple down the right field line. Georgia Clark would bring Sunseri home with a sacrifice fly to center field. Meanwhile LSU pitcher Maribeth Gorsuch would continue to overwhelm the Cajun hitters, keeping the UL offense without a pulse. 

   Going into the 7th inning, LSU was hoping to add insurance to their lead and that they did. With two outs, Andrews would double to left field. Pleasants would then single to center field to score Andrews, putting the Tigers up 4-0.

   Gorsuch would finish the Cajuns off the the bottom of the 7th inning, pitching a two hit shutout, running her season record to 1-0. 

   It is also the third straight shutout in a row by the Tigers, as they improve to 8-3 with the win.

   FINAL: 4-0, LSU....  

2/24/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Chelsey Chamberlain



   BATON ROUGE – After a doubleheader sweep of Central Arkansas, the No. 11/13 LSU Softball team (7-3) will look to continue that momentum into the LSU Invitational this weekend, playing host to UL-Lafayette, Oklahoma State and Buffalo. The Tigers will start off the tournament with a single game in Lafayette Thursday with ULL at 6 p.m.
Thursday's game will air on ESPN+, which is a paid subscription. All games in Tiger Park this weekend will stream live on SECN+ and the WatchESPN app with Hall of Famers Lyn Rollins and Yvette Girouard on the call.

LSU Invitational Schedule
Feb. 25 – LSU at ULL, Lamson Park, 6 p.m. CST, ESPN+
Feb. 26 – LSU vs. Oklahoma State, 4 & 6:30 p.m. CST, SECN+
Feb. 27 – LSU vs. ULL, 3 p.m. CST, SECN+
Feb. 27 – LSU vs. Buffalo, 5:30 p.m. CST, SECN+


Series Record Against…
ULL: LSU leads 16-11
Oklahoma State: LSU leads 10-2
Buffalo: First meeting

About the Tigers
The Tigers go into the weekend with a 7-3 overall record after sweeping Central Arkansas in a doubleheader on Tuesday. Ali Kilponen and Shelby Wickersham both threw shutout games Tuesday, combining for 20 strikeouts in 14 innings. Ciara Briggs has been a bright spot in the lineup as she is hitting .423 on the year with five of her 11 hits, coming for extra bases. Shelbi Sunseri leads the pitching staff with a 0.40 ERA and is 3-1 in four appearances. In 17.1 innings, she has struck out 13 batter.


The Field
ULL (5-0)
The Ragin' Cajuns go into the weekend with a 5-0 record. Ciara Bryan leads the team with a .526 batting average. She is 10-for-19 in five games with a double, two home runs and six RBI. She also is 2-for-2 in stolen bases. In the circle, Summer Ellyson is 2-0 with a 0.54 ERA. She has one shutout and 14 strikeouts in 13.0 innings of work.
Oklahoma State (9-0)
The Cowgirls head into the weekend with a 9-0 record. Chyenne Factor is leading the team at the plate with a .542 average. She is 13-for-24 with two doubles, a home run, six RBI and nine runs scored. Kelly Maxwell is leading the pitching staff and has not allowed a run in three appearances. She is 3-0 and has struck out 24 batters in 12.1 innings.
Buffalo (0-4)
Buffalo comes into the weekend looking to secure their first win of the season. Madison Fernimen is leading the team with a .364 average at the plate. She is 4-for-11 and has three doubles and a home run in four games. The pitching staff has a collective ERA of 5.12 and Ally Marcano and Julia Tarantino have both suffered two losses. Marcano leads the staff with 10 strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work.

What's On Deck
The Tigers will continue their nonconference schedule next week, playing host to Southern Miss Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Tigers will matchup with nationally-ranked Texas next weekend, March 5 & 6, for a three-game series in Tiger Park.   

2/23/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports


   BATON ROUGE, LA:: After winning game one, 3-0, the Tigers would again flex their muscles in the circle as Ali Kilponen (1-1) would pitch a complete game shutout, giving up only three hits while collecting 14 strikeouts, as LSU would defeat Central Arkansas in game two, 2-0 for the sweep. 

   The Tigers would score their only runs of the game in the first inning. Aliyah Andrews would hit a lead off single. She would then steal second base, and advance to third on a throwing error by the Central Arkansas catcher. Taylor Pleasants would then step up to the plate and air mail a two run home run over left field wall. 

   The rest of the contest became a pitching duel, as both Kilponen and Central Arkansas' Jordan Johnson would perform at a high level keeping the bats quiet the rest of the way..

   With the win, LSU moves to 7-3 on the season

   Up next the Tigers will play in the ULL/LSU Invitational. Play will begin on Thursday ending on Sunday.  

2/23/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports


   BATON ROUGE, LA:: The Tigers (5-3) return home to Tiger Park to host Central Arkansas in a rescheduled double header. LSU will be looking to bounce back after finishing this past weekend 2-2, falling twice to Alabama at the 'Bama Bash' in Tuscaloosa. 
   
   The Tigers would shut out the Bears 3-0 in the first game of the day. 

   Shelby Wickersham would earn the win to go 2-1 on the season. She would pitch the complete game
shutout, giving up four hits, four base on balls, and register six strike outs. 

   The Tigers would struggle at the plate until late in the game as Central Arkansas pitcher Rio Sanchez did a great job keeping LSU's dangerous lineup under control. 

   LSU would strike for a run in the second inning as Ciara Briggs lead the inning off with a triple to deep left center field. Two batters later Taylor Tidwell would hit a sacrifice fly to right field scoring Briggs for a 1-0 LSU lead. 

   The Bears would get a runner in scoring position in both 4th and 5th innings, but Wickersham and the LSU defense were able to escape each threat with no damage done. 

   LSU would plate two insurance runs in the bottom of the 6th as Aliyah Andrews would lead off with a single, then steal second base. Amanda Doyle would then blaze a single to left field bringing Andrews home. After a Shelbi Sunseri walk, Georgia Clark would hit a RBI single to finish off the scoring. 

​   With the win, the Tigers are now 6-3 on the season...
​

2/21/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Chelsey Chamberlain



   TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – LSU softball bounced back Sunday morning with a 8-5 win over Liberty but fell again to Alabama in game two, 13-5 in five innings. The Tigers are now 5-3 on the season while Alabama moves to 8-0.
   The Tigers face Central Arkansas on Tuesday in a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. Both games will stream live on SEC Network+.  

          Game One
   The Tigers bats were hot out the gate in game one. Aliyah Andrews led off with a double to left and Taylor Pleasants followed with her second home run of the season over the left field wall, giving the Tigers a quick 2-0 lead. Two outs later, Shelbi Sunseri smashed a ball over the centerfield wall, her third home run on the year, extending the Tigers' lead to 3-0 in the first.
   Liberty answered in the bottom of the second with a two-run home run off Ali Kilponen. The Flames scored another urn in the third to tie the game up 3-3.
   LSU answered that run in the top of the fourth off a Danieca Coffey hard-hit triple to left field, scoring Ali Newland from first to make it 5-3. Newland singled to shallow right field to start the rally for the Tigers.
   The Flames led off the fourth with a double to center. The Tigers made a change in the circle, going to Sunseri, but the Flames were able to capitalize on an error and get one across to cut the Tigers' lead to 5-4.
   The Tigers tacked on three more runs in the sixth. With one out, Coffey drew a walk and moved to second on Andrews' single to left. The two came in on Pleasants second dinger of the game, a three-run shot to center.
   Liberty scored another run in the seventh but Sunseri and the Tigers got out of the inning to claim the win.
Sunseri held down the circle to earn the win. She improves to 3-1 on the season.


          Game Two
   The Tigers got on the board first in the first inning. Pleasants hit a high fly ball to left and made it to third. She then would score on an Amanda Doyle deep sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead.
   Alabama answered in the bottom half of the first with three runs but the Tigers answered to that with a Morgan Cummins smash over the left field fence to tie the game up 3-3.
   The Crimson Tide bats continued in the bottom of the second as they scored two runs on three hits, taking a 5-3 lead on the Tigers.
   After a scoreless third for both teams, Taylor Tidwell came up big for the Tigers as she belted out a two-run home run over the centerfield wall, plating Cummins, who was hit by a pitch.
   Alabama scored four runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth to defeat LSU in five innings.
   Wickersham took the loss for the Tigers, dropping to 1-1 on the year.

2/20/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Chelsey Chamberlain



   TUSCALOOSA, AL: In game two, Alabama got on the board first off a double to the left field wall with two outs. A 7-6-2 play at the plate got the second runner at home to end the threat.
   Two more runs came across for the Tide before the Tigers put two up themselves. In the top of the fifth, Briggs and Raeleen Gutierrez led off with back-to-back hits. Morgan Cummins moved the two over on a sacrifice bunt and Briggs scored on a fielding error by the pitcher. Gutierrez scored on the next play off Andrews' groundout to shortstop.
   Alabama responded in the bottom of the fifth with another run off an LSU error to take a 4-2 lead. The Tide added another in the sixth to take the 5-2 lead for good.
   Sunseri took her first loss of the season, falling to 2-1 on the year.
  At the plate, Cummins led the Tigers with two hits, going 2-for-2. Andrews picked up the lone RBI of the night. 


   The LSU Softball team put together a comeback victory in game one to walk-off Liberty, 4-3, before falling to Alabama in game two, 5-2, at the Bama Bash Saturday. The Tigers are now 4-2 on the year.
   The Tigers finish up the Bama Bash Sunday with games against Liberty at 10:30 a.m. and Alabama at 1 p.m. The game against Alabama will stream live on SEC Network+.

2/20/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Chelsey Chamberlain


   TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The LSU Softball team used a late comeback to walk-off Liberty, 4-3, in the first game on Saturday of the Bama Bash in Tuscaloosa. The Tigers improve to 4-1 on the year while Liberty falls to 6-2.
  In the bottom of the seventh, Amanda Doyle doubled to right center to score pinch runner Akiya Thymes from first. Thymes pinch ran for Taylor Pleasants, who led off the inning with a single to center.
  The Tigers' comeback started in the fifth inning after loading the bases. Andrews led off the inning with a walk and moved to third on a Pleasants' double to center. Doyle followed with a walk and Georgia Clark hit a deep sac fly to center to score Andrews. Pleasants came in on another sac fly by Shelbi Sunseri before Doyle was plated by a Ciara Briggs' single to center.
   Liberty got on the board first in the second inning after a solo home run over the right center wall off LSU starter Maribeth Gorsuch. The Flames took a 3-0 lead in the top of the fifth off a two-out, two-run home run to right center. The Tigers made a pitching change, going to Shelby Wickersham.
   Wickersham came in strong and forced a groundout to get out of the fifth. The sophomore and the Tigers' defense came together and sat down the next six Liberty batters.
   Wickersham earned the win in the circle, her first on the season. She tallied one strikeout in her 2.1 innings of work. Gorsuch recorded four strikeouts.
   At the plate, Doyle and Pleasants both went 2-for-3. Doyle, Clark, Sunseri and Briggs each had an RBI.
The Tigers face Alabama in their second game on Saturday at 4 p.m. Live stats are available at LSUStats.com.

2/17/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Chelsey Chamberlain



   BATON ROUGE – The LSU softball team used a 15-run fourth inning to down North Dakota, 19-3 in five innings at Tiger Park on Wednesday. The Tigers move to 3-1 on the season while North Dakota falls 1-4.
The Tigers are on the road this weekend to compete in the Bama Bash, they'll play two on Saturday taking on Liberty at 11 a.m. and No. 5 Alabama at 4 p.m. They'll finish the weekend with two again on Sunday facing Liberty at 10:30 a.m. and No. 5 Alabama at 1:00 p.m.
   Freshman Morgan Smith earned the start in the circle for the Tigers and started off strong as she recorded her first strikeout of her career on the first batter of the game. The Tigers' defense was solid, helping Smith sit down the first eight North Dakota batters.
   LSU got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning. Aliya Andrews drew a leadoff walk and stole second. Taylor Pleasants pushed a single to right field to plate Andrews and take the 1-0 lead early.
  The Tigers' offense continued in the bottom of the second as Ciara Briggs scored hard hit Taylor Tidwell ground ball. Andrews walked and stole second for the second time in the game before being plated by an Amanda Doyle rocket through the left side. Taylor Pleasants also scored on Doyle's hit, taking a 4-0 lead.
   In the top of the fourth the Fighting Hawks were able put runners on and capitalized on a Tiger miscue that plated two. Quick defense from the Tigers shut down the threat with only two runs scored.
   The big fourth inning started off with Doyle launching a solo dinger off the scoreboard to add to the Tiger lead. Smith came up big with a two-RBI single through the infield. Doyle crushed her second home run of the inning, her first career grand slam, to give the Tigers 15-2. Fast forward to six batters later, Ali Newland entered to pinch hit and recorded her first career grand slam in her first collegiate at-bat. In the inning, the Tigers produced 15 runs on seven hits to give them a 19-2 lead over North Dakota. The 15 runs in the inning is tied for the most runs in an inning in school history. The feat has been done three other times. 
   In the top of the fifth the Fighting Hawks were able to plate one run, but the Tigers closed out the inning and ended the game 19-3 over North Dakota. The Tigers' 19 runs is the most runs scored since last season's 21-0, five-inning win over Campbell.
   Smith earned her first career win in the circle and also recorded her first career hit during the game.
   Doyle went 2-for-3 on the day with a solo home run and her first career grand slam, she added seven RBIs. This was her fifth home run of the season in four games for the Tigers. Briggs went 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI. Newland tallied her first career at bat, a grand slam, which added for RBIs for her.

Torina's Thoughts
Season testing creativity, handling obstacles...
"It has been a week like no other in my coaching career with the weather, the changing tournament schedule, but I can say my team is ready to play so that's exciting. Our kids are ready to play, they need competition, and they need the reps to keep getting better. I think today was a big test of our mental toughness, so I think we'll be able to look back on the game and be thankful we played."
On Amanda Doyle…
"She's playing like a senior and if you want to see what a tiger looks like then look at Amanda Doyle. She's what you want as a player and as a person, she's the most consistent player in an inconsistent game. Everyone here is so proud of her and how she's playing.
On Ali Newland…
"It was a cool moment to see that from her as a freshman, she's always around the ballpark hanging around with the veteran players, so she's set the bar pretty high for herself. She's a player you're going to see a lot of she's a great utility player she can play outfield, she can catch, and she can bat, so we expect to see more of her."

2/16/2021
LSU Sports Information
Chelsey Chamberlain



   BATON ROUGE – After the first week of play, the LSU softball team moves to No. 8 in the USA Today/NFCA DI Coaches Poll and No. 9 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.
LSU, who has been ranked every week since the end of the 2014 season, went 2-1 over the weekend. The Tigers claimed wins over McNeese State and Kansas but fell to previously ranked No. 25 Duke.
The Tigers earned a total of 559 points in the NFCA poll and 330 points in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. The Tigers are the highest ranked SEC team in both polls.    
The Tigers will face North Dakota on Wednesday at 6 p.m. inside Tiger Park before hitting the road for the Bama Bash in Tuscaloosa over the weekend.
For all of the latest news and information on Tiger softball, visit www.lsusports.net/softball. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/lsusoftball along with @lsusoftball and @BethTorina on Twitter and @lsusoftball on Instagram.

2021 USA Today / NFCA Division I
Top 25 Coaches Poll – Feb. 16 (Week 1)
Rank, School (First-Place Votes), Points, 2021 Record, Previous Ranking
1, UCLA (31), 799, 1-0, 1
2, Washington, 749, 5-0, 2
3, Oklahoma (1), 732, 4-0, 4
4, Arizona, 704, 0-0, 3
5, Alabama, 639, 4-0, 8
6, Florida, 620, 2-0, 7
7, Texas, 602, 0-0, 6
8, LSU, 559, 2-1, 5
9, Louisiana, 539, 0-0, 9
10, Oregon, 504, 5-0, 10
11, Oklahoma State, 484, 2-0, 11
12, Kentucky, 418, 3-0, 13
13, Florida State, 408, 3-1, 12
14, Virginia Tech, 351, 3-0, 15
15, Arizona State, 336, 4-0, 16
16, Georgia, 283, 2-1, 14
17, Michigan, 261, 0-0, 17
18, Duke, 223, 4-0, 25
19, South Carolina, 221, 0-0, 19
20, Arkansas, 212, 0-1, 18
21, Missouri, 181, 3-1, 23
22, Mississippi State, 174, 2-0, 20
23, Baylor, 127, 0-0, 22
24, UCF, 100, 3-1, 21
25, Minnesota, 60, 0-0, 24

Receiving Votes: Utah (32) Tennessee (24), Stanford (22), Liberty (7), Northwestern (7), Oregon State (7), Texas Tech (7), Clemson (6), James Madison (1), Notre Dame (1).
The 2021 USA Today / NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches with one representing each of the NCAA's Division I Conferences.

ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25
Rank, Team (First-Place Votes), 2021 Record, Points, Previous Ranking
1, UCLA (18), 1-0, 495, 1
2, Oklahoma, 4-0, 453, 4
3, Washington, 5-0, 451, 2
4, Arizona, 0-0, 431, 3
5, Florida (1), 2-0, 413, 6
6, Alabama, 4-0, 404, 8
7, Texas, 0-0, 355, 7
8, Oklahoma State, 2-0, 338, 10
9, LSU, 2-1, 330, 5
10, ULL, 0-0, 323, 9
11, Oregon, 5-0, 322, 11
12, Kentucky, 3-0, 261, 13
13, Arizona State, 4-0, 259, 15
14, Florida State, 3-1, 245, 12
15, Virginia Tech, 3-0, 199, 16
16, Georgia, 2-1, 164, 14
17, Michigan, 0-0, 139, 17
18, Baylor, 0-0, 132, 18
19, Duke, 4-0, 121, RV
20, South Carolina, 0-0, 110, 19
21, Missouri, 3-1, 104, 24
22, Minnesota, 0-0, 89, 20
23, Tennessee, 2-0, 84, 23
24, Mississippi State, 2-0, 72, 22
25, Arkansas, 0-1, 71, 21

Others receiving votes: Oregon State (28), UCF (23), Auburn (16), Georgia Tech (16), Northwestern (16), Texas A&M (10), Stanford (8), South Florida (6), Utah (6), Clemson (5), Ohio State (5), NC State (2), Texas Tech (1).

2/15/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Chesley Chamberlain


   BATON ROUGE – Due to inclement weather in the area early this week, LSU softball has announced changes to its upcoming schedule.
The Tigers were scheduled to play Louisiana Tech on Tuesday at 6 p.m. That game has been moved to April 6 with a tentative 5 p.m. start time. The game with North Dakota on Wednesday at 6 p.m. will be played as scheduled.
The Tigers' doubleheader with Central Arkansas that was canceled earlier Sunday morning is now a single-game rescheduled for Tuesday, February 23. A time has yet to be determined.

2/14/2021
LSU Sports Information
By: Chelsey Chamberlain



​   BATON ROUGE – Due to inclement weather in the area, day four of the LSU Softball Tiger Classic has been canceled.
The Tigers will look to reschedule their doubleheader with Central Arkansas later this season. Dates and times will be announced at a later date.
The Tigers finish the weekend with a 2-1 record and will look to midweek matchups against Louisiana Tech on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and North Dakota on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

2/13/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!


   BATON ROUGE, LA: The Tigers look to rebound from their first loss of the season as they would take on  the Kansas Jayhawks on day three of the "Tiger Classic"... Both teams would battle not only each other but the cold weather as well. LSU would show their toughness and grit as they would fight their way to a 5-3 victory.... 



   Maribeth Gorsuch would take the circle for the Tigers and would have no problem putting the Jayhawks down in order, three up-three down quickly in her 2021 debut. 
   The Tigers would come to bat in the bottom of the first sending lead off hitter Aliyoh Andrews up to the plate. Andrews would single to third base, then quickly steal 2nd, before advancing to 3rd base on a Taylor Pleasants ground out. Amanda Doyle would strike out, then Georgia Clark would fly out to left field to strand Andrews on 3rd.

   
   Gorsuch wouldn't find the same results to start the 2nd inning as Jayhawks lead off hitter Shelby Gayre would blast a deep homerun over the left field wall.. The Jayhawks would strand a runner on first as Gorsuch would get the Tigers out of the inning with no more damage done.
   Shelbi Sunseri would lead off and strike out watching a 3rd strike pitch. Freshman Ciara Briggs would step up next and would send a solo homerun shot to left center field to tie the game at 1-1. Kansas pitcher Hailey Reed would sit down the next two Tigers to end the 2nd inning.

   
   Gorsuch would take the Jayhawks down in order, three up-three down in the top of the 3rd...
   The Tigers would also find it tough going in the cold weather as they could only manage a walk by Taylor Pleasants while Reed would have no trouble getting her team out of the 3rd inning.

   
   Kansas would manage back to back singles after their lead off batter would pop out, but no damage done as the Tigers would play nice defense to send us to the bottom of the inning...
   Shelbi Sunseri would lead off the bottom of the 4th with a double to deep center field and would be
replaced by pinch runner Anna Jones. Briggs would then single to the pitcher and advance to 2nd base while Reed got caught fiddling with the ball. With runners at 2nd and 3rd and no outs, Coffey would ground out to the Jayhawks catcher, setting up Morgan Cummins. Cummins would send a RBI sacrifice fly to center field to score Jones giving the Tigers their first lead of the contest, 2-1.  A pop up would end the 4th inning of play.

   
   Haleigh Harper would lead off the top of the 5th inning for Kansas and would waste little time sending the ball over the wall in the left field corner to tie up the game. After a fly out and then a single by Brittney Jackson, Coach Torina would decide to go with a pitching change, bringing Shelbi Sunseri out of the bullpen to relieve Maribeth Gorsuch.  Shelby Gayre would once again prove to be a thorn in the Tigers side tonight as she would single down the left field line to drive in the go ahead run. The Tigers would then find themselves in a pressure situation after a walk and a hit batter would load the bases for the Jayhawks with two outs. Sunseri and the defense would get the final out only allowing the two runs.
   Trailing 3-2 going to the bottom of the 5th inning the Tigers had some work to do and get to work they did. After Andrews would ground out to start the bottom of the inning, Pleasants would draw a walk, setting up Amanda Doyle. Doyle would give the lead back to the Tigers with a two run homerun over the right center field wall. But the fireworks weren't quite finish yet, as Georgia Clark would step up next and blast a solo shot over the left field wall for back-to-back homeruns and a 5-3 lead. The back-to-back dingers would chase Hailey Reed from the game.  Lexy Mills would now take the circle for the Jayhawks with only one out. After
allowing two base runners, Mills was able to finally sit the Tigers down and end a very lengthy 5th inning. 


   Sunseri and the Tigers defense would do a great job in the top of the 6th. They would face four batters allowing only one base runner but send Kansas back to the dugout after a great play by Danieca Coffey as she would make a great play at second base for the final out. 
   Taryn Antoine would lead off the bottom of the inning with a single. The next two LSU batters would ground out moving Antoine to 3rd base where she would wait for Doyle to step to the plate with two outs. Doyle would fly out to center field to end the 6th inning with LSU still on top, 5-3.


   Shelbi Sunseri would come into the 7th inning facing the heart of the Jayhawks lineup. After a quick fly out for out #1, Sydnee Ramsey would single, sending Shelby Gayre to the plate. But Gayre would single into a fielders choice to second base for the second out. The Tigers would get the final out for the 5-3 win. Shelbi Sunseri would earn the win to go 2-0 on the season. 

   With the win, #5 LSU is now 2-1 overall on the season...  Up next the Tigers will finish out the Tiger Classic with a double header against Central Arkansas. Games are scheduled for 12:30pm & 3:00pm...