 Photo By: LSUsports.net Da Boot Sports 2/27/2022 LSU Sports Information By: Keonta Herrera BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 23/24 LSU softball team (12-5) dominated Purdue (7-9), 17-0 in five innings before shutting out Stephen F. Austin (5-11) to conclude the Purple & Gold Challenge at Tiger Park. LSU increases its winning streak to seven after going 6-0 in the home tournament. The Tigers pitching staff allowed only two hits throughout both games Sunday, as Shelby Wickersham and Emilee Casanova combined for a one-hit shutout against Purdue, and Ali Kilponen logged a complete game one-hit shutout against Stephen F. Austin. Overall, the staff held the opposing teams to a .054 batting average with 17 strikeouts and six walks in 12.0 innings pitched. LSU recorded a .354 batting average behind 17 hits and outscored their opponents 22-0. The Tigers also drew 14 walks and had eighth stolen bases. Danieca Coffey and Ciara Briggs each logged three hits to lead the team, while Georgia Clark and Ali Newland both registered four RBI on the final day of the tournament. Game One The Tigers increased its season-high to 14 hits in a single-game with Coffey leading the way going 3-for-3 at the plate to extend her hitting streak to 14 and scored three runs. Briggs and Cait Calland each had two hits and an RBI, while Jordyn Perkins had two hits and two RBI. Coffey led off the first inning with a single to centerfield and stole second base. Shelbi Sunseri drew a walk later, and with runners on the corners and two outs, Clark hit a line drive one-hopper to left field, scoring Coffey. LSU ended the first inning with a 1-0 advantage. LSU started the bottom of the third with back-to-back bunt singles from Coffey and Briggs. Both runners advanced a base on a Pleasants sac bunt, and Sunseri drove in Coffey with the third single of the frame. Clark drew a walk to juice the bases for Newland, who hit a three-RBI triple to right center. Newland came in to score on a wild pitch, making the score 6-0 to prompt a Purdue pitching change. The Tigers ended the third with five runs on five hits. The Tigers exploded for 11 runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by an RBI double from Briggs and two RBI singles from Jordyn Perkins. LSU racked up six hits in the half inning to seal the 17-0 victory. Wickersham (1-3) earned her first win of the season with five strikeouts, three walks and one hit in 4.1 innings pitched. Casanova closed out the game with one strikeout in 1.0 innings to complete the combined shutout. Game Two Kilponen retired nine of the first 10 batters she faced through the first three innings against SFA, and Pleasants got the scoring started for LSU with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third. Clark gave the Tigers a little breathing room with a three-run shot to centerfield, and after Newland reached on an error, McKenzie Redoutey doubled to cross another run and increase their lead to 5-0 through five innings. Kilponen closed the door by retiring the final six Lady Jacks, including four strikeouts to bring her total to a season-high 11K’s and gave up only one walk in her sixth complete game and third shutout of the season. Head Coach Beth Torina On going 6-0 on the weekend… “I think we needed to do that just to put ourselves in a good spot moving forward. I thought we took care of everything we needed to. It will set us up for hopefully a good week and a good start to march here this week.” On Wickersham and Kilponen’s one hitters… “I thought they did a good job. I thought that anytime the other team threatened anything at all, they always were able to come back and get it done with the help of their defense. They did a good job of getting out of any situations they were in. Then every time our team scored, they were able to shut them down in these two games, which is a really cool thing.” Infielder Danieca Coffey On overall performance and winning all six games... "I think it went really well. I think this weekend was needed for like a self-esteem boost for us to show us that we can keep going and that even though last weekend, and the weekend before was kind of hard, we can bounce back and be right where we need to be.” On her season so far... "I just tried to do my job and be a leadoff and try to get on base as much as possible because I'm not the homerun hitter like everybody else. I just tried to do my part and get on base so when they do hit the big ball, I am on base for them how to do it.” Pitcher Ali Kilponen On her one hit performance... “Honestly, I was just trusting my stuff and relying on my defense. They have been playing well today, so I was just going in there fearless and throwing the best of my stuff and letting it work out that way.” On the importance of the team going 6-0... “I think that this weekend was very vital for us. I think it was a good weekend to see that we could hit the ball, play good defense, and pitch the ball. We did all the essentials to get us into a good place for this upcoming weekend.” ON DECK Next up for LSU is the ULL Crossover/ LSU Invitational March 3-6 in Lafayette, La. and Baton Rouge.
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 Photo By: LSUsports.net Da Boot Sports 2/26/2022 LSU Sports Information By: Keonte Herrera BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 23/24 LSU softball team (10-5) shutout Purdue (7-7), 8-0 in five innings, and walked off Drake (3-6), 3-2 in 10 innings on day two of the Purple & Gold Challenge at Tiger Park. Shelbi Sunseri stole the show on day two with a team-high four RBI and three home runs, including her walk off homer against Drake. It is the Tigers first walk off home run to win an extra inning game since Amanda Doyle against No. 13 Baylor, on March 24, 2018. Sunseri also put a solid performance together from the circle, earning the complete game win behind a career-high 11 strikeouts with just three hits, one walk and no earned runs in 10.0 innings pitched in the nightcap against Drake. Ali Kilponen recorded her second shutout of the season, fanning six of the 16 batters she faced as she and Sunseri combined for a 0.00 ERA and held opposing batters to a .102 batting average over 15.0 innings. Danieca Coffey (.571), Ciara Briggs (.571), and Taylor Pleasants (.500) each had four hits and two RBI on the day. All three logged doubles, while Briggs and Pleasants both had home runs to bring their total base count to eight. Game One After giving up a hit on the first at bat of the game, Kilponen retired 13 consecutive batters in the shutout over Purdue. Kilponen, who bumped her record to 6-1 on the season and had six strikeouts with two hits and no walks in 5.0 innings of work. LSU scored one run in the first, second, and third inning. In the first, Briggs reached on a fielding error by the second baseman and Pleasants singled to advance her to third. Briggs zoomed home on an RBI groundout from Georgia Clark. The Tigers attacked Purdue’s second baseman again in the next inning as Savannah Stewart reached on another error and Coffey singled through the right side to bring her home. Pleasants followed by logging her second leadoff home run in as many days with a solo shot to right centerfield to open the third inning. LSU blew the game open with five runs in the fourth frame. Coffey roped in her 10th career multiple RBI game with a double to left field, and Briggs followed with her first home run of the season, forcing a Boilermakers’ pitching change. The change could not slow down the Tigers however, as Pleasants singled to right, and Sunseri sent a moon shot to center field for her fifth homer of the season, bringing the score to 8-0. Kilponen finished off the top of the fifth with a strikeout and popped up two batters to secure the shutout. Game Two LSU set a new season-high with 12 hits and got four doubles and two home runs in the win over Drake. Briggs went 3-for-4 at the plate, while Coffey, Sunseri, and Hayden Brown each logged two hits. Sunseri recorded her second game this season with two home runs, highlighted by her walk off in the 10th inning. She also dealt a single-game career-high 11 strikeouts in the complete game effort. Dating back to the fourth inning, Sunseri retired 18 of the last 21 batters, including a stretch of 13 straight. Drake put up two runs in the top of the third inning, but Sunseri cut the deficit in half with a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth for her second homer of the day. After two scoreless innings, Sunseri struck out the side, leaving the Bulldogs with a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh. Ali Newland led off the half inning with a standup double and Coffey moved her over to third with a sac bunt. After Briggs grounded out for the second out, Pleasants faced a 3-2 count before zipping one to right centerfield for an RBI double, tying the game at 2-2 heading into extra innings. The Bulldogs went three up and three down in the eighth, ninth, and tenth inning with Sunseri retiring 13 consecutive batters dating back to the final out of the sixth. In the bottom of the tenth, Sunseri decided to end it all with a home run to left centerfield on a 3-1 count. Head Coach Beth Torina On the performance from Drake Pitcher Nicole Timmons… “I think she threw a nice game against us. She has a lot of spin, and her rise-ball is a really good weapon for her. She did a good job keeping us off-balance, and like you said, a rise-ball like that is something we do not see all the time. She did a nice job and we were lucky to get one there at the end.” On the performance from Pitcher Shelbi Sunseri... “We are just lucky she is on our team; she is an incredible player. She is our only fifth-year player, and she just looked like our leader tonight. We count on her a lot to be that leader, be brave, and take us into big situations. She was all of that and more tonight, without question.” Pitcher/Utility Shelbi Sunseri On her mindset today... “I went in and watched film; Coach [Torina] and I talked about things, and I just had to go out and have confidence in my stuff and in my team. I just needed to trust the process and all off the work that I have put in.” On the difference between yesterday and today... “It was all mental. I went in and knew that I had to have confidence and that my team needed me on the mound. As long as I trusted my defense to play behind me, all I had to do was let them put the ball in play and the defense would have my back.” Infielder Danieca Coffey On what Shelbi Sunseri means to the team... “She is what we always talk about wanting to be. She does everything you could ask of a person; she is always there and being a good teammate.” On Drakes pitcher giving the team trouble... “I think she is a good pitcher and I think we were just trying to hit the deep ball, and with the wind blowing in, so we needed to get on top of the ball, which isn’t what we usually talk about, so I think we had to rethink our plan and know we need to try to stay on top of the ball.” ON DECK LSU will end the Purple & Gold Challenge with an 11:30 a.m. game against Purdue, followed by a 2 p.m. game against Stephen F. Austin.  Photo By: theadvocate.com Da Boot Sports 2/25/2022 LSU Sports Information By: Keonte Herrera BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 23/24 LSU softball team (8-5) rallied back to defeat Stephen F. Austin (3-10) 10-4, and took care of Drake (3-4), 12-4 in five innings on the opening day of the Purple & Gold Challenge at Tiger Park. The Tigers compiled 21 hits on the day led by Danieca Coffey’s four hits and two RBI to increase her hitting streak to 11 games. Ciara Briggs added three hits with an RBI, while Georgia Clark led a group of five players with two hits overall. Clark paced the team with five RBI, while Morgan Cummins and Taylor Pleasants both had three ribbies. Cummins registered a new single-game high with two doubles and Pleasants logged her first homerun of the season against Stephen F. Austin. Briggs turned in her 20th career multiple-hit game and Clark recorded her second career game with five or more RBI against Drake. Game One LSU logged a season high 11 hits in the 10-4 win against Stephen F. Austin. SFA started with a pair of singles followed by a three-run shot in the top of the first inning to hold a 3-0 lead early. The Tigers responded in the next inning with one run. McKenzie Redoutey reached on a fielding error and was brought home on a double from Cummins. However, the Lady Jacks added another run in the third inning to keep their three-run lead, 4-1. LSU cashed in on three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. After Redoutey recorded a sac fly and reached on another error, back-to-back doubles from Cummins and Baylea Brandon tied the game, 4-4. After hitting a triple in her first at bat, Pleasants slammed one to left center for a leadoff homerun in the fifth inning that put the Tigers on top 5-4. LSU never looked back as they walked in three more runs and a two-RBI single from Presleigh Pilon in the sixth inning helped the team cruise to a 10-4 victory. Ali Kilponen improved to 5-1 in the circle, picking up her first win of the season as a relief pitcher. Kilponen had two strikeouts and walked three batters in 3.0 innings pitched. Shelbi Sunseri got the start and tossed 4.0 innings striking out two batters and relinquished one walk. Game Two Briggs was a perfect 3-for-3 at the dish and scored three runs I addition to one RBI and another diving catch in centerfield. Ali Newland was 2-for-2 and had an RBI as well, while Clark had six total bases with a three RBI double and two-run home run. LSU scored seven runs in the bottom of the second inning highlighted by a two-RBI single by Coffey and a three-RBI double from Clark. Drake combined for four runs in the third, fourth, and fifth inning, but the Tigers chipped in two more runs thanks to Clark’s fourth home run of the season to complete the run rule in the bottom of the fifth inning. Raelin Chaffin earned her first collegiate win in the circle as she struck out three batters in 4.0 innings pitched. Shelby Wickersham made an appearance to close to game, logging two strikeouts against the three batters she faced. Head Coach Beth Torina On going to her bullpen early in game one… “It is nice to have a deep staff, and when you have somebody like Ali Kilponen on your bench, you know you have somebody to go to. Anytime we can use both of them, we are in good shape. That is why you have a team that could show different looks and give you different options.” On what she saw from Pitcher Raelin Chaffin... “She is young; she is a freshman, and she is learning every time she goes out there. This was better than her last start, and she was able to get her first win today which was awesome. I saw some really good things; she just needs to continue to work on her depth a little bit and be a little more versatile as the game goes on.” Outfielder Ciara Briggs On how her diving catch felt... “It felt good. I had a feeling the ball was going to be in the outfield, so I told myself to go attack the ball, and I saw it and went after it.” On how it feels filling Aliyah Andrews shoes... “She has done incredible things here, and no one is going to forget that. I am just trying to do my own thing out there and show people what I can do and continue the greatness out there.” Shortstop Taylor Pleasants On her homerun... “Well, if I remember correctly, it was a full count and I got to bat in the box with the same mindset that I have been having all night: just hit a ball hard somewhere. I have been struggling at the beginning of the season, but I am trying to work out of that. I have worked on some things and just tried to have one focus and not overanalyze. So, my focus was my legs and my stance. Just working on that and I saw that it was changed up, wrote it out the way I was supposed to, which has not been happening lately, so that was a good fix.” On her triple... “The first pitch was outside called strike. I did not really agree with the call, but the second pitch I think was a low rise. So just working on getting on top of it.” On what the key to getting runs against SFA was... “It was just the state our plan. We had the scouting reports on the pitchers, we knew that our abilities are going to be greater, but just sticking to our plan and sticking to what we do best and not trying to work on making up for stuff just attack our plan.” ON DECK Day two of the Purple & Gold Challenge will feature LSU playing Purdue at 3 p.m. and Drake at 5:30 p.m.  Photo By: LSUsports.net Da Boot Sports 2/24/2022 LSU Sports Information By: Keonte Herrera BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 23/24 LSU softball team (6-5) returns to Tiger Park as they host Stephen F. Austin (2-9), Drake (3-2), and Purdue (6-4) for the 2022 Purple & Gold Challenge Feb. 25-27. The Tigers will play each team twice over the weekend with all games being streamed on SECN+. LSU will open the tournament with a 3 p.m. game vs. Stephen F. Austin (SFA) and conclude day one with a 5:30 p.m. bout against Drake. Saturday, the Fighting Tigers will take on Purdue at 3 p.m. and close day two with another 5:30 p.m. game versus Drake. LSU will end the tournament with two games on Sunday beginning with an 11:30 a.m. game against Purdue followed by a 2 p.m. game against SFA. The full schedule for the 2022 Purple & Gold Challenge can be found here. The Tigers went 2-3 at the St. Pete/Clearwater Invitational highlighted by a 10-2 run-rule win against then-ranked No. 7 Oklahoma State. On the weekend, LSU was led by Danieca Coffey’s .421 batting average and eight hits, while chipping in three RBI and two runs scored. Ciara Briggs and McKenzie Redoutey followed with a .333 batting average. Briggs contributed five hits, three runs, one stolen base, and a Sportscenter No. 1 play that robbed a home run, while Redoutey led the team with six RBI which included a three-run home run against Oklahoma State. Ali Kilponen led the team in the circle with a 2-0 record and logged a 2-0 shutout victory over Texas Tech. Kilponen registered a 0.43 ERA behind 14 strikeouts in 16.1 innings pitched. In the young season, Coffey leads the team with a .389 batting average and is currently on a nine-game hitting streak. Coffey’s 36 at bats is tied 5th in the SEC and her 14 hits rank No. 11 in the conference. In addition to Briggs’ consistency to get on base (11-game reached base streak, .382 batting average), Shelbi Sunseri and Georgia Clark has produced offensive power in the lineup with four and three home runs, respectively. Sunseri’s four dingers is tied for the second most in the SEC. Kilponen is 4-1 this season winning all her games when she is the starting pitcher. She has a 1.06 ERA with four complete games and one shutout. Kilponen has handed out just four walks on the season with her 26 strikeouts tied for No. 11 in the league, and No. 4 in the SEC with nine strikeouts looking. Sunseri is 2-1 this season with the ball in her hand. The Santa Fe, Texas native has two complete games and one shutout behind 17 strikeouts and six walks in 23.0 innings pitched. THE LINEUP The Tigers have an overall 16-1 combined record against SFA, Drake, and Purdue. LSU is 11-1 all-time against SFA. The last meeting between the two was a 6-0 and 13-3 (5 innings) pair of victories in the 2019 edition of the Purple & Gold Challenge. LSU and Drake will meet for the first time in program history, while the Tigers are 5-0 against Purdue. The last time the Tigers and Boilmakers met in 2018 with LSU winning 6-2. ON DECK The Tigers will partake in the ULL Crossover/LSU Invitational March 3-6. LSU will open the tournament with a game versus ULL in Lafayette, before playing the rest of the tournament at Tiger Park against Troy, ULL, LA Tech, and Central Connecticut State.  Photo By: Michael Bacigalupi Da Boot Sports 2/20/2022 LSU Sports Information By: Keonte Herrera CLEARWATER, Fla. – The No. 21/22 LSU softball team (6-5) shutout Texas Tech (3-7), 2-0 to conclude the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational at the Eddie C. Moore Complex. Ali Kilponen moves to 4-1 on the season and tossed her third complete game and first shutout this season. Kilponen carried the team with eight strikeouts with no walks and held the Red Raiders to three hits. Ciara Briggs and McKenzie Redoutey went 2-for-3 at the dish and scored runs, Hayden Brown and Georgia Clark were each credited with an RBI in the game. In the third inning, Briggs reached on her second bunt single of the game and Clark drove her in on a sacrifice fly to right field. The Tigers increased their lead, 2-0 when Brown pinch hit in the fourth frame and cashed in with an RBI single to center field. Redoutey crossed home plate from Brown’s at bat after her double to get on base. ON DECK LSU will head back to Baton Rouge, La. and host the Purple & Gold Challenge Feb. 25-27 at Tiger Park.  Photo By: 247 Sports Da Boot Sports 2/19/2022 LSU Sports Information By: Keonte Herrera CLEARWATER, Fla. – The No. 21/22 LSU softball team (5-4) came up short against Notre Dame (6-3), 8-6 to open day two at the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational at the Eddie C. Moore Complex. Notre Dame jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top half of the first inning, but LSU ended the frame with a 5-3 lead, drawing four walks, including an RBI walk for McKenzie Redoutey, and a grand slam over the right field wall from Ali Newland. The Fighting Irish had a solo shot in the second to make it a one-run game, but Danieca Coffey’s 10th hit of the season got her on base, and she came around to score a couple batters later thanks to a throwing error to keep the two-run edge, 6-4. ND crossed another run in the third inning and a solo shot in the fifth tied the game 6-6. Later in the seventh stanza, the Irish scored two runs off a single and fielding error to go into the bottom of the inning, 8-6. The Tigers went down in order to end the game. Shelbi Sunseri moved to 2-1 in the circle after striking out four batters and giving up eight hits and four walks in the complete game effort. ON DECK LSU will conclude day two at the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational with a 4 p.m. CT game against No. 16/19 Michigan.  Photo By: LSUsports.net Da Boot Sports 2/19/2022 LSU Sports Information By: Keonte Herrera CLEARWATER, Fla. – The No. 21/22 LSU softball team (5-5) was defeated by No. 16/19 Michigan (5-4),6-1 at the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational at the Eddie C. Moore Complex. Danieca Coffey led the team offensively by going 3-for-4 at the plate, including an RBI double to set a new career-high for hits in a single game. Ciara Briggs recorded the other hit for the Tigers. Shelby Wickersham (0-3) got the start and had two strikeouts with three walks in two hits in 3.2 innings pitched, and Ali Kilponen came in relief, striking out four batters and giving up three hits in 3.1 innings. The Wolverines put two runs on the board in the top of the second inning and padded their lead with three runs in the fourth and another in the fifth. The Tigers made noise in the seventh inning with Stewart drawing a walk, and Coffey logging the double to score KK Madrey who pinch ran for Stewart. ON DECK LSU will finish the tournament tomorrow with first pitch slotted for 8 a.m. CT against Texas Tech on SEC Network.  Da Boot Sports 2/18/2022 LSU Sports Information By: Keonte Herrera CLEARWATER, Fla. – The No. 21/22 LSU softball team (5-3) split its debut in the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational at the Eddie C. Moore Complex. After upsetting No. 7 Oklahoma State (5-2) 10-2 in six innings, the Tigers fell to No. 5/6 Washington (6-0) in the nightcap. True freshman McKenzie Redoutey stole the show as she led the team with five RBI in the two games combined and gave the Tigers a commanding lead versus Oklahoma State with a three-run shot in the fifth inning. Danieca Coffey led the team with three hits and turned in her seventh career multiple-hit game after going 2-4 with one RBI and one run scored in the leadoff spot versus Oklahoma State. Game One The Cowgirls crossed the first run in the opening game. LSU tied it up in the top half of the third inning after a leadoff double from Cait Calland was rewarded with an RBI single from Coffey. OSU scored another run to keep its lead through three innings however, 2-1. In the top of the fourth inning Savannah Stewart drove in KK Madrey who pinch ran for Sunseri, and Jordyn Perkins recorded her first sacrifice fly of the season that scored Stewart. LSU was able to get out of a jam in the bottom half with runners on the corners and ended the inning with a 3-2 lead. LSU doubled its offensive scoring in the fifth inning with four runs beginning with Georgia Clark’s bunt that scored Ciara Briggs. Stewart reached on a fielder’s choice, and Redoutey logged her first collegiate home run with a three-run shot to right center, padding the Tigers’ lead 7-2. Sunseri sealed the game with a three-run home run of her own in the sixth inning to bring the score to its eventual final, 10-2. Ali Kilponen tossed a complete game to improve to 3-1 on the year. Kilponen recorded two strikeouts and walked two batters, giving up eight hits in 6.0 innings pitched. Game Two After a scoreless first, Washington scored six runs in the top half of a second inning that saw Raelin Chaffin replace starter Shelby Wickersham in the circle. LSU responded with a run in the bottom half thanks to a single from Morgan Cummins and a pair of walks, including Coffey’s RBI walk that scored Redoutey. Both teams were retired in quick fashion in the 3rd frame, but the Huskies added three runs to pad their lead, 9-1. LSU continued to make a push in the bottom of the fifth when Redoutey laced a two RBI single to trim the deficit to 9-4, but that would be as close as the Tigers would get before both teams remained scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings. ON DECK The Tigers will return for day two of the St. Pete Clearwater Invitational with a 9: 30 a.m. CT game against Notre Dame, followed by a 4 p.m. CT game versus No. 16/19 Michigan. Photo By: Michael Bacigalupi Da Boot Sports 2/13/2022 LSU Sports Information By: Keonte Herrera BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 14/15 LSU softball team (4-2) split the final day of the Tiger Classic after suffering a 5-2 setback against Illinois (4-1) in eight innings and bounced back with a 2-1 win over Central Arkansas (1-4). Georgia Clark led the team with a .500 batting average in the two games and recorded three hits, and two RBI. Ciara Briggs and Ali Newland also logged three hits and turned in a .429 batting average on the day. Shelbi Sunseri drove in two RBI to increase her total to nine ribbies this weekend and had one win in the circle with six strikeouts and a 2.10 ERA in 6.2 innings pitched. Game One The Fighting Illini scored first in the top of the first inning, but the Tigers quickly answered by loading the bases with no outs in the bottom half. Sunseri singled to left field to bring in two runs, giving the home team a 2-1 lead through one. Illinois knotted the game with another run in the top of the fifth frame which sparked a pitching change for the Tigers, who brought in Ali Kilponen for her third appearance on the season. Both clubs went scoreless for two full innings before Illinois put up three runs in the top of the eighth inning. After two quick outs for the Tigers, Sunseri and Clark drew walks, but a flyout ended the game. Game Two In the bottom of the first inning with two outs, Sunseri was walked and Clark drove her in with a single through the right side. UCA was able to tie the game with an unearned run in the top of the third inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Briggs reached base on a bunt and scored on a single up the middle from Clark to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead through six. The score would stay that way as Sunseri retired the side in order to close out the game. Sunseri improved her record to 2-0 in the circle with one strikeout in 1.1 innings pitched. Shelby Wickersham who got the start tossed 5.2 innings and struck out six batters. Coach Beth Torina Quotes On the weekend… “We have a lot of ways to get better. I knew this weekend would show us a different set of things to work on and we have definitely seen it. It is obvious we did not swing well and that happens from time to time. It is good that we found ways to win. I think we showed that we have good pitching. I think we can play defense and we know we can hit. Once we put it all together, we will be in good shape. It happens sometimes and I’m glad we found ways to win.” On the offensive performance… “They’ve swung really well in practice. They swung really well against our pitchers, so I’m confident they’re going to show up.” Infielder Taylor Pleasants On the team’s performance this weekend.. “Our defense was pretty good; we have some places that we still have to get better and work on. But I think overall, we had good team wins, and we are trying to stay together after something goes bad and not letting it turn into something bigger.” On her hitting performance... “I think I mostly did it to myself; my pitch selection wasn’t very good. I am just trying to do too much. This week, I will go back to my process and do what I need to do, just working on my at-bats.” First Baseman Georgia Clark On opening weekend struggles… “We need to fix things up before we head to Clearwater (Florida). LSU Softball normally plays better than what showed this weekend. We’re going to work hard these next three days before we head to Clearwater and put on a better performance for the fans.” On potential early season rust… “I wouldn’t call it rusty, but we had some nerves. We had a lot of people switching in and out of position which has its challenges, and they got their feet under them towards the end [Central Arkansas game]. We started having better at-bats. Hopefully, the younger players will get more adjusted and be ready for next week.” ON DECK Next for LSU is the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational in Clearwater, Fla. Feb. 18-20.  Photo By: Michael Bacigalupi Da Boot Sports 2/12/2022 LSU Sports Information By: Keonte Herrera BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 14/15 LSU (3-1) softball team split day two of the Tiger Classic with an 8-1 win over South Alabama (1-3) and a 3-2 loss against Central Arkansas (1-3) Saturday at Tiger Park. Shelbi Sunseri and Georgia Clark combined for four home runs versus South Alabama, while Ali Kilponen earned her second win in the circle this season. Game 1 South Alabama struck first in the opening game, but Sunseri quickly tied it up in the bottom of the third with a towering dinger to center field. LSU would break the stalemate in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff single from Danieca Coffey who advanced to second on a fielding error. Sydney Peterson was hit by a pitch and Ciara Briggs drew a walk, which set the stage for a two-RBI double down the right field line from Taylor Pleasants, pushing the score to 3-1. Sunseri cleared the bases with a three-run homer, and Clark immediately followed with a solo shot to center, making the score 7-1. Clark struck again in the bottom of the sixth with her second dinger of the game to left-center field to secure the Tigers’ 8-1 victory. In the circle, Kilponen recorded her 19th career complete game and second on the season, striking out seven Jaguars while giving up one run on four hits. Game 2 To start the second game, freshman Raelin Chaffin took to the circle for the first time in her LSU career. She recorded her first strikeout in the top of the second inning. Sunseri got the scoring started for the Tigers in the bottom of the third inning, doubling to left center field, which scored Briggs, who singled to get on base. Briggs had three hits in the game, marking her 17th career multi-hit game. Central Arkansas tied the game at one with a solo shot to right center field. UCA took the lead in the top of the fifth after two straight passed balls, following a walk and single. LSU rallied with two straight doubles in the bottom of the sixth from Clark and Ali Newland. The Tigers tied the game at two, but UCA responded with a one-run seventh, and LSU was unable to tack on the tying run in the bottom half of the inning. Beth Torina Postgame Quotes On the offensive output from the win over South Alabama… “Yeah, we did a good job in the first game. I think that’s the team that we want to see. That’s who we want to be, so now we’ve just got to show up and be that consistently.” On the defensive struggles… “Yeah, I mean the kid threw a nice game against us, and we didn’t come up with a timely hit.” Georgia Clark Postgame Quotes On missed opportunities in game two… “[Kayla Beaver] pitched a great game. She was throwing a little harder than we expected. We could have made adjustments a lot sooner, and we did not. It was a matter of time until our offense got rolling, and it kind of did towards the end, but we wish it would have happened earlier.” On her multiple home runs in game one… “I think we saw what she was trying to do to us, gameplan wise. Shelbi [Sunseri] and I both bounced back well from our first couple of at-bats. We tried to in the second game, but it got too late, and it got away from us. But I think we saw the ball really well in the first game, and we’re super excited about that.” On Deck LSU will conclude the Tiger Classic with a 10 a.m. CT game against Illinois, followed by a tentatively scheduled 12:30 p.m. CT game against Central Arkansas.  Photo By: Michael Bacigalupi Da Boot Sports 2/11/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA: The 14th ranked LSU Tigers opened their 2022 season with a victory in the Tiger Classic as senior pitcher Shelbi Sunseri pitched a complete game 3-0 shutout over South Alabama at Tiger Park on Friday afternoon. Sunseri (1-0) allowed only two hits, giving up one base on balls, and registered five strike outs in a dominating performance on a beautiful day in Baton Rouge. LSU took the early lead. In the bottom of the first inning, Shelbi Sunseri took a two out walk bringing Georgia Clark to the plate. Clark would homer to deep left center field to put the Tigers up 2-0. USA starting pitcher Allie Hughen (0-1) struggled in the top of the second inning giving up a lead off single to Danieca Coffey. But after getting McKenzie Redoutey to ground out, Hughen would walk the next three LSU hitters allowing a run to cross the plate putting the Tigers up 3-0. Jaguars head coach Becky Clark chose to go to her bullpen, bringing in Jenna Hardy who would register the final two outs of the second inning. The Tigers managed three more hits in the contest, but failed to plate anymore runs. The Tigers (1-0) will turn around and face Illinois (1-0) to conclude the first day of the Tiger Classic at 6:15 pm CT. Da Boot Sports 2/11/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA: LSU finished the first day of the Tiger Classic going 2-0 as they were able to defeat Illinois 4-2 in the final contest of the day at Tiger Park. Ali Kilponen earned the win for the Tigers as she pitching seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits, while striking out four Fighting Illini hitters. After two quickly played scoreless innings, the Tiger bats began to heat up. Presleigh Pilon reached base safely thanks to a dropped ball by Gabi Robles in right fielder. Two batters later, Ciara Briggs singled up the middle picking up an RBI as Pilon was able to round the bases to score due to a poor throw from the outfielder. Briggs was also able to move up to second base on the throw to put herself in scoring position. Next, Taylor Pleasants would ground out advancing Briggs to third base. Shelbi Sunseri stepped to the plate and blasted the first pitch deep over the left field levee to give LSU a 3-0 lead after three complete innings. Illinois responded in the top of the fourth inning as they would plate a run. Belly Loya got things started with a one out single up the middle off of Ali Kilponen. Kailee Powell then singled to advance Loya to third. Kelly Ryono stepped to the plate next and caused the damage as she ripped a single to left field to score Loya, pulling the Fighting Illini to within 3-1 after four innings of play. Illinois would have another inning in the top of the sixth. Avery Steiner got it going with a leadoff single and would then move up to second on a pass ball. Delaney Rummell then singled to center field to score Steiner, cutting the LSU lead to 3-2. LSU was able to plate an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning when with two outs, KK Madrey scored from third base on a wild pitch, giving the Tigers a 4-2 lead. Next up is day two of the Tiger Classic on Saturday. LSU is scheduled to face South Alabama at 3:00pm, before turning around to play Central Arkansas at 5:30pm.  Photo By: Michael Bacigalupi Da Boot Sports 2/5/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA: LSU Softball Head Coach Beth Torina begins her 11th season in Baton Rouge. On Friday afternoon she met with the media to answer questions and discuss the upcoming 2022 season. Last season ended in disappointment as the Tigers were swept in the Baton Rouge Super Regional by Florida State in two close, heartbreaking games. (Falling 1-0 in game one, then losing 4-3 in extra innings in game two). Torina and her Tigers are hungry to improve on last season's 35-22 overall and 13-11 SEC record, with a trip to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City and winning a National Championship being their ultimate goal.. Below is Coach Torina's press conference transcription and video. Enjoy... Head Coach Beth Torina Opening statement… “There are a lot of new faces around with the program this year with our support staff, which is so important to who we are. We’re thankful for all the people that make our program work. Without question we are who we are because of these people that love our sport and love LSU. I’ve learned that it’s the year of the Tiger, right? So, for us and Joe Burrow let’s hope it’s the right year for a lot of championships. This year’s team has worked really hard and has had a really solid preseason. We’ve had to deal with; A lot of cold and adversity, but we truly haven’t missed one day on the field. We’ve had a lot of good prep and a lot of work, and this team has worked really hard to be ready for the season. I think the tell of last season is really the strength of schedule. The way that these guys attacked the historical levels and strength of schedule, finishing number one and then a mathematical number that is higher than any strength of schedule we’ve ever played here at LSU, and we’ve played some good ones, I think that was the tell of last year. As these guys take the field this season, there is nothing they won’t be prepared for. They have seen all of it. Productionally, we lose Aliyah Andrews and Amanda Doyle and the leadership of Maribeth Gorsuch and Akiya Thimes, but I think we have a lot of pieces in place. Obviously, we can’t replace some of these people, we don’t replace an Aliyah Andrews, but we have a great centerfielder in Ciara Briggs. She’s going to do it her own way and in a few years you all will ask me how we replace Ciara Briggs, too. We’re not trying to replace these guys; we are trying to be ourselves and do it our own way. I know you’ll see a lot of personality from this group as well. As we lead into 2022, another schedule that we’re really proud of. We have 23 games against preseason top-25 teams, so again we will be tested and be tested early in the first weekend. It’s a really tough schedule with South Alabama, Illinois, Central Arkansas and then we go to Clearwater where we get top-10’s in Oklahoma State, Washington, and Michigan in the top-15. We’ll see right off the bat if the work we’ve done this preseason will have us ready to go. Returning is a really strong group of not just athletes, but leaders. You have four of them here today and there’s some others, but Shelbi Sunseri and Taylor Pleasants, the All-Americans on the team, who don’t just lead us with their talent, they lead us constantly with their voices and the choices that they make off the field. I’m really proud of them. Ali Kilponen had a strong season last year and I’m excited to see what she’ll do. Her fall was even stronger than the spring that she put together. Georgia Clark will help lead this offense again and I think some of the biggest changes you’ll see is in her defense as well as she leads us on the field. We have a really strong core group that I trust, and I love how they play and how they lead us. I think they represent Tigers in all that they do and that’s our core values that they try to be Tigers for life. We added six freshmen to the group. We’re excited and you’ll see some of them the opening weekend. I think you’ll see a couple of them all season long. Baylea Brandon and McKenzie Redoutey are the two players that are going to bring a lot to the offense. I think you’ll see really big power numbers from them. They both are in the outfield. You’ll see Sydney Peterson in the infield, she’s an incredible defensive player. You’ll be excited watching the defensive plays that she makes, and then Raelin Chaffin on the mound. She’s from Shreveport so I know all of the Louisiana folks will enjoy watching her. She’s a great competitor and I know our team already likes playing behind her and what she brings to us. Also. Some speed with Madilyn Giglio and KK Madrey. We’ll add them to the group as well. We had a really fun offseason. We had four players at the national team tryout, where Taylor Pleasants made the national team. Coach Dobson got a silver medal this summer. Raeleen Chaffin got a gold medal in the WBSC. These guys have not just been hanging out, they’ve been making some noise in the softball world and in the softball community. We’re proud of this team and everything that they’re accomplishing right here at LSU and everything that they’ve accomplished this offseason as well. We will kick off a week from today; 3 o’clock South Alabama and 5:30 against Illinois right here at Tiger Park and we’ll be as ready as we can be. We talk all the time that we don’t have to be perfect, we can play our best softball in May, but we just have to be better than South Alabama next Friday at 3 p.m. and that’s what we’ll try to do.” On the development of the staff... “I’m still not going to tell you who’s pitching. Mostly because I have no idea. Our staff is so strong that it is always a game time decision. We’re walking down the stairs to the game sometimes still trying to decide because we have so many good options. We’ve talked about Ali Kilponen’s development. Shelby Sunseri is throwing as well as I've ever seen her. She’s in an incredible spot both offensively and on the mound. We also really like what we see from Shelby Wickersham. The ball is moving a lot for her right now and I hope she can hang onto that. We also have Rae Chaffin, Morgan Smith, Taylor Edwards, and Emilee Casanova that you will see. This opening weekend you’ll see several different starters. You’ll definitely see Rae Chaffin as a starter, and we’ll go from there.” On replacing Amanda Doyle at third base... “Right now, we have Danieca Coffey and Jordyn Perkins working out at third base. Danieca made the move from the middle infield over to third base and she has done really well. She has a lot of speed, so she makes a big difference for us with bunts and plays in front of her. Jordyn has just done so much. She’s in her fourth year with us and has been really big off the bench as a pinch hitter. She is competing for the spot as well and showing a lot of good offense and power.” Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi  Photo By: LSUsports.net Da Boot Sports 2/3/2022 LSU Sports Information By: Keonte Herrera BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The LSU softball team has been picked to finish sixth in the 2022 SEC Softball Preseason Coaches’ Poll announced by the league office Monday afternoon. The Tigers sit behind Alabama, Florida, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Missouri, respectively, to round out the top five in the poll. LSU earned 97 points. Points were awarded on a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 basis and coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team. The Tigers are coming off a 35-22 record in what was the toughest strength of schedule among teams who completed a full season. LSU will return 19 letter winners from last season’s roster led by Taylor Pleasants, the 2021 NFCA All-American and SEC Newcomer of the Year. Pleasants concluded the year with a .316 batting average, 56 hits, 49 RBI, 37 runs and 13 home runs. All-American and 2021 All-SEC Defensive Team selection Shelbi Sunseri returns as a fifth-year senior along with last season’s starting pitcher Ali Kilponen. LSU will open the 2022 season with the Tiger Classic, playing host to South Alabama, Illinois and Central Arkansas on Feb. 11-13. 2022 SEC Softball Preseason Coaches’ Poll (First-Place Votes in Parentheses) Place, School, Points 1. Alabama (7), 138 2. Florida (3), 131 3. Arkansas (2), 124 4. Tennessee (1), 103 5. Missouri, 97 6. LSU, 93 7. Georgia, 78 T7. Kentucky, 78 9. Ole Miss, 47 10. Texas A&M, 41 11. Auburn, 36 12. Mississippi State, 35 13. South Carolina, 13 |
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