Editor’s Note: The following is an official press release courtesy of LSU’s athletics department.
BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 15 LSU (34-11, 7-8 SEC) will challenge Mississippi State (24-19, 3-11 SEC) in a three-game series April 21-23 at Tiger Park.
The series opening game will be at 6 p.m. CT Friday, April 21 and will be streamed on SEC Network+. Saturday’s game at 7 p.m. CT will be the annual Strikeout Ovarian Cancer / All for Alex game and will be televised on ESPN2. The series will conclude with first pitch slated for 2 p.m. CT Sunday, April 23 on SEC Network+. Both game on SEC Network+ will be called by Lyn Rollins and Yvette Girouard while Saturday’s game on ESPN2 will be called by Chuckie Kempf and Kayla Braud. Fans can listen to all the action with Patrick Wright, the Voice of LSU Softball, on 107.3 FM in the Baton Rouge area.
Saturday will be a special day at Tiger Park for the annual Strikeout Ovarian Cancer Game / All for Alex game when the SEC softball community unite, and all 13 teams participate by wearing teal for the “All for Alex” campaign to honor the legacy of Mississippi State’s Alex Wilcox. Prior to the game will be the 10th annual Geaux Teal Ovarian Cancer Awareness Walk that will take place after a short ceremony that begins at 10 a.m. at Tiger Park. Willing participants can register for the mile and a half walk by clicking here. Participants can also register Saturday morning at Tiger Park.
LSU has dropped four of its last five contests entering the weekend. The Tigers rank No. 2 in the SEC with 366 hits behind a .311 batting average which sits as the third-best in the conference. LSU also has the third-lowest ERA in the league at 1.98.
Junior infielder Danieca Coffey leads the SEC with 59 hits (No. 12 in the NCAA) and ranks No. 6 with a .407 batting average. Coffey also leads the Tigers with 34 runs scored and matches junior outfielder Ciara Briggs with a team-high nine stolen bases. Briggs has a .342 batting average, and her 50 hits ranks No. 6 in the SEC to go along with 33 runs scored.
Junior shortstop Taylor Pleasants is batting .327 this season with 42 RBIs (No. 7 in SEC) and has 37 hits, eight home runs and 25 runs scored. Pleasants ranks No. 5 in program history with 37 career home runs and No. 8 all-time with 160 career RBIs.
Graduate infielder Georgia Clark has a .298 batting average and has tallied 36 hits and ranks No. 5 in the SEC with 33 walks. Clark has a team-high 10 home runs this season and adds 32 RBIs. Clark sits at No. 4 in LSU softball history with 40 career home runs, No. 3 with 122 career walks, and No. 10 with 151 career RBIs.
Freshman pitcher Sydney Berzon (12-5) ranks No. 9 in the SEC with 98 strikeouts and has a 1.64 ERA in 102.1 innings pitched. Berzon’s 98 punch outs are the 8th most in program history from a freshman and she currently ranks No. 2 in the SEC for most strikeouts as a freshman.
Graduate pitcher Ali Kilponen is 10-5 in the circle and has a 2.31 ERA behind 88 strikeouts (No. 11 in the SEC). Kilponen has tossed 10 complete games with three shutouts and three saves in 100.0 innings pitched. Kilponen ranks No. 10 all-time in the program’s history with 54 career wins and her 450 career strikeouts ranks No. 9 in the program’s record book.
THE LINEUP
LSU is 58-12 all-time against Mississippi State. The Tigers won the three-game series against the Bulldogs last season in Starkville, Miss., but are currently on a two-game losing streak in head-to-head meetings after dropping the regular season finale last year and losing 7-4 in nine innings in the 2022 SEC Tournament.
Mississippi State just ended a nine-game losing streak with a 5-0 victory over Memphis on April 19. The Bulldogs are nursing an 11-game losing streak in SEC play with their last win coming against South Carolina on March 19. Overall, MSU has a .257 batting average and a 2.79 ERA although they can be dominant in the circle as they rank No. 3 in the SEC with 327 strikeouts and have a 2.97 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Senior infielder Aquana Brownlee leads the team with a .319 batting average and 38 hits to go along with 29 RBIs and 20 runs. Senior infielder Paige Cook follows with a .315 average at the plate and leads the team with eight home runs, 32 RBIs and a .602 slugging percentage.
Mississippi State has a deep pitching staff with five players logging over 40 innings pitched. Freshman pitcher Josey Marron (7-2) and senior pitcher Aspen Wesley (6-6) leads the team with 80 strikeouts each. Marron has a staff-best 2.18 ERA and has held opponents to a .190 batting average in 61.0 innings pitched. Wesley has a 2.46 ERA and has relinquished a .252 opposing batting average in a staff-high 65.1 innings pitched.
ON DECK
LSU plays it final road SEC series April 28-30 against Alabama at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
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