Game 46: at No. 16 LSU Game Notes.pdf

GAME: 46 | AT NO. 16 LSU
April 25, 2017 | Baton Rouge, La. | Tiger Park | 6 p.m.

-- / -- South Alabama (28-17, 10-12 SBC)
JAGUARS
Batting Avg.: .274
Runs: 171
Runs Per Game: 3.8
Hits: 319
Home Runs: 25
Stolen Bases: 34
ERA: 2.35
Strikeouts: 252

16 / 16 LSU (34-14, 9-9 SEC)
TIGERS
Batting Avg.: .306
Runs: 247
Runs Per Game: 5.2
Hits: 375
Home Runs: 26
Stolen Bases: 49
ERA: 1.60
Strikeouts: 272

GAME DAY INFORMATION
Television: SEC Network+
    Talent: Lyn Rollins (PxP) and Yvette Girouard (Analyst)
Audio: www.USAJaguars.com
Live Stats: www.USAJaguars.com
Live Stream: www.ESPN3.com
Twitter: @USAJagsSoftball

SCOUTING THE JAGUARS    
– South Alabama (28-17, 10-12 SBC) enters its final non-conference game of the season after picking up a Sun Belt Conference road sweep at Louisiana-Monroe to extend its win-streak to four games.
– In the series final, the Jaguars belted out four home runs – Savanna Mayo (2), Kristian Foster (1) and Katelyn Gruich (1).  Gruich's first-inning grand slam highlighted a five run outburst and the Jaguars never looked back.  
– USA entered the ULM series with 18 home runs through its first 42 contest, but belted out seven during the series versus the Warhawks.
– Over her last eight games, Gruich is batting .333 and has driven in all six of her runs.
– Foster – who is tied with Amanda Minahan for the team lead in RBI with 33 – has been a run-producing machine for the Jaguars of late.  
– Over her last 23 games, Foster has driven in 24 runs and is batting .352.  She has recored seven of her team-best 10 multiple-RBI games during that span.  Coming into the game against the Tigers, Foster has driven at least one run in each of her last six outings.
– Foster has 13 multiple-hit games this spring and ranks second on the club with a .336 batting average, to go along with her 44 hits and 15 runs scored.
– Along with Foster, the Jaguars currently have three players batting over .300 in their lineup – Kaleigh Todd (.377), MC Nichols (.330) and Foster.
– Todd continues to rank among the conference leaders in hits (57, tied-third), triples (3, tied-third), stolen bases (16, tied-third), runs scored (38, sixth) and batting average (seventh).
– Over her last 28 games, Todd has had a hit in all but five of those and had multi-hits 12 times.  The junior second baseman has a team-best 19 multi-hit outings this spring.
– Todd recorded her first career home run in game two at ULM as she had an inside-the-parker in the eighth inning to give USA the 2-1 win.
– Senior outfielder Amanda Minahan paces the team in home runs (8) and sits just outside the league's Top 10 in both RBI and home runs, while she is tied for 10th in total bases with 73.  
– Minahan is tied with former Jag Brittany Fowler (2010-13) for third place on the program's all-time list.  Minahan is just three away from the all-time mark of 28 set by Christin Crocker (2009-12) and Kaitlyn Griffith (2012-15).
– Coming into the midweek contest, Minahan is also tied with Griffith for fourth place on South Alabama's career RBI list with 111.  She is four back of Crocker who is in third and 25 back of Fowler's all-time mark of 136.
– Devin Brown (14-6) returned to the circle over the weekend after missing the previous two weekends due to illness.  On Saturday, she recorded her fifth-straight complete game.
– The junior right-hander leads the Sun Belt in opposing batting average (.189) and is second in both earned run average (1.73), while also ranking among the conference leaders in several other categories – strikeouts (160, third), strikeouts looking (39, fifth), hits allowed (94, fourth), runs allowed (36, second) and earned runs allowed (34, tied-second), among other categories.
– Brown also ranks among the NCAA leaders in shutouts (9, eighth), strikeouts (29th), hits allowed (46th), strikeouts per 7 innings (8.2, 36th) and ERA (56th).
– Vicknair has been solid in the circle this season as she holds a 12-9 record and a 2.34 ERA.  She ranks in the Top 10 of the league in several different pitching categories coming into the game against her home-state team.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS    
– LSU (34-14, 9-9 SBC) enters the week ranked No. 16 in both major national polls.  
– Over the weekend, the Tigers dropped two of three at No. 11 Tennessee, but picked up the series finale (1-0) on Sunday on Constance Quinn's seventh-inning, one-out, walk-off home run to left, snapping the Vols' 20-game win streak.  The streak was the longest active streak in the country prior to Quinn's solo shot.
– As a team, LSU ranks among the Top 40 nationally in earned run average (12th, 1.62), fielding percentage (28th, .972) and batting average (36th, .306).
– All-American candidate Bailey Landry has been one of the top offensive players in the country as she ranks among the NCAA leaders in hits (44, fourth), batting average (.465, fifth), triples (6, eighth) and total bases (99, 33rd).
– Landry also sits among the Top 10 in the SEC in six different categories – triples (first), hits (second), total bases (second), batting average (third), runs scored (43, fifth) and slugging percentage (.631, ninth).
– Sahvanna Jaquish is batting .336 this spring.  The senior ranks in the Top 5 of the SEC in walks (96, second), on-base percentage (.532, fourth) and RBI (44, fifth).   
– Jaquish is seventh in the NCAA in walks and 20th in on-base percentage.
– Sydney Springfield has 13 extra-base hits this season and her eight home runs are tied for 11th-most in the SEC.  
– Springfield has also driven in 32 runs, while Landry is close behind her with 30 of her own.
– As a team, LSU has 51 doubles and six players with five our more entering play Tuesday night.  
– In addition to Landry and Jaquish, three other players on the Tiger roster are hitting above the .300 mark – Aliyah Andrews (.354), Nicky Dawson (.333) and Emily Griggs (.306).
– One of the strengths of the club has been in the circle where the Tigers have three players with sub-2.00 eras – Allie Walljasper (1.02), Carley Hoover (1.16) and Sydney Smith (1.88).  Both Walljasper and Hoover rank nationally in that category, entering play ranked eighth and 14th, respectively.
– Walljasper is 12-3 this spring and is holding opponents to a .188 batting average, which is 14th in the SEC.
– Hoover's 129 strikeouts are seventh in the league and her .150 opponent's batting average is fourth-best.  Hoover is also averaging 8.8 strikeouts per seven innings, which is 21st in the NCAA.
– Smith is holding opponents to a .180 clip – 11th in the SEC.

THE SERIES    
– The meeting between South Alabama and LSU will mark the 11th in the all-time series between the two clubs.  The Jags hold a 2-8 (.200) record in those previous meetings and have lost the last three in the series.
– The Jaguars are 1-8 all-time in the series in games played in Baton Rouge.  The lone win came back during the 2014 season when USA captured a 2-1 victory over the Tigers on Feb. 15.

Last 5 – 2-3
Last 10 – 2-8

LAST TIME THEY MET    
– South Alabama placed at least one runner on base in each inning of the contest, but LSU pitcher Allie Walljasper proved difficult to double up as the fifth-ranked Tigers picked up a 5-0 victory over the Jags at Tiger Park.
– After Emily Griggs drew a lead off walk in the bottom of the third inning, Bianka Bell doubled down the left field line to score the runner for LSU's first swipe, and Kellsi Kloss followed with a single back up the middle to double the host lead to 2-0.
– Sahvanna Jaquish singled to right center an inning later to score Sandra Simmons, who reached on a ground-rule double, and Constance Quinn, who singled, to put the Tigers up, 4-0.  Jaquish then scored on a Jaguar fielding error for LSU's fifth run.
– Despite the loss, Devin Brown recorded a then-season-high 11 strikeouts, but allowed six walks in addition to the seven hits.

THE JAGUARS VS. THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE    
– South Alabama holds an all-time record of 12-33 (.267) against current Southeastern Conference members.
– Last season, South Alabama recorded a 1-3 record versus the SEC.  USA's lone win versus the conference came in a 2-1 decision in Starkville versus Mississippi State on April 26.
– The Jaguars lost 3-1 at Alabama back on Feb. 15 in Tuscaloosa.

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