LSU comes to Bogle Park
FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas Razorbacks softball team gets back to Bogle Park after a nine-game road trip to meet Louisiana State in a three-game weekend series beginning Friday, April 1, at 7 p.m.
Arkansas holds a 10-25 record on the season after an extra-inning battle with No. 19/18 Oklahoma State on Wednesday when the Hogs lost 1-0 in eight. Arkansas was supposed to face Tulsa as well in the Border War, but cold temperatures cancelled the meeting between the Razorbacks and the Golden Hurricanes.
The Southeastern Conference three-game series brings LSU with a 2-6 conference record and 18-12 overall. Arkansas is 1-12 in the SEC this season. The Tigers only wins in conference play came against No. 24 Kentucky when LSU was ranked 25th. LSU dropped out of the NFCA poll this week before meeting Arkansas.
"LSU always has some solid hitters," head coach Mike Larabee said. "They have a good pitching staff and they always have some pretty good athletes. Historically, they have been a very strong team in the SEC. So we have our work cut out for us, and we need that timely hitting. Our pitching really needs to step up if we are going to compete."
LSU was supposed to meet Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday, but bad weather postponed the game. The Tigers last took to the diamond on March 23 when they handed Nicholls an 8-0 loss in five innings with seven runs in the third.
Arkansas is 8-42 all-time against LSU. The last meeting between the teams was in 2010 in Baton Rouge when the Razorbacks fell in each of the three games of the series. Arkansas lost game one 2-4 and came back for a 10-inning battle in the second game. Both of the last two games of the series went to LSU with a score of 2-3.
Becca Carden leads the Razorbacks with a .346 batting average and six home runs on the season. Freshman Jayme Gee has a .385 batting average in conference play to lead the team. Gee has started every conference game behind the plate for Arkansas while Carden has started all SEC games in the center field position.
The first pitch is set for 7 p.m. on Friday April 1, with 1 p.m. start times for Saturday and Sunday at Bogle Park. Saturday’s game against the Tigers will be broadcast on CST. Tickets for Saturday’s game are just $1 and the first 300 fans in the gate get a free Arkansas Softball t-shirt. Sunday, the Razorbacks will sign autographs post-game.
