RUSTON, La. – The Louisiana Tech Softball team hosts No. 18 LSU on Tuesday at 6 p.m. for an in-state showdown at a sold-out Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Tuesday, Feb. 21 | 6 p.m. CT
Location: Dr. Billy Bundrick Field (Ruston, La.)
TV/Stream: CUSA.tv
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
Tickets: SOLD OUT
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (7-2)
The Lady Techsters returned from the Mardi Gras Mambo, where they posted a 4-1 mark with wins over Toledo (4-2), Manhattan (10-2, 5 inn.), Florida A&M (5-1) and Gardner-Webb (6-1) while falling to St. Thomas (3-0).
Outfielder
Kylie Neel led the offense with seven hits and 10 RBI during the five games. Freshman pitcher
Mary Martinez dominated opponents, going 3-0 with a 0.63 ERA in three appearances with three strikeouts and just one run allowed in 11 innings of work.
Pitching has been the story so far this season for the Lady Techsters as they hold a team ERA of 1.55. Martinez leads LA Tech in ERA (0.54), wins (3) and WHIP (.77), while averaging just 1.19 walks per seven innings.
Allie Floyd leads the Lady Techsters in innings pitched with 17.2 while posting an ERA of 2.52.
Center fielder
Sierra Sacco leads LA Tech with a .387 batting average while tallying 12 hits, seven runs scored and eight stolen bases. Runners have advanced at least one base in 69.2 percent of her at-bats. Sacco's career average of .434 is the best in program history.
Third baseman
Bailey Wright has been impressive at the plate as well. Wright leads LA Tech with 14 total bases and has posted a .381 batting average in eight games.
Offensively, Tech has had tremendous success leading off innings as the Lady Techsters have posted a .429 on-base percentage while leading off. Katelin Cooper leads the squad with an on-base percentage of .625 when leading off.
On the base paths, Tech has swiped 13 bases in 16 attempts, led by Sacco, who has stolen eight bases this season, the most among all Conference USA players.
Tech carries a 15-game home winning streak into the matchup, which is the fifth-longest nationally.
LA Tech is led by head coach
Josh Taylor who is 46-22 in his second season at Tech and 169-131 in his career, with prior stops at Nevada (2017-2021) and Feather River College (2009-2012).
ABOUT LSU (10-0)
The Tigers are 10-0 this season and are coming off a 4-0 weekend, earning a pair of victories over Utah (6-4, 2-1) and Central Arkansas (1-0, 3-1).
Infielder Taylor Pleasants leads LSU at the plate with a .424 average while tallying 14 hits, five home runs and 21 RBI. As a team, LSU is batting .355 with 61 runs scored and 57 RBI.
The Tigers pitching staff holds a collective ERA of 1.31 with 61 strikeouts in 64 innings. Sydney Berzon and Ali Kilponen headline the LSU pitching staff with 3-0 records. Berzon boasts an ERA of 0.39 and 16 strikeouts in 18 innings pitched, while Kilponen has an ERA of 1.59 with 28 strikeouts in 26.1 innings.
LSU is led by head coach Beth Torina who is in her 12th season in Baton Rouge with a record of 406-203.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 30th meeting between the Lady Techsters and LSU. LSU leads the all-time series 24-5. The Tigers won the last matchup 8-0 on March 6, 2022, in Baton Rouge.
TICKETS
Season tickets are on sale and can be purchased at
LATechSports.com/Tickets or by calling the LA Tech Ticket Office at (318) 257-3631.
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Clear bags are required at all Louisiana Tech athletic events.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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