AUBURN, Ala. – In the final Southeastern Conference series of the regular season, Auburn softball (25-24, 4-17 SEC) treks to Tiger Park for a three-game series at No. 19 LSU (34-16, 10-11 SEC).
“It’s a very pivotal weekend against another very good team,” said co-head coach Chris Malveaux. “They have a strong pitching staff as well as a strong group offensively. It’s a tough environment to play in. It’s going to take a full team effort this weekend. I like our chances if we come into the series with the same mindset we had for Ole Miss. We give ourselves a really good chance if we show up, compete and play free.”
Both Thursday and Friday feature 6 p.m. CT first pitches on SEC Network+. Saturday’s finale is set for 4 p.m. CT on SEC Network. Alex Loeb and Cat Osterman will have the call.
Brit Bowen and JJ Jackson will have radio coverage for all three games on WEGL 91.1 FM. Fans can also listen via the Auburn Tigers website and mobile app or stream the booth cam on the Auburn Softball Facebook page.
Auburn enters the series after salvaging a win in its home finale versus Ole Miss. The series saw Auburn’s offense turn a corner, scoring 24 runs across the final two games. LSU has won three conference series over South Carolina, Missouri and Ole Miss. The Bayou Bengals are coming off a series loss at No. 17 Mississippi State.
Slugging has been a major part of Auburn’s success this season, with 37 percent of its hits going for extra bases. The Tigers have hit 56 home runs as a team, the ninth most in a single season in program history. Junior Ma’Nia Womack and senior McKaela Walker lead the team with 11 home runs.
Junior Alyssa Hastings is coming off a monster weekend versus the Rebels, as all four of her hits went for extra bases. Hastings knocked three doubles and a home run to lead the team with 11 RBI in the series. She drove in seven on Saturday, tying for the second-most RBI by a Tiger in a single game. It was last accomplished by Tannon Snow at Tennessee on April 6, 2019.
In the circle, junior Ella Harrison leads Auburn’s pitching staff with a 3.65 ERA and 11 wins. She ranks 10th in the SEC with 135 strikeouts and is averaging 6.6 strikeouts per seven innings.
LSU is led at the plate by Kylee Edwards and Jalia Lassiter. Edwards has totaled 50 hits, including 19 for extra bases, and holds a .338 batting average with a .628 slugging percentage. Lassiter has scored 54 runs this season and leads the team with 52 hits. She’s added 33 RBI. Tori Edwards is LSU’s home run and RBI leader with 12 and 40, respectively.
Jayden Heavener has seen the most action in the circle with 118.0 innings pitched. She holds a 2.79 ERA and leads the team with 11 wins and two saves. She’s struck out 99 batters this season.
While LSU leads the all-time series, Auburn has won the series in both 2024 and 2023 and is looking to make program history by winning a third consecutive series over LSU.