This week we are focused not on one but two games that feature teams ranked in the Top 10 (Based on the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll). The first game we will look at takes place on Friday February 19 when No. 6 Oregon travels to Layfette, Louisiana for a three game series with the No. 7 Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns. The second game will be on Sunday February 21 when No. 4 LSU faces No. 8 UCLA at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, CA.
No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 7 Louisiana-Lafayette (LLU)
Oregon is off to a 5-1 start after competing in the Kajikawa Classic opening weekend. Their only loss on the weekend was to No. 18 Kentucky. LLU is off to a 5-0 start going undefeated at the Sand Dollar Classic this past weekend. The Ragin’ Cajuns outscored their opponents 54-6 and displayed power hitting 11 homeruns and 13 doubles over the five games. Alex Stewart led them from the circle posting a 3-0 record and a 0.50 ERA. They will take a rather big step up in competition when they face the Ducks. Oregon has arguably one of the best pitchers in college softball in Cheridan Hawkins (2-1). Last week Hawkins had a rare bad inning giving up five runs in that game against Kentucky. The battle will be between the Oregon pitching staff and the stingy bats of LLU. One of the best current hitters in the game is LLU catcher Lexie Elkins who posted a .664 BA, five homeruns and 14 RBI last week. Matter of fact all of the LLU starters posted averages of .300 or better opening weekend. Oregon has solid bats as well led by senior center fielder Koral Costa who hit .563 with two doubles and a home run. Junior Nikki Udria (.467) belted three home runs on the weekend and knocked in eight runs.
Despite both teams having strong pitching, this series could be more about limiting damage than anything else. Both teams have offenses that can score runs in bunches. Oregon may not be as powerful at the plate, but they have a well-balanced order that mixes speed with power. They are not afraid to small ball either which can cause chaos for opposing defenses. LLU will rely on solid pitching and hope that their bats stay hot. They most likely will face Hawkins twice in the three game set. It would be surprising to see either team walk away with a sweep. Of the games this weekend, these could prove to be the most exciting.
No. 4 LSU vs. No. 8 Louisiana-Lafayette (LLU)
Up next the No. 4 LSU Tigers (4-1) travel and will face several ranked opponents at the Mary Nutter. The final game of the trip will pit them against No. 8 UCLA (4-1). Both teams dropped games they were expected win last week, LSU to Pacific and UCLA to No. 25 Texas A&M. LSU, in our opinion, has the deepest pitching staff in the country. Right now they are four deep, which is amazing if you stop and think about it. Most teams are pretty happy with two solid pitchers. LSU pitched all four in Carley Hoover (so.), Sydney Smith (fr.), Allie Walljasper (so.) and Baylee Corbello (jr.) last weekend. They combined for a 0.56 ERA and 30 strikeouts. UCLA did things the old fashion way scoring by solid hitting, not power hitting, but moving runners and picking up timely hits. They also received strong outings by sophomore pitcher Selina Ta’amilo who went 3-0 with a 1.56 ERA and 16 strikeouts. At the plate senior Mysha Sataraka was on fire batting .615 with 10 RBI. This game could turn into a pitchers dual which means the team which makes the least amount of mistakes has the advantage. LSU committed six errors last week and will need to tighten that part of their game up. UCLA only posted two. Matter of fact last season LSU ranked 136 in fielding percentage compared to UCLA who came in at No. 43. Look for a low scoring game where pitching and errors most likely determine the outcome.
