Ladyjacks Wrap Up Non-Conference Tournament Schedule in Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE, La. – After its midweek home tilt with Prairie View A&M Wednesday afternoon ended up getting postponed, the SFA softball team returns to the diamond this weekend in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for LSU's Purple & Gold Challenge, held Friday-Sunday, March 1-3. The Ladyjacks, who are an unblemished 8-0 in neutral-site contests thus far this season, will take on a nationally-ranked opponent for the fourth-straight weekend as SFA will see 16th-ranked Indiana and tournament host and 10th-ranked LSU twice at Tiger Park.

Wrapping up their non-conference tournament slate, the Ladyjacks (11-5) will begin the weekend with a 9:30 a.m. affair Friday against the Missouri Valley Conference's Illinois State, before taking on Big Ten Conference mainstay No. 16 Indiana Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, SFA will matchup with Big South Conference member University of South Carolina Upstate at 9:30 a.m. prior to battling the top-10 ranked Tigers at 5 p.m. The Ladyjacks close out play at the Purple & Gold Challenge Sunday with a second contest against host LSU at 11:30 a.m.

All of SFA's games at the Purple & Gold Challenge can be followed along via live stats at LSUSports.net, while the Ladyjacks' games with LSU will be streamed live on SEC Network+. More information on the 2019 Purple & Gold Challenge, including links for every game and the event's history, can be found on the tournament central page.

Playing perhaps the toughest non-conference schedule among Southland Conference members SFA has posted 11 wins through its first 16 games of 2019, including a pair of top-25 upsets. The Ladyjacks began their 2019 campaign by capturing the Bulldog Kickoff Classic in Starkville, Mississippi, with a 1-0 shutout of then 24th-ranked Mississippi State and took down then No. 25 Illinois this past weekend in Mobile, Alabama, at South Alabama's Mardi Gras Invitational. In fact, at this point in the season SFA has more wins over top-25 opponents than perennial national powerhouse Oregon. The Ladyjacks are 2-3 against nationally-ranked opposition this season with three of their five losses this year coming in true road games at top-25 programs. The journey will not get any easier as SFA's four opponents this weekend have a combined 42-16 record on the season.

SFA has gone 1-1 against Southeastern Conference foes and 1-0 versus Big Ten opponents in 2019, owning a 2-1 record against Power Five teams. Last weekend's win over then 25th-ranked Illinois marked the first time since 2014 the Ladyjacks have beaten two nationally-ranked opponents in the same season. Meanwhile, SFA's eight neutral-site victories match last year's total neutral-site triumphs with three such games remaining in the regular season.

Last weekend, the Ladyjacks finished the Mardi Gras Invitational with a 2-2 record as both sophomore second baseman Bryana Novegil and redshirt sophomore center fielder Brittany Crawford claimed all-tournament team honors for their performances across the four games. Novegil hit a team-best .417 on the weekend, going 5-for-12 with a triple and an RBI. She also posted a .583 slugging mark and a .462 on-base percentage. Crawford tallied six RBI between Saturday's two games, including going 2-for-3 with four RBI in the 7-2 upset of 25th-ranked Illinois, and finished the weekend with a team-high eight RBI and .636 slugging percentage. Her third home run of the season came at a great time as she blasted a two-run shot over the left center field fence in the bottom of the third inning to give the Ladyjacks a 4-1 lead over the Fighting Illini.

With seven different batters who have seen at least 30 at bats hitting at a clip over .300 through 16 games, SFA is averaging a .310 at the plate as a team to rank among the nation's top 50. Speed has also become a weapon for the Ladyjacks in the non-conference season as SFA is a perfect 25-for-25 on stolen base attempts and ranks 51st nationally in stolen bases per game (1.56).

The Ladyjacks' pitching staff has also been impressive during the early part of the season with SFA owning the top earned run average (2.13) among the 12-team Southland Conference and ranking 44th in the nation in that category. Having already tallied 130 strikeouts as a staff, the Ladyjacks rank 24th in the country and No. 1 in the Southland with a 3.17 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Newcomers Kassidy Wilbur and Ashley Kriesel have been lights out, each ranking among the nation's best in strikeouts and strikeouts per seven innings. Freshman right-hander Wilbur has rung up 72 batters already this season and is tied for fifth in the nation in total strikeouts while 28th in strikeouts per seven innings (9.6). Her counterpart, junior Galveston College transfer righty Ashley Kriesel leads all Southland pitchers and ranks 20th nationally in strikeouts per seven innings (9.8) and is tied for 41st in total strikeouts (47).

The 2019 Purple & Gold Challenge marks the 13th-straight year of the tournament as the Ladyjacks will be making just their second appearance at the annual event. SFA went 1-4 at the 2015 version of the tournament with its lone win coming against Florida Atlantic (4-0). This weekend will mark the first trip to Baton Rouge for the Ladyjacks since their 2015 Purple & Gold Challenge appearance.

The Opponents

Illinois State
2019 Record | 3-12, 0-0 Missouri Valley Conference
• The Redbirds have played one of the most challenging schedules in the nation, having already been involved in seven games featuring top-25 opponents. Illinois State has taken on top-five ranked SEC stalwart Florida four times, then seventh-ranked Arizona, then No. 19 Michigan and played a true road game then 14th-ranked Arizona State.
• Claiming neutral-site wins over San Diego (8-0) in five innings and Florida A&M twice (6-3 and 1-0), the Redbirds have put in the miles, traveling to tournaments in Tampa, Florida, Tempe, Arizona, and Gainesville, Florida. Illinois State is 0-4 in true road games this season, while 3-8 in neutral-site affairs.
• In addition to their seven losses to ranked opposition, the Redbirds have suffered setbacks at South Florida (2-1), versus North Carolina State (10-9), Central Michigan (4-3), Utah State (13-8) and Syracuse (5-3).
• Illinois State went 21-33 overall in 2018 and 11-14 in the MVC.
• The Redbirds are hitting .237 on the season as a team with three players batting at a clip over .316, including senior Shannon Felde, sophomore Andrea Coursey and senior Allison Spence. Illinois State has been outscored 100-53 through its 15 games as its pitching staff owns a 5.86 ERA.
• Head coach Melinda Fischer is one of only 22 NCAA Division I coaches with at least 10 years of Division I head coaching experience to have claimed 1,000 wins. Furthermore, she is one of only nine to have earned 1,000 wins at one institution. Fischer is in her 34th season leading the Redbirds and has a record of 1,036-772-4 (.573) at Illinois State, owning 1,077 career wins as a head coach.
• SFA is 1-2-1 all-time against the Redbirds with the last meeting between the two teams taking place in 1987 during the Ladyjacks' final year as Division II members.

No. 16 Indiana
2019 Record | 14-0, 0-0 Big Ten Conference
• Only one of six undefeated teams in America, the Hoosiers knocked off then sixth-ranked Georgia (6-4) over the opening weekend as their lone victory over a top-25 team this season.
• Indiana has defeated its opposition by two runs or more in 10 of its 14 wins, while four teams have played the Hoosiers within a run, including Bethune-Cookman (2-1), Syracuse (6-5), Loyola-Chicago (1-0) and Mercer (8-7) in 11 innings.
• The Hoosiers are ranked 16th in the nation according to this week's USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) top-25 poll, the highest ranking in program history, while 15h in the latest ESPN.Com/USA Softball rankings and are 10th by Softball America.
• Led by strong pitching, Indiana owns a team ERA of 1.07 to rank sixth nationally in that category. The Hoosiers are also 10th in the country with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.91 and are speedy on the base paths having stolen 42 of 52 bases and ranking sixth in the nation in stolen bases per game (3.00).
• With a team batting average of .282, six different Hoosiers are hitting at a clip above .300 as two Indiana pitchers own an ERA below 1.00. Junior infielder Katie Lacefield, who is batting at .308 on the season and slugging at an impressive mark of .718, has accounted for five home runs to rank 23rd nationally in homers and 41st in long balls per game (0.36). Meanwhile, senior right-hander Tara Trainer, the two-time reigning Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, ranks 10th in the nation in total strikeouts (65) and is 34th among all Division I pitchers with a 0.84 ERA. With a 9-0 record inside the circle, Trainer is tied for the most victories nationally and owns the 47th-best strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.42). Junior right-handed pitcher Emily Goodin has posted a 3-0 record in five appearances with a perfect 0.00 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 12 innings of work.
• The Ladyjacks are 0-4 against Indiana all-time with the two teams' last meeting taking place in 1982 during SFA's Division II era.

USC Upstate
2019 Record | 11-1, 0-0 Big South Conference
• The Spartans have won 11 of their first 12 games of the season but have yet to face a nationally-ranked opponent or play a game away from home.
• USC Upstate most recently defeated the Atlantic Coast Conference's Duke 3-1 Wednesday evening in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The Spartans have won eight straight with their lone loss coming on Feb. 10 against East Carolina (3-1).
• Hitting .316 as a team, the Spartans have three players batting over .400 led by freshman Madison Lanoux (.429). Junior catcher Alyssa Oakes ranks among the nation's top 10 in several offensive categories, including RBI (17), RBI per game (1.42), home runs (6), home runs per game (0.50) and slugging percentage (1.129). She owns a .419 batting average with 35 total bases for a .500 on-base percentage, while sophomore outfielder Makenna Helton is batting at a clip of .414 with 12 hits and a pair of doubles.
• USC Upstate went 35-19 overall a year ago and finished third in the Atlantic Sun Conference with a 10-6 league record. The Spartans reached the 2018 A-Sun Tournament championship game before falling top-seeded Kennesaw State.
• With an impressive program record of 1,200-496-1 (.707), USC Upstate has claimed 30 wins or more every season since 2010 and has posted more than 40 wins in seven of the past nine years. The Spartans made five-straight NCAA Regional appearances from 2013-17.
• Head coach Chris Hawkins is in his 25th season leading USC Upstate and was named 2017 A-Sun Coach of the Year.
• Saturday morning's game will mark the first ever meeting between the Ladyjacks and Spartans on the softball diamond.

No. 10 LSU
2019 Record | 14-3, 0-0 Southeastern Conference
• The Tigers enter the weekend having endured just three losses on the year, versus then 19th-ranked Oregon (8-5), against top-ranked Florida State (9-1) in six innings and a home setback to Stanford (7-5). LSU is 2-2 against nationally-ranked opposition this season with wins over then 20th-ranked Oklahoma State (3-1) and 11th-ranked Texas (7-1).
• Owning a 11-1 record inside Tiger Park thus far in 2019, the Tigers enter the weekend ranked 10th in the nation according to this week's USA Today/NFCA top-25 poll, while ninth in the latest ESPN.Com/USA Softball rankings and are 11th by Softball America.
• Owning one of the most prolific offenses in the country, LSU's .350 team batting average ranks 12th nationally while its .469 on-base percentage is sixth-best in the nation and .593 slugging percentage seventh-highest. LSU has outscored its opponents an astonishing 125-31 this season, averaging 7.35 runs per game as the 14th-highest scoring team in the nation. The Tigers also have strength inside the circle, owning a 1.73 ERA for the 28th-lowest ERA nationally.
• Among Tiger batters who have seen at least 30 at bats in 2019, four are hitting at a clip above .400 with senior Missouri transfer Amanda Sanchez' .513 leading the way. Sanchez' batting average ranks 32nd nationally while her nine doubles are tied for the most in the country and .667 on-base percentage ranked ninth. Sophomore Shelbi Sunseri, who is hitting at a .475 clip, owns the most home runs in the nation (9) and also leads the country in both RBI (28) and total bases (50). She ranks fourth nationally in slugging (1.250), while seventh in RBI per contest (1.65) and 11th in home runs per game (0.53). Junior Aliyah Andrews (.429) and senior Michaela Schlattman (.400) are also hitting above .400 as Andrews' team-best 21 hits rank 23rd in the nation. Andrews has also stolen a team-high 15 bases to rank 15th nationally in stolen bases per game (0.88), while her team-best 24 runs scored help her to rank 10th in the country in runs per game (1.41).
• Allowing just 2.63 hits per seven innings, junior righty pitcher Maribeth Gorsuch ranks seventh nationally in that category as she owns a LSU-best 1.19 ERA with a perfect 4-0 record in five starts and 29 and 1/3 innings of work. Freshman right-hander Shelby Wickersham owns a 4-1 record with two shutouts and a 1.31 ERA, while Sunseri is 4-2 with 30 strikeouts and a 1.85 ERA in a team-high 34 innings inside the circle. Sunseri's three complete game shutouts are the fourth-most by any Division I pitcher this season.
• The Tigers, who are a perennial top 10 team, went 45-17 a year ago and finished fifth in the SEC after posting a 13-10 league record. After going 1-1 in the 2018 SEC Tournament, LSU hosted and won the Baton Rouge Regional by defeating No. 21 the University of Louisiana at Lafayette 3-1, before falling to eventual national champion Florida State in a decisive game three (3-1) at the Tallahassee Super Regional.
• Head coach Beth Torina is in her eighth season leading the Tigers. Over the last seven years, Torina has led LSU to two 50-win campaigns, four 40-win seasons and four trips to the Women's College World Series in 2012 and from 2015-17.
• SFA is 1-9 against LSU all-time with the two teams' last meeting coming on March 1, 2015, during the Ladyjacks' only other appearance in the Purple & Gold Challenge. SFA's lone victory over the Tigers came on Feb. 9, 2003, a 1-0 win in Baton Rouge as part of the LSU Tiger Classic.

Up Next…
The Ladyjacks will have four days off from competition before beginning Southland play and returning to game action next weekend in Hammond, Louisiana. SFA will open up league play with a three-game series at Southeastern Louisiana, taking on the Lady Lions Friday, March 8 at 5 p.m. before taking part in a 12 p.m. doubleheader Saturday, March 9.

Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Ladyjack softball throughout the 2019 season.

-SFA-

Schedule

Ladyjacks Wrap Up Non-Conference Tournament Schedule in Baton Rouge

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Players Mentioned

Brittany Crawford

Ashley Kriesel

Bryana Novegil

Kassidy Wilbur

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Stephen F Austin

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Softball versus Murray State College on Sep. 27, 2025 at 2:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Softball versus Weatherford College on Oct. 4, 2025 at 12:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Softball versus University of Louisiana at Monroe on Oct. 4, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Softball versus Galveston College on Oct. 10, 2025 at 1:00 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Softball versus Galveston College on Oct. 10, 2025 at 3:30 p.m.

Ladyjacks Wrap Up Non-Conference Tournament Schedule in Baton Rouge

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Brittany Crawford

Ashley Kriesel

Bryana Novegil

Kassidy Wilbur

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