The last time the UF softball team faced LSU in the regular season, the Tigers won the series by taking two out of three games on the road.
This weekend, the Gators will try for a different outcome.
No. 1 Florida (30-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) will travel to Baton Rouge for a three-game set against No. 7 LSU (26-5, 3-3 SEC) with a doubleheader slated to begin tonight at 5.
"(It’s) gonna be tough for our team to go out there and play well," coach Tim Walton said. "They present a lot of challenges. Great pitching staff, a lot of depth, a very athletic team and a team that always plays well, especially at home."
Although Florida struggled offensively in its recent series against Tennessee, the Gators have seen an increase in production from Kayli Kvistad and Justine McLean.
While freshman Amanda Lorenz has cooled off considerably — her batting average has dropped .125 points from .520 to .395 since March 5 — Kvistad has been a steady run producer in the middle of the Gators’ lineup.
Among players with at least 60 at bats, the sophomore leads the team in batting average (.435), RBIs (32), slugging percentage (.710) and on-base percentage (.543).
McLean — who saw her career-high eight-game hitting streak end on Sunday — has raised her batting average to .429 and has been Florida’s most consistent hitter over the past two weeks.
"Me and coach (Sharonda McDonald) have worked really hard this year on just swinging on better pitches and getting in better counts," McLean said.
"I think having her here has really boosted my confidence, so it’s nice to see that all the hard work is just paying off."
While her recent success at the plate has been noteworthy, she has also been solid defensively, not committing an error all season.
Her prowess was on full display against Tennessee when she gunned down a runner at second base on a throw from right field.
"This is probably one of the best outfields I’ve been a part of," McLean said.
As a team, Florida owns the top defense in the nation with just 11 errors all season and a near-perfect .986 fielding percentage.
UF is 24-32 all time against LSU and only 9-15 away from Gainesville.
The Gators will have to ensure they stay sharp this weekend in order to return home with the series win.
"This stretch of our schedule is gonna be really, really tough," coach Walton said.
"Being number one’s not always what it’s all cracked up to be, but I think our players handle it very well and do a good job preparing every single day."
Contact Brian Lee at blee@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @brianlee_17.
Kayli Kvistad follows through on a swing during Florida's doubleheader sweep against Jacksonville on Feb. 17, 2016, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
