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SB: Dawgs Meet LSU Tonight in the 2026 SEC Softball Tournament
The (9) No. 13-ranked Georgia Bulldogs are set to face (8) No. 18-ranked LSU Tigers tonight in the final game of the second round of the 2026 SEC Softball Tournament at the John Cropp Stadium. Georgia enters the tie at 36-17 (12-12) while the Tigers are 37-16 (13-11).
No. 13/17 Georgia
vs. No. 18/18 LSU
Location: Lexington, Ky.
Venue: John Cropp Stadium
Date: May 6, 2026
First Pitch: Approximately 35 minutes after game six (5:00 p.m. ET first pitch)
Media Information
Streaming: SEC Network
PxP: Kevin Brown; Analyst: Amanda Scarborough; Reporters: Alyssa Lang, Holly Rowe
Live Updates: GeorgiaDogs.com
X Updates: @UGASoftball
Leading Off
Georgia is set to commence action in the 2026 SEC Softball Tournament in Lexington, Kentucky this upcoming Wednesday against the LSU Tigers. Georgia rolls into John Cropp Stadium on the back of a top 10 series takedown of the No. 8/6 Florida Gators in Athens last weekend.
Series History
LSU
– Georgia and LSU have met on 75 prior occasions, and the Tigers leads the all-time series 47-28.
– The last time the two schools met was in Athens during 2025 regular season play. LSU took the series over Georgia despite the Bulldogs’ game three, 11-3 (5 inn.) win.
– Georgia and LSU last met in SEC Tournament action in 2013. Interestingly, the 2013 tournament took place in Lexington, and it was both team’s opening game of the event. The Bulldogs defeated the Tigers, 7-0, in the quarterfinals.
– Under Baldwin, Georgia is 3-6 against LSU.
– Purely in SEC Tournament play, the Bulldogs are 3-5 against the Tigers.
Georgia in the Polls
Georgia in the Polls: Week Thirteen
– NFCA/GoRout: 17
– ESPN/USA Softball:
– D1Softball: 12
– Softball America: 14
Opponent Outlook
LSU comes into the SEC Tournament on the back of a home sweep over the Auburn Tigers which including a 25-0, five-inning win to clinch the series in game two.
Sophomore pitcher Jayden Heavener paces the Tigers in the circle with a team-high 28 appearances, 12-7 record and 2.67 ERA across 123.0 innings of work. She’s struck out 104 batters this season and surrendered 97 hits, 47 earned runs and 71 walks. Junior Cece Cellura has also made 20 appearances this season with an 8-5 record and 3.35 ERA. Cellura has 45 punch outs on the season to 107 hits, 44 earned runs and 16 walks across 92.0 innings pitched. As a staff, LSU owns a 2.68 team-ERA, and opponents have batted at a .231-clip against them.
Senior outfielder Jaila Lassiter leads the Tigers with a .361 average, as well as a team-best 60 hits and 13 doubles. Junior infielder Kylee Edwards leads the squad in home runs with a team-best .631 slugging percentage. Sophomore utility Alix Franklin leads her team and co-leads the SEC with six triples, and redshirt sophomore utility Tori Edwards has driven in a team-high 43 runs. As a team, LSU is batting .289 with 53 homers and 282 RBIs.
Head coach Beth Torina is in her 15th season at the helm of the Tiger program. Across those 15 years, Torina has helped LSU to two 50-win seasons and four trips to the Women’s College World Series.
Dawg Bites for the SEC Tournament
– Georgia is 24-28 all-time in the SEC Softball Tournament.
– The Bulldogs were crowned champions at the 2014 SEC Tournament in Columbia, S.C. with a 5-2 championship game win over Kentucky. Current assistant and pitching coach Chelsea Wilkinson took home MVP honors in the event.
– Georgia enters as the No. 9 seed this year – the second time the program has featured as such seed (2022).
– When the tournament has been played in Lexington, Georgia holds a 1-1 record.
– Baldwin is 2-4 in the tournament as a head coach.
– Jaydyn Goodwin’s four RBIs last year against Kentucky in the opening round is joint-most in program history in SEC Tournament play.
Conference Stat Leaders (as of Mon, May 4)
Jaydyn Goodwin
The junior from Paris, Ky. is among the top ten in the conference in three statistical categories:
Hits: Tied-Fifth – 68
Doubles: Tied-10th – 13
Triples: Tied-Seventh – 3
Sarah Gordon
The senior from Louisville, Ky. is among the top ten in the conference in two statistical categories:
Average: 10th – .411
Doubles: Third – 16
Presley Harrison:
The freshman from Baxley, Ga. is in the top ten in the conference in two statistical categories:
Holds: Tied-First – 3
Saves: Tied-Seventh – 3
Bailey Lindemuth:
The sophomore from Burleson, Texas is in the top ten in the conference in two statistical categories:
Assists: Tied Seventh – 98
Fielding Double Plays: 10th – 15
Marisa Miller
The senior from Suwanee, Ga.is in the top ten in the conference in one statistical category:
Caught Stealing By: Second – 10
Gabi Novickas:
The freshman from Chicago, Ill. is in the top ten in the conference in one statistical category:
Fielding Double Plays: Third – 23
Randi Roelling:
The junior from Modesto, Calif. ranks in the top ten in the conference in two statistical categories:
Wins: Tied- Sixth – 16
Innings Pitched: 10th – 125.2
Keirstin Roose:
The graduate from Wolcottville, Ind. ranks in the top ten in the conference in one statistical category:
Fielding Double Plays: Ninth – 16
Dawgs on Defense
The Bulldogs remain one of the nation’s best defensive teams with a .982 team fielding percentage – ranked sixth in the nation – to go with just 25 errors – tied-sixth least in the conference.
Transfers in the Mix
Several members of Georgia’s 2025 transfer class are starring for the Bulldogs this season.
In the circle, RHP Addisen Fisher sits at 10-5 with a team-best 2.84 ERA. She has one shut-out on the season, as well as two saves. Through 81.1 innings pitched, she’s surrendered just 33 earned runs with 57 strikeouts.
In the order, Keirstin Roose has impressed in the lead-off role for the Bulldogs. She has a team-best 14 home runs on the season while also driving in 34 runs. Delani Sullivan, while being a threat at the plate, has been a consistent presence in outfield recording 39 put-outs this season with a perfect fielding percentage. Bailey Lindemuth has flashed her glove at the hot corner this season with just three errors through 53 games and a team-best 98 assists. Natalie Ray is batting .381 overall and .326 in conference play.
Roelling is Rolling
LHP Randi Roelling is on pace for her best season as a Bulldog through 30 total appearances. She currently has allowed 54 earned runs. In 2025, through 30 appearances, she had allowed 68 earned runs – a 21% decrease at this stage.
More, her 120 strikeouts this season surpasses her 100-strikeout mark last season – a 17% increase – through 30 appearances. Further, she has dropped her walks from 89 last season to just 48 this year – a 46% decrease.
Freshman at First
Gabi Novickas has made 49 appearances this season including 38 starts at first base. In those appearances, she’s batted at a .410 clip – second-best on the team – while recording 41 hits, 24 runs, 25 RBIs, seven doubles and six home runs – including a grand slam against USC Upstate and a game-sealing, run-rule, walk-off grand slam against to clinch the series over No. 8 Florida.
In the last 10 games, Novickas is batting .429 – second best on the squad. More, she’s recorded a team-best 253 put-outs this year with a perfect fielding percentage.
Lindemuth Looking Up
In conference play, sophomore Bailey Lindemuth has batted at a .343-clip, good for third-best on the team. She’s recorded 23 hits and 14 runs with two doubles, one triple, three home runs and 13 RBIs during SEC action. In the last 10 games, Lindemuth’s average has spiked up to .400.
Heading into the last week of conference play, in a release from 643 Charts, Lindemuth ranked first nationally amongst third basemen in defensive runs saved. Her 15.1 DRS (defensive runs saved) score measures defensive value by estimating how many runs they have saved or cost their team compared to the league average defender.
A Ray of Light
Senior Natalie Ray has impressed since making the jump to the SEC from Georgia State. Her offensive output has allowed her to feature in multiple spots in the lineup from batting at the clean-up to rounding out the bottom of the order.
More from Miller
The senior catcher’s bat has come alive in conference play. Batting .271 through the first 23 games of the season, Miller is now batting .283. Strictly in SEC play, Miller is batting .309 with 17 hits, six runs, three doubles, one home run and eight RBIs.
She continues to be a threat behind the plate, as well. This campaign, Miller has thrown out 50% of runners attempts to steal, catching 10 runners – good for second in the conference and just outside of the top 50 nationally.
That’s Good[win]
The senior has come alive in the latter portion of the 2026 season as one of the squad’s brightest. She leads the team in batting average the last 10 games (.543) and in conference play (.378), as well as ranking second in the last five games (.438). She is third overall on the team with a .405 overall average.
In addition to being leading the Bulldogs with 68 hits, she ranks inside the top ten in the SEC in the same category. Her hit output this season is a career best.
That’s Sarah Gordon!
Sarah Gordon has enjoyed a strong senior season for the Bulldogs this year, leading the squad in batting average (.411), doubles (16) and slugging percentage (.728). All three figures put her in touching distance of ranking in the top 10 in program history for single season average, doubles and slugging percentage.
New Year, New Team
This year’s squad has reached several milestones to surpass last year’s regular season performance.
Currently batting .354 as a squad, that figure tops last year’s regular season batting average total of .300. More, during the 2025 campaign, the team finished the regular season with 55 doubles, 12 triples and 45 home runs. This year’s squad has already surpassed all three figures going into the last weekend of regular season play.
In the circle, the staff managed eight shutouts, which this year’s staff has already touched, as well as already surpassing last year’s four saves.
Collectively, the Bulldogs’ 36 wins in the regular season eclipsed last year’s 35 total wins.
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