BATON ROUGE, La. — The LSU softball team will begin its season Saturday and Sunday by hosting the third annual Tiger Classic at Tiger Park.
Teams participating in the tournament are Nicholls State, McNeese State and Ohio State.
The Tigers begin the season ranked seventh in the USA Today/NFCA pre-season poll and are picked by the Southeastern Conference coaches to repeat as conference champions.
“I think we are at the stage where we need to play,” said LSU head coach Glenn Moore. “We are not fine tuned, but we are ready for competition. The tournament will give us a good indication of where we are.”
The Tigers are returning all nine position starters from last season, including senior All-American Ashlee Ducote at third base. Ducote was a key player last season hitting home runs to win key ball games.
The Tiger pitching staff is expected to be strong this year, returning three of the four pitchers who were ranked 10th nationally with a 1.20 ERA in 1999. Junior Ashley Lewis and sophomore Britni Sneed will lead the Tigers from the circle, with Julie Stashko, Trena Peel and Dee Douglas adding to the arsenal of weapons.
LSU won last year’s Tiger Classic posting a 5-0 record for the weekend. In the championship game, LSU defeated Northwestern State 9-1. McNeese State also participated in the 1999 Tiger Classic, while Nicholls state returns to the event after a one year absence.
The action will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday morning with LSU facing Nicholls State. Admission will be $5.00 at the gate for the entire day. LSU will also play at 3 and 5 p.m. on Saturday, and the semifinals and finals will begin at 9 a.m. on Sunday.
Saturday, February 12
9:00 a.m. – LSU vs. Nicholls St.
11:00 a.m.- Ohio St. vs. McNeese St.
1:00 p.m. – Nicholls St. vs. Ohio St.
3:00 p.m. – McNeese St. vs. LSU
5:00 p.m. – LSU vs. Ohio St.
7:00 p.m. – McNeese St. vs. Nicholls St.
Sunday, February 13, 2000
9:00 a.m. – #1 vs. #4
11:00 a.m.- #2 vs. #3
1:00 p.m. – Loser game 1 vs. Loser game 2
3:00 p.m. – Championship Game