BATON ROUGE — The Southeastern Conference Champion LSU softball team finished No. 7 in the NCAA in total attendance with a total of 11,152 fans attending the home softball games in the 2001 season.
“I think our attendance was good last season,” said head coach Yvette Girouard, “but, our goal is to be in the top three in national attendance next season. I think this is a realistic aspiration based on what this team accomplished in 2001 and the expectations for the 2002 squad. We would like to see the stands filled at every game because the home crowd environment is a big key in our success.”
Before making their first appearance at the Women’s College World Series, the Tigers drew an average of 506 fans per game at their 22 home events. The average is up 25 fans a game from the 481 average in 2000. The total attendance did slip, however, from a sixth-place ranking in 2000 with a total season attendance of 12,499 fans.
2001 National Champion Arizona led the nation in home attendance with 46,499 fans turning out to watch the Lady Wildcats in Tucson, Ariz. Fresno State came in second with 34,151 fans and led the nation in average attendance with 2,134 fans a game. Arizona State and Oklahoma followed, with SEC rival Alabama in fifth place with a total attendance of 12,302. Texas came in a No. 6, just ahead of the Tigers.
The 2002 LSU softball team will open its 2002 season on February 8 at home in Tiger Park as the Tigers host the Tiger Classic. DePaul, Jackson State, Northwestern State and Purdue will be participating in the three-day tournament.