BATON ROUGE — The LSU softball team has begun preparations to defend its Southeastern Conference championship of a season ago. The Tigers, who made their first appearance in the Women’s College World Series last season, are the three-time defending SEC Champions and the five-time defending SEC Western Division Champions.
LSU is looking to build on the success it enjoyed last year when it went 59-11, the best record in school history. Returning to help the Tigers do so are six starters from a year ago, led by first-team All-American pitcher Britni Sneed.
The season begins at 2 p.m. on Feb. 8 at LSU when the Tigers host the three-day Tiger Classic. In the round-robin event, LSU will face Jackson State, DePaul, Northwestern State and Western Michigan.
The Tigers also host the Purple and Gold Challenge from March 1-3. McNeese State, Georgia Tech, UAB and Long Island will be in town for the event.
Outside of tournament play, LSU will host five SEC series, four of which consist of a doubleheader on Saturday followed by a game on Sunday. One series will be played in mid-week, on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Tigers face Florida, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Georgia and Auburn at home in conference action.
The home slate also features six non-conference dates, including four against in-state teams. Nicholls State, Southeastern Louisiana and Louisiana-Lafayette will all be in for a single game while doubleheaders are scheduled for Northwestern State, Southern Miss and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Away from Tiger Park, LSU will compete in the UNLV Invitational, which will host three teams from last season’s WCWS including national champion UCLA.
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association Leadoff Classic is also on the Tigers away schedule. There, LSU will go up against some of the top teams in the nation in pool play followed by a championship bracket.
Five conference road trips are scheduled as well as non-conference tilts at Nicholls State and Southern Miss.
Tickets are currently on sale at the LSU Ticket Office, which can be reached by calling (225) 578-2184 or (800) 960-8587. They can also be bought on the internet at www.LSUsports.net. Individual game tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children. Reserved seating season tickets, which include 22 dates, are just $50.