LAFAYETTE, La. — LSU senior Britni Sneed was named the Louisiana Player of the Year, while head coach Yvette Girouard was selected the Coach of the Year, as announced by the Louisiana Sports Writer’s Association on Sunday.
Along with Sneed, outfielder Trena Peel, designated player Tessa Lynam and utility player Leigh Ann Danos were named to the All-Louisiana First Team. Pitcher Kristin Schmidt and second baseman April Janzen also garnered second-team All-Louisiana honors for the Tigers.
Catcher Jennie Reeves, first baseman Christy Connor and outfielder Aleshia Perry were honorable mention selections.
LSU won its fourth-consecutive SEC regular season title and became the first school to win back-to-back SEC Tournament titles in 2002, finishing the season ranked No. 9 in the nation. The Tigers advanced to the NCAA Regionals as a No. 1 seed in Region 3, but lost out to Arizona State on the final day of competition.
Girouard, in her second year at helm at LSU, earned her fourth consecutive Louisiana Coach of the Year accolade and the 10th of her career after the Tigers claimed their sixth-straight Western Division and fourth-straight SEC Championship. Reaching the 100-win mark at LSU in record pace this season, she guided the Tigers to their highest national ranking, No. 3 in the NFCA/USA Today poll.
On Friday, she was inducted into the Louisiana Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Earning the Player of the Year award for the second-straight year, Sneed is a four-time first-team All-Louisiana honoree and one of two unanimous choices on the team. Only the second repeat first-team All-America selection in LSU history, the Houston native struck out 478 on the year, breaking both the school and SEC single-season records.
Averaging 11.9 strikeouts per seven innings, she ranked second in the country in strikeout ratio with the fourth best single-season strikeout ratio in NCAA history. She completed her career with 1,370 strikeouts, putting her fourth in the NCAA career strikeout list.
The senior also threw a school-record six complete-game no-hitters along with 23 shutouts, tying her for 15th in NCAA single-season history. She led the SEC and ranked in the top 10 in the nation with an ERA of 0.75, the sixth lowest in SEC history.
The SEC Pitcher of the Year and tournament MVP, Sneed completed the 2002 season with a 34-7 record. She was one of 10 semifinalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award.
The SEC Athlete of the Year, this is the second first-team All-Louisiana honor of Peel’s career. A second-team All-America selection, the senior from Aurora, Colo., led the nation in triples this season with 14, two shy of the NCAA record. With that mark, she broke both the LSU and SEC single-season records and completed her career with 27 career triples, 13th in NCAA history.
Starting all 67 games for the Tigers in centerfield, Peel led the team in six offensive categories, including batting average, slugging percentage and stolen bases. She also recorded 24 multiple-hit games while tallying a team-best 12-game hitting streak.
A member of the 2002 NCAA Region 3 All-Tournament Team, Lynam led the team in home runs and finished the season second on the team in RBIs. Coming on late in the season, the Alpharetta, Ga., native went 12-for-25 over the last eight games of the season, including a 4-for-7 performance with four RBIs and four runs scored against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
The freshman recorded 12 multiple-hit games and 11 multiple-RBI games on the season and hit a double and two home runs with eight RBIs against Louisiana teams in 2002.
Danos was an impressive 16-1 as the starting catcher and 4-0 as the starting designated player for LSU in 2002. Graduating from high school early in order to join the Tigers in Decembers, she led the team in batting in SEC games and was second on the team in overall batting average.
In the field, she carried a perfect fielding percentage from behind the plate. The freshman from Katy, Texas, recorded three multiple-hit and five multiple-RBI games on the year and knocked in the game-winning run against Ole Miss.
Along with Sneed, Schmidt is one of just seven pitchers to rank in the top 20 in ERA and strikeouts per seven innings in the NCAA. The Houston native threw a one-hitter and a two-hitter this season as part of her eight shutouts.
On seven occasions, she has struck out 10 or more batters and has allowed only three earned runs since March 19. Earlier in the season, she was named to the NFCA Leadoff Classic and Tiger Classic All-Tournament Teams.
A fifth-year senior, Janzen ranks third in the league in fielding percentage by a second baseman. She is second on the team in stolen bases and fourth on the team in RBIs, runs scored and walks. She had four multiple-RBI games and four three-hit games on the year.
Coming on strong to close out the regular season, the Baton Rouge native led the team with a .625 average, including a double, three RBIs and nine runs scored last week. She also hit her first home run of the season in her final regular season at-bat at Tiger Park. She currently has a nine-game hitting streak.
The All-Louisiana first and second teams consist of 13 positions: pitchers (three), catcher (one), first baseman (one), second baseman (one), shortstop (one), third baseman (one), outfielders (three), designated player (one) and utility (one).
The team was voted on by sports information directors and media representatives from around the state.
All-Louisiana First Team
P Britni Sneed, LSU*
P Melissa Coronado, Louisiana-Lafayette
P Crista Miller, Northwestern State
C Brooke Kostic, Southeastern Louisiana
1B Kristy Menke, Southeastern Louisiana
2B Jill Robertson, Louisiana-Lafayette
SS Alana Addison, Louisiana-Lafayette*
3B Becky McMurtry, Louisiana-Lafayette
OF Jerie Alexander, Louisiana-Lafayette
OF Annie Johnston, Northwestern State
OF Trena Peel, LSU
DP Tessa Lynam, LSU
UT Leigh Ann Danos, LSU
* – Indicates unanimous selection
All-Louisiana Second Team
P Kristin Schmidt, LSU
P Amanda Ortego, Northwestern State
P Brooke Mitchell, Louisiana-Lafayette
C Joy Webre, Louisiana-Lafayette
1B Summar Lapeyrouse, Louisiana-Lafayette
2B April Janzen, LSU
SS Jamie Manuel, McNeese State
3B Lindsay Leftwich, Northwestern State
OF Nicole Martin, Northwestern State
OF Missy Martin, Louisiana-Lafayette
OF Heather Dye, Southeastern Louisiana
DP Kiana Scott, Northwestern State
UT Lindsey Meadows, Louisiana Tech
Honorable Mention: Jennie Reeves, LSU; Christy Connor, LSU; Carrie Raliegh, Southeastern Louisiana; Sarah Gascon, Southeastern Louisiana; Aleshia Perry, LSU; Beth Jordan, McNeese State; Cheyenne Daries, Centenary
Player of the Year
Britni Sneed, LSU
Freshman of the Year
Brooke Mitchell, Louisiana-Lafayette
Newcomer of the Year
Becky McMurtry, Louisiana-Lafayette
Coach of the Year:
Yvette Girouard, LSU