BATON ROUGE — Freshman Leslie Klein suffered a season-ending knee injury in preseason practice with the LSU softball team, postponing her debut in a Tiger uniform for a year.
The outfielder from Sunrise, Fla., tore her anterior cruciate ligament during practice at the LSU indoor practice facility on January 17. She will now undergo surgery to repair the tear to her ACL and utilize her redshirt year before returning in 2004 with four years of eligibility remaining.
A two-time all-state selection, Klein was expected to make an immediate impact for the Tigers this season, replacing departed senior Aleshia Perry in left field. As a senior at South Plantation High School, she posted a career-high .523 batting average with three home runs, 22 RBIs, 23 runs scored and 20 stolen bases.
LSU will open the 2003 season on Feb. 7 at home against Stephen F. Austin at 2 p.m. as part of the three-day Tiger Classic. The tournament also features 2002 NCAA Regional finalist DePaul and Baylor, which is led by former Tiger head coach Glenn Moore.