BATON ROUGE — The seventh-ranked LSU softball team opens the 2003 season against Stephen F. Austin at 2 p.m. and Baylor at 6 p.m. as the Tigers host the three-day Tiger Classic on Friday at Tiger Park.
Along with Stephen F. Austin and Baylor, LSU also hosts No. 11 DePaul as part of the tournament, which begins Friday at noon and ends with the championship game on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The tournament features round robin play on Friday and Saturday and concludes with bracket play on Sunday. Other action on Friday includes Stephen F. Austin against DePaul at noon and Baylor against DePaul at 4 p.m.
“We have a real test to open the season,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “DePaul comes here ranked 11th in the nation. They have been to the College World Series before and should have advanced to the World Series last year before losing out in the regional finals.
“Baylor is already 6-0 this season after winning their tournament last weekend. Coach Glenn Moore is returning to LSU and Baton Rouge and is sure to bring some passion and emotion with him. I am sure that his team will want to beat the Tigers for him. You also can’t overlook Stephen F. Austin. They are 2-2 this season and lost two one-run games to No. 24 Texas A&M earlier this week. This tournament is sure to be an exciting one.”
In Saturday’s action, the Tigers will face Stephen F. Austin again at 2 p.m. before a showdown with DePaul at 6 p.m. Baylor opens the day against Stephen F. Austin at noon and takes on DePaul again at 4 p.m.
LSU did receive some good news late this week. Sophomore Tessa Lynam, who broke her hand during preseason drills and was expected to be unavailable to pitch for the first few weeks of the season, may see limited action in the circle for the Tigers this weekend.
The return of Lynam will take some pressure off All-SEC performer Kristin Schmidt, who had been expected to pitch all six games for LSU this weekend. Schmidt is the top retuning pitcher in the SEC in earned run average and is expected to step up big for the Tigers this season.
“Kristin Schmidt comes into this season with some outstanding credentials,” said Girouard. “She came to us as a pitcher from Notre Dame last year and was a Second-Team All-American. She had some huge wins for the Tigers in the circle last year. We have all of the complete uttermost faith in Kristin. She is a proven competitor and is ready to carry this team on her back if we need her to.”
In the field, the Tigers will be a mix of new players with several seasoned veterans. Seniors Christy Connor, Jennie Reeves and Megann Steege will anchor the team, while newcomers like LaDonia Hughes and Alicia Owen will give LSU a new spark.
“There are some lofty expectations for this program and we indeed welcome them,” said Girouard. “We would always relish the bull’s-eye on our back rather than have low expectations for our program. It’s a really young team and we fully expect that they will play like a veteran team by the end of the season, and that ultimately is the goal of this team.”
Friday, Feb. 7
Noon Stephen F. Austin vs. DePaul
2 p.m. LSU vs. Stephen F. Austin
4 p.m. DePaul vs. Baylor
6 p.m. Baylor vs. LSU
Saturday, Feb.8
Noon Baylor vs. Stephen F. Austin
2 p.m. Stephen F. Austin vs. LSU
4 p.m. Baylor vs. DePaul
6 p.m. DePaul vs. LSU
Sunday, Feb. 9
10 a.m. #2 seed vs. #3 seed
Noon #1 seed vs. #4 seed
2 p.m. Championship Game