BATON ROUGE — Tiger outfielder LaDonia Hughes was selected co-Newcomer of the Year as the 15th-ranked LSU softball team placed six players on the All-Louisiana team, including four on the first team, as announced by the Louisiana Sports Writer’s Association on Sunday.
All-American pitcher Kristin Schmidt, first baseman Christy Connor, outfielder Camille Harris and utility player Tessa Lynam were selected to the first team, while third baseman Julie Wiese and Hughes earned second-team honors.
Hughes becomes the fourth LSU player to earn Louisiana Newcomer of the Year honors, joining Connor in 2001, Ashley Lewis in 1999 and Jodi Otten in 1997. The junior transfer from Lake City Community College was the LSWA Hitter of the Week on Feb. 24 and tied the school record for hits in a game with four against Centenary.
In LSU’s come-from-behind extra-inning win over top 10-ranked Oklahoma, Hughes knocked in the game-tying run and eventual game-winning runs. In addition, she did not commit an error in 68 chances in the field.
A third-team All-America selection in 2003, Schmidt earned All-Louisiana honors for the second consecutive year. The junior transfer from Notre Dame was the SEC Pitcher of the Week on March 10 and a four-time LSWA Pitcher of the Week.
She threw three complete-game no-hitter this season and combined to throw a fourth. Against Ole Miss, she recorded a career-high 17 strikeouts, tying her for the second-most in LSU history. Completing the season with a 34-14 record, she is one of only two pitchers in Tiger softball history to record 30 wins in season.
The 2001 Louisiana Newcomer of the Year, Connor earned her first All-Louisiana. The senior from Katy, Texas, led the team in hits in SEC play. She also ranked second on the team in batting average, RBIs and home runs in league play.
The first baseman recorded the ninth-most single-season home runs in LSU history and tied for the eight-most single-season doubles in school history. Against Cal Poly, she tied the single-game record with a pair of home runs. In the bottom of the ninth inning against Nicholls State, she hit a two-run walk-off home run.
For the second-straight season, Lynam earned first-team All-Louisiana honors. The sophomore from Alpharetta, Ga., ranked in the top five in the SEC in RBIs and home runs in SEC play. She was also named the LSWA Pitcher of the Week on April 22. Against Jackson State, she threw her first collegiate complete-game no-hitter. In that game she also tied the LSU single-game records for hits, runs and doubles.
Harris becomes just the seventh freshman in LSU history to earn first-team All-Louisiana honors. The outfielder from Hendersonville, Tenn., led the team in batting average, on-base percentage and sacrifice bunts.
Before breaking her arm against Auburn, she had recorded the sixth-best single-season slugging percentage in LSU history. Against Southern Miss, she tied the school single-game records for hits and RBIs. In the bottom of the ninth inning against Ole Miss, she hit a game-tying home run with two outs as LSU came back to win in the 10th inning.
Wiese earned All-Louisiana honors for the first time in her career. The junior from Baton Rouge was the SEC and LSWA Hitter of the Week on Feb. 17 and April 21. Twice this season she tied the school record for home runs in a game with a pair against Cal Poly and again against Southeastern Louisiana. While at the UNLV Softball Classic, she recorded home runs in three consecutive games.
The first and second teams consist of 13 players each: catcher (1), first base (1), second base (1), third base (1), shortstop (1), outfielders (3), pitchers (3), Designated Player (1) and Utility (1).
2003 LSWA ALL-LOUISIANA SOFTBALL TEAM
Position First Team
Catcher Casey Goodman, UL-Monroe
First Base Christy Connor, LSU
Second Base Nicole Martin, Northwestern State
Third Base Becky McMurtry, UL-Lafayette
Shortstop Stephenie Denham, McNeese State
Outfield Danyele Gomez, UL-Lafayette
Outfield Lindsey Danzy, Northwestern State
Outfield Camille Harris, LSU
Designated Player Lauren Castle, UL-Lafayette
Utility Tessa Lynam, LSU
Pitcher Brooke Mitchell, UL-Lafayette
Pitcher Kristin Schmidt, LSU
Pitcher Sandi Clark, Louisiana College
Position Second Team
Catcher Joy Webre, UL-Lafayette
First Base Lindsey Coleman, Nicholls State
Second Base Trista Helverson, Louisiana College
Third Base Julie Wiese, LSU
Shortstop Ashley Walker, SE Louisiana
Outfield Brittany Stanley, Louisiana Tech
Outfield LaDonia Hughes, LSU
Outfield Sarina Noack, Northwestern State
Designated Player Janis Kelley, Centenary College
Utility Lauren Koehn, Centenary College
Pitcher Afton Thoms, UL-Lafayette
Pitcher Dione Meier, Nicholls State
Pitcher Cheyenne Daries, Centenary College
HONORABLE MENTION: C-Karen Smith, SE Louisiana; 2B-Jordan Lansdale,
Centenary College; P-Jessica Denham, McNeese State
HITTER OF THE YEAR: Becky McMurtry, Louisiana-Lafayette
PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Brooke Mitchell, Louisiana-Lafayette
NEWCOMERS OF THE YEAR: LaDonia Hughes, LSU and Dione Meier, Nicholls State
(Tied with six votes each)
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Danyele Gomez, Louisiana-Lafayette
COACH OF THE YEAR: Stefni Lotief, Louisiana-Lafayette