BATON ROUGE — The LSU softball team will begin fall practice at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 3, at Tiger Park, head coach Yvette Girouard announced on Thursday.
The Tigers will practice throughout the month of October and all practices are open to the public. Fall training will conclude when LSU hosts the 2006 Fall Collegiate Classic in Tiger Park on Oct. 28-29. The Tigers will take on cross town rivals Southern, LSU-Eunice, Hinds Community College and Southeastern Louisiana in the two-day tournament.
“The fall is always an energizing and fun time for players and coaches alike,” said Girouard. “It is always exciting to see the new faces and what talents they can bring to the team along with the maturation process of our returnees. But we are always reminded of the fact that the fall is one of learning and sometimes failing in the process to learn the correct system. This is why the fall segment is fun for coaches, as it is all about teaching.”
The team will be welcoming new assistant coach Megan Smith, who is joining the program after a successful year as the head coach at Western Carolina. In her one season at the helm, the first-year Catamount program claimed the Southern Conference title while compiling a 41-20 record and Smith was named the SoCon Coach of the Year.
The Tigers will be welcoming back 13 letterwinners from the 2006 squad that advanced to within one game of the Women’s College World Series, winning the NCAA Regionals in Baton Rouge and taking a game at No. 1 Arizona in the NCAA Super Regionals.
National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Americans Emily Turner and Leslie Klein return for their senior seasons, along with NFCA All-Region selection Vanessa Soto, who will be a junior this year. LSU has five returning position starters and all four of its pitchers returning for 2007.
In addition, the Tigers will be welcoming four freshmen standouts and a sophomore transfer from Oklahoma. Transfer Tayl’r Hollis spent last season practicing with LSU after making the move from Norman and the St. Amant graduate will be eligible to play for the Tigers this year.
The 2007 season will begin with the Easton Tiger Classic on Feb. 9-11. The Tigers will host Centenary, McNeese State, Middle Tennessee State and Missouri in the three-day tournament at Tiger Park.