BATON ROUGE — The No. 7-ranked LSU softball team opens the 2007 season this weekend with the Easton Tiger Classic at Tiger Park, beginning with games against Memphis at 3:30 p.m. and Middle Tennessee State at 5:45 p.m. on Friday.
Fans showing a ticket from the men’s basketball game against Arkansas on Saturday, the women’s basketball game against UConn on Sunday or any of the three baseball games from this weekend will receive free admission to Tiger Park for the Tiger Classic.
“We are just really excited to play,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “This team has truly worked hard and is really deserving of good things to happen to it. They are prepared and they are ready. They are excited to get the season going.”
Along with Memphis and Middle Tennessee State, the Tigers are hosting Missouri and Centenary as part of the three-day tournament, which beings on Friday at 11 a.m. and concludes with the championship game on Sunday at 2 p.m.
“We welcome a very good tournament field in Missouri, Memphis, Centenary and Middle Tennessee,” said Girouard. “Hopefully we will have some exciting softball all weekend long.”
The tournament features round robin play on Friday and Saturday and wraps up with championship play on Sunday. Friday’s other game includes Memphis against Centenary at 11 a.m., Centenary vs. Missouri at 1:15 p.m. and Missouri against Middle Tennessee State at 8 p.m.
The Tigers return a pair of All-Americans in Leslie Klein and Emily. Turner, an NFCA third-team All-American in 2006, anchors an experienced pitching rotation that features three returnees from a group of four that ranked eighth in wins and 13th in earned run average in the nation. In addition, LSU will be adding a high school All-American.
Killian Roessner returns behind the plate, while Kristen Hobbs is continuing to improve after missing most of last season due to Tommy John surgery. Roessner did not allow a passed ball last season and ranked third in the Southeastern Conference in runners caught stealing compared to stolen bases allowed.
Despite having to replace a pair of departed senior starters in the infield, the Tigers have a wealth of experience and talent to choose from to make the transition much easier. Andrea Smith will remain at shortstop for the third straight season, while Vanessa Soto, who led the SEC in fielding at her position last year, will make the move from second base to first base.
A pair of transfers will round out the infield as Shannon Stein, who played last season for the Tigers after spending her first year at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, will hold down second base and Oklahoma transfer Tayl’r Hollis will be at third.
The 2007 LSU outfield returns two of its three starters, including Klein, a 2004 and 2006 NFCA third-team All-American, in centerfield and two-year starter Quinlan Duhon in right. The Tigers will also add freshman speedster Jazz Jackson to left field.
The Tigers are 9-1 all-time in season openers, including a 7-0 record at Tiger Park. In 10 previous season openers, the Tigers have outscored opponents 102-8 and recorded seven shutouts.
This will be the eighth year LSU has hosted the Tiger Classic. The Tigers have won five of the seven previous tournaments. LSU is 34-6 all-time in the Tiger Classic. Last season, the Tigers swept through the Tiger Classic, winning all five games on its way to the tournament championship. LSU posted two run-rule wins and outscored their opponents 33-1.
In the first game, the Tigers shut out Eastern Michigan 5-0. LSU then posted a 9-0 win over Mississippi Valley State in five innings and a 10-0 win over Western Kentucky in six innings. With a 2-0 win over No. 11 Washington, LSU earned the tournament’s top seed entering championship play.
The Tigers defeated Western Kentucky 3-1 to advance to the championship game, where LSU again defeated No. 11 Washington, this time, 4-0, to claim the championship.
This will be the first meeting between the Tigers and both Memphis and Middle Tennessee State. LSU is 11-0 all-time against Centenary, including a 9-1 win in five innings last season in Baton Rouge. The Tigers have also posted a 1-0 series record against Missouri, with the lone win coming in the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., 1-0, on Feb. 27, 1999.
The Ladies of Centenary posted the best record last season of any team coming in for the tournament. Centenary went 31-25 with a 13-9 mark in the Mid-Continent Conference for a second-place league finish. The Ladies are predicted to once again finish second in the Mid-Con this season.
Missouri recorded a 26-27 record last year, including a 7-11 mark in the always challenging Big 12 Conference. Under the direction of first-year head coach Ehren Earleywine, the Tigers are picked to finish eighth in the Big 12 this season.
Entering just its second season of collegiate softball, Memphis is picked to finish fifth in Conference USA this year after posting a 28-26 record last season and going 10-13 in league play. Middle Tennessee State went 19-42-1 a year ago with a 6-9 record in Sun Belt Conference action, which put them in fourth place. The Blue Raiders are a preseason sixth place finisher in the league in 2007.
The Tigers continue tournament play on Saturday with games against Missouri at 1:30 p.m. and Centenary at 3:45 p.m. LSU will participate in bracket play on Sunday as the tournament concludes with the championship game at 2 p.m.
The Tigers host UL-Monroe next Wednesday at 6 p.m. before traveling to the Houston Crowne Plaza Classic in Houston, Texas, next weekend. LSU will take on Southern Illinois, which is earning votes in the national polls, Indiana, Missouri State, Texas State and Houston in that three-day tournament.
2007 Easton Tiger Classic
Friday, February 9
11 a.m. Memphis vs. Centenary
1:15 p.m. Centenary vs. Missouri
3:30 p.m. LSU vs. Memphis
5:45 p.m. Middle Tennessee State vs. LSU
8 p.m. Missouri vs. Middle Tennessee State
Saturday, February 10
9 a.m. Middle Tennessee State vs. Centenary
11:15 a.m. Missouri vs. Memphis
1:30 p.m. LSU vs. Missouri
3:45 p.m. Centenary vs. LSU
6 p.m. Memphis vs. Middle Tennessee State
8:15 p.m. No. 4 seed playoff game (if necessary)
Sunday, February 11
9:30 a.m. No. 2 seed vs. no. 3 seed
11:45 a.m. No. 1 seed vs. No. 4 seed
2 p.m. Championship Game