By Patrick M. Fisher
LSU Sports Information
BATON ROUGE — Kristen Hobbs stepped to the plate in the championship game with one-out in the top of the ninth inning and delivered a grand slam to help secure the victory and title for LSU over the University of Memphis last weekend at Tiger Park in the Easton Tiger Classic.
After sitting out most of last season from Tommy John surgery, LSU’s catcher and captain made the most of her return to the diamond. She captured MVP honors thanks in large part to her four homeruns and nine RBIs, while batting .533.
During her first two seasons as a Tiger, Hobbs was able to start 57 games and become a key player in LSU’s success as a team. However, after only seven games into last season, she felt pain and discomfort in her throwing elbow, which led to the surgery and the year-long rehabilitation that would ensue.
Hobbs knew that it would be difficult to step away from the game she loved during her junior season, but made up her mind to never give in and succumb to the easy way out of just quitting all together.
“She’s never given up,” LSU head softball coach Yvette Girouard said. “She has refused to give up and that’s a credit to her. There’s a lot of credit that needs to go to her for everything. The credit to never give up is just astounding.”
Hobbs was able to show everyone how hard she has worked in the off-season and that she is back this year at full strength, such as when she threw out a base runner during the weekend tournament. She is ready to lead this team through all the tough obstacles that a season puts forth.
“It’s a big accomplishment,” Hobbs said when asked what it meant for her to be named one of three captains this season. “I’m just glad that my teammates look up to me as a leader and someone they can look to help out.”
In addition to rehabbing her elbow, Hobbs was able to take extra swings in the batting cages for the past 10 months and really develop her offensive game. Hobbs said that getting some more time with the bat has made her feel more comfortable when she’s in the batter’s box
“She put in a ton of work this past year in the batting cage because she couldn’t throw, so I think her swing shows that this year,” Girouard said.
Furthermore, Hobbs felt that she has developed as a person and really understands that there is more to life than softball. She would go on to further note that her life wouldn’t be the same without softball. It has always been a constant in her life, since she was a young kid in Palm Beach, FL.
When Hobbs decided during her senior year of high school to attend LSU to further develop her skills on the field and in life, Girouard knew that she was getting a special player.
“She’s a player that’s a coach’s dream, she’s a low maintenance player,” Girouard said. “I never worry about her to do the right thing. The basic humanity that Hobbs brings to the team is her best asset, she’s just a genuinely good person, who has had her teammate’s interest at heart before her own since the day she walked on this campus.”
Hobbs doesn’t take anything for granted since her surgery and looks at each day as an opportunity to get better. She knows that every day a player and team either gets better or worse. They never stay the same.
Through her focus, leadership and energy that she brings to the field every day, Tiger fans will never have to worry about this team lacking.
“Just the excitement of being able to play and being back this year is what’s kicking me the most,” Hobbs said in a recent interview. “It’s getting me pumped up adrenaline wise and just makes it more exciting to be back on the field.
“I think we have the ability to win it all. I think that the potential and the talent that we have makes up all the tools that are necessary to do it. Our defense is unbelievable; our outfield is the best in the country. We have the pitching staff that is able to give teams different looks and I think our bats are here to stay.”