BATON ROUGE — LSU softball head coach Yvette Girouard and her staff met with the media Tuesday to preview the 2007 season. Following are quotes gathered Tuesday from Girouard, associate head coach James DeFeo, assistant coach Megan Smith and All-Americans Emily Turner and Leslie Klein.
LSU HEAD COACH YVETTE GIROUARD
Opening Statement…
“Thank you Melissa and thanks to everybody that’s here today. First, I would like to welcome coach Mainieri and his staff. I want you to know that I was in Colorado recruiting when coach Mainieri was being introduced here. You know, it’s a small world in the coaching community. For a day I was looking for the Notre Dame softball coach and we kind of missed each other and then we saw each other across the ball field. She walked up to me and before I could say anything, she said, ?great guy,’ but then she said added no, ?great guys.’ So welcome back home (coach Mainieri). Blair, (Barbier) welcome back home to you.
“This softball team has had the mantra, since day one of coming back in September, with the slogan being ?Unfinished Business.’ We were one game away from the College World Series last year, being sent to Arizona for the Super Regionals and extending that series to the third game, but fell one game short. They understand. This team understands that they need to take care of business everyday in this program. So that they don’t get sent to an Arizona at the end and then maybe we have a little more favorable match up. They understand and we return a good group from that team last year so that they understand that concept.
“There are high expectations for this team. They welcome it and the national media has placed it on us by placing us in the top 10 in all categories. We have a first place projected finish in the West (SEC). Tennessee is projected the SEC overall champion. They do return Monica Abbott who is a force to be reckoned with on the softball field.
“The schedule is very attractive. We will play 11 different conferences within this schedule. In the softball world, we like to jump into the fire right away and play great competition and this weekend is no exception with the University of Missouri coming in. We have some quality opponents and it will hopefully be a great weekend because it looks like the duck weather has gone away from us and we will get some good sunshine and be able to play. The schedule is very attractive in terms of RPI points by playing so many conferences within the schedule. The SEC is an extremely attractive home schedule because of the power weights of Alabama and Tennessee coming to Tiger Park this year. So our home schedule is a great one.
“The attitude of the team is phenomenal. We have really worked hard and yet, in a way, have not had to work hard on an attitude of swagger. And this team has one. We have some kids who are very passionate about playing softball and passionate about winning. We made a switch this year. We practice in pants everyday, which is kind of a different outlook for us, a different theme. There is no excuse for slacking anymore. They leave the ballpark everyday from head to toe covered in dirt. I think it’s been a simple reminder to go all out on every play and that’s what we’ve seen from this team.
“I’m going to talk about the pitchers and then bring up my assistant coaches and let them talk about the areas they deal with. I am the pitching coach and I do get to work with these young ladies day in and day out and I think it’s a great thing for the head coach to be involved with the staff. In our game, I would say that 80% of it is still dictated within that circle. I think it’s really important for that component of our softball team to have a real relationship with the head coach.
“Emily Turner is returning for her senior year. She had a phenomenal junior year and I am on record saying that it would probably take Emily until her junior or senior year to fully realize all of the talents that she really has. There is a pitching workout that I had and came across it yesterday. A year ago to this date in the bullpen workout, I made her sign the pitching workout because I told her on that date she became All-American. Sure enough, she was a third-team All-American for us last year. She was a first-team All-SEC and had a phenomenal SEC streak going. We need her to really capitalize on the year she had last year to get us to where we need to be. She looks great and the biggest thing about Emily now is she understands her concepts of pitching, her mechanics, she knows how to fix things and I think that’s the biggest plus for her. The maturation process in the circle, you could see it developing. She is a very emotional being and we have worked very hard to stay in the present and work on the pitch that she is about to throw. I think that’s her greatest asset now. She came and watched film yesterday. We were a little bit out of kilter. We went out there last night and fixed it.
“Dani Hofer came in here last year as a much heralded young lady. She was the Gatorade High School Player of the Year, had phenomenal success at the beginning, but ran into a buzz saw coming into the SEC schedule. She kind of lost some confidence because she had never been hit like that before. You could see it. She was kind of getting back to where she was towards the end of the year. What she did, which I have to give her a huge pat on the back for, was she went out and played women’s ball this summer which is sort of like Cape Cod for the guys, where they go out and play. She could have played down, but she elected to play up. She challenged herself and she looks really good right now. She has more weapons in her arsenal. She was too one-dimensional last year and I know that’s what really got her into trouble. We have added to her repertoire. She’s more mature, she understands the level, and she understands there are days when she’s going to get hit. I think she’ll be able to deal with that a little bit better this year.
“Tiffany Garcia‘s a junior who was really coming on last year and broke her foot running out to greet her parents at family day on the field. She broke her foot in the middle of the season and had been giving us some quality innings. She has a ton of confidence, something she had really been lacking her first two years. We expect her to see some innings.
“Cody Trahan from Beaumont is a freshman for us and she should see some innings. She has a few things to learn, some mechanics to work on, but I would expect her to see some time in the circle.
“At this point I’m going to bring up my assistant coach Megan Smith, she’s new to us. We are very fortunate to have her. She was a head coach at Western Carolina, who left to become apart of the Tiger program. It’s also a new thing for me. Megan will be at first base and is a soon to be mother. I’ve never had an assistant coach who is pregnant. She’s doing a phenomenal job with our infield. The kids have really responded to her and she’s really a god send. She’s very organized, very aggressive and smart. We welcome her to Tiger land.”
ASSISTANT COACH MEGAN SMITH
On the infield…
“Well, first I would like to say I’m very excited to be here and a part of this program. I would like to thank coach Girouard and coach DeFeo for bringing me in. It’s a great opportunity and I’m excited for the season.
“I want to talk a little bit about our infield; we do have a new look this year, but a lot of girls with a lot of experience. If you come to watch our practices or come to watch our games, I’m sure you are going to see us playing with a lot of aggression and a lot of passion. Just as coach Girouard said, our team goes home dirty everyday from practice and the infielders are leading that charge. They worked hard in the fall and in the preseason to get ready for our games this weekend.
“I’m going to talk about first base and Vanessa Soto. That’s a name that you heard last year starting at second base. She is a very reliable defensive player who has moved to first and it has been a pretty easy transition for her. She worked very hard in the fall to get used to that position and she’s just a steady defensive player. She has very smooth hands, which you need at first base, so it has been really easy for her. She looks really great there right now.
“Moving to second base is a little bit of a new look. Shannon Stein, a transfer from (Texas A&M) Corpus Christi, who was with us last year, is stepping in as the starter at second base. She really is the sparkplug for the infield. She is unbelievable; you will have a lot of fun watching her because of how much fun she has out in the field. She brings our energy level up, helps with our communication, talks all the time to make sure everyone is involved and she makes all the plays. She is a steady player and is very reliable at second base.
“Moving on to shortstop, Andrea Smith was our starting shortstop last year, and she comes back in that position this year. She has worked very hard in the fall. She got back some of her fundamentals, some of her mechanics. She looks very comfortable at shortstop and feels very comfortable there. She just has a knack of making unbelievable plays look very routine. She’s a lot of fun to watch.
“Moving to third base is a transfer from Oklahoma; she sat out last year and now will be playing for us. Really Tayl’r Hollis is a huge asset to our infield. I really expect big things from her defensively and offensively. Coach Girouard talked about swagger and I think she’s the best exhibit of swagger on our team. Everyday she comes out there, she works hard, and she has a confidence level that is easy to see from the stands and from us coaches. She’s very solid and we are excited about the things she is going to bring to our team this year. We are really excited and if you come out to watch your really going to love watching our infield play.”
ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH JAMES DEFEO
On the outfielders…
“First of all I would like to echo the sentiments of coach Girouard and welcome coach Mainieri and his staff to LSU. We look forward to seeing you guys on the diamond this spring.
“I think the attitude of the outfield, we have a mantra of our own which is ?Nothing Drops.’ Anything that’s in the air that comes out to the grass has got to be caught. If it does happen to hit the ground, then it only bounces once. You take that leadership, attitude and aggression to another level when we talk about leadership, swagger, and confidence. Those are key words that coach Girouard and coach Smith alluded to. We take it personally in the outfield.
“One of the main assets of our outfield, of course, is going to be our all-world centerfielder Leslie Klein. She’s a senior this year and is just a true five-tool player. I think after this season she will go down as one of the best in LSU softball history. She brings it everyday and is someone that we can go to if we need a big hit. She steps up in different leadership categories almost everyday in practice. She just does it all. I’m really looking for her to do some big things this season.
“In right field we are returning Quinlan Duhon. She’s a junior this year. She’s a fierce competitor and she brings an intensity to the field that is rivaled by few. She is a go-getter and doesn’t let anything get by her. She led the team in home runs her freshman year and looks to bring that power surge back to her offensive game. Her footwork in the outfield is quality. She is one of our better situational hitters and she brings it everyday as well as Klein does.
“In left field we have Jasmine Jackson, a freshman from Houston, Texas. She was one of our prized recruits from Texas. She looked to be our clear starter here in the beginning, but we have another freshman Rachel Mitchell that just started to come on strongly in the end. She’s been lighting it up pretty well with her bat. She has great footwork in the outfield. In the last scrimmage she crashed into the left field wall diving for a ball and came up with it. That’s what we are looking for in our outfield, someone that’s aggressive and just won’t let anything drop.”
HEAD COACH YVETTE GIROUARD
On the catchers…
“The catchers position is manned by two players who have been here for quite some time. Killian Roessner, who basically started just about every game last year while Kristin Hobbs was rehabilitating her surgical arm. She (Kristin Hobbs) really looks good right now and is such a great young lady and someone who we all really want back on the diamond and she’s doing everything she can. We are just trying to save those bullets for later in the year. They both do a great job of receiving the pitches, got very good arms, very good defensive players. In fact I don’t think Roessner had a passed ball all year. They do a great job.”
ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH JAMES DEFEO
On the hitting…
“I think this year’s offensive attack will be defined by its versatility and its consistency. I think we have a good mix of power, speed, and those basic consistent hitters you want in the middle of your line up. We broke down the schedule and in the first quadrant of the schedule we will find out what mix works best for our offensive. The ball should be leaving Tiger Park quite often this year. Then on the road we like to hit in the small ballparks and hit those out of the parks there. Once we find the right combination of speed and power combination we will be a force to be reckoned with.”
LSU SENIOR ALL-AMERICAN PITCHER EMILY TURNER
On last season’s ending…
“After the season last year I feel like we could have had a better berth for the playoffs. You can’t go back and say could have, should have or would have. I think we did excellent last year and I think everyone can agree with that. We have a great starting off point now.”
On the motivation of having three younger pitchers behind her…
“Everyday I see Dani (Hofer) there and it’s not jealousy, but she pushes me. If I crack just a little bit, of course she is going to be there. But if I don’t show up one day, I expect those other three girls to be there and have my back and help us push through it.”
LSU SENIOR ALL-AMERICAN OUTFIELDER LESLIE KLEIN
On being ready to bounce back from last year and live up to the expectations that are out there…
“I know that I am ready to do that and I know that the team is ready to do that. I know that every time we step on the field we are so excited and we have so much intensity. We are waiting for Friday.”
On dealing with the expectations being higher this season…
“It’s always good to come from the bottom and work your way up. Now that we have those expectations and people are focused on us as being a top 10 team, we are a target and we have to play even better and step up our game because everyone is out to get us. I think we will be fine dealing with those expectations. This team used to be a very young team and now we are much more experienced. We know how the game goes and I think we have great leaders both on and off the field. As far as handling expectations, I don’t think we have any problem with that.”
On last season’s ending…
“The way we finished last year was not so much disappointing because I feel like we did very well, but we just feel like we should have been there with the top 8 in the World Series. We deserved it. We more than earned it throughout our season. We just happened to play Arizona and things did not go our way. Taking from that is what is driving us this season. Our saying this year is “unfinished business” to get through that and just go one step further.”