By Jake Terry
LSU Sports Information
It was just another day for fifth-year senior Leslie Klein. Standing in center field with one hand on her hip and her glove hand shielding her eyes from the sun, Leslie Klein waited for something to come her way.
As the team went through live pitching and hitting drills, some of Klein’s teammates switched from batting to playing in the field. One of her teammates ran out to play right field shortly after striking out at the plate. Klein looked over from center field and offered words of encouragement and tips to help her teammate. On this day it was just another practice for Klein.
It was not just another day four years ago. A line drive was headed straight for a wide-eyed freshman left fielder from Florida who was caught in between wanting to dive for the ball or letting it drop: a big mistake. As she stopped short of diving, Leslie Klein felt her knee tweak and knew something was wrong. After practice the trainers took her to get an MRI of her right knee, and to Klein’s surprise she had torn her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
“It was unbelievable because I came in here injury-free, never really had surgery ever. I’d never even really been out for a week for an injury at all. It was just a freak accident,” Klein said.
That injury was suffered during the preseason and forced Klein to sit out the entire length of the season in 2003. The blow to Klein was emotionally heavy, an injury that sprang up from nowhere to end the left fielder’s season before it even began. But Klein, acting like her normal self, tried hard to remain positive and search for the silver lining in the horrible situation.
“Coach (Yvette Girouard) pulled me aside and said, ?We’re going to redshirt you. Get your surgery, come back for next year and use it to your advantage that we are giving you an extra year,’ ” Klein said.
And that is exactly what she did. Klein used the year off from playing to learn more about the ins and outs of the game itself.
“I used my redshirt year getting to know the game better, learning the game better and just watching, and I think is a huge advantage for a player to sit and watch the whole game and mature both mentally and physically for softball,” Klein said.
After maturing and growing in her knowledge of the game, Klein exploded on to the scene in her redshirt freshman season, helping lead the Tigers to the Women’s College World Series for the second time in LSU history. During her freshman year, Klein finished second on the team in batting average, hitting .355. She also broke the single-season record for home runs for the Tigers, blasting 14 homers, and she led the team in doubles, smashing 19 in all. To cap everything off, Klein earned All-SEC and All-America honors.
Excited about the upcoming season and how she could improve, Klein entered fall camp of her redshirt sophomore season ready to pick up where she left off both at the plate and in the field, but adversity struck again. During one practice at fall camp, Klein tore the ACL in her right knee for a second time. The effect on her was tremendously negative.
“It affected my mental endurance and my mental strength, and it was always a doubt or a question if I could do something better. I made it an excuse for myself,” Klein said. “I regret that year to the fullest. Just for the fact that I settled for just hitting .300, it really bothers me now that I look back on it.”
Klein’s numbers and production at the plate dropped, but the fact that she only missed eight games all season after tearing her ACL again showed the mental toughness and desire of the center fielder to get back on to the field. Her parents were concerned for her since it was the second time she tore that ligament in her right knee, and they wanted to make sure their daughter made the right decision.
“They (her parents) said, ?Are you sure you want to do that again? What if it happens again? Are you going to go through it a third time?’ So I said, ?I am going to keep playing because I want to go to the World Series again. I have too many goals,’ ” Klein said.
Klein rehabbed and worked hard to prepare for her junior season, and Klein accomplished some of the goals she set for herself. Klein batted .396 last year, the second highest single-season batting average of any LSU player in history. she also blasted nine home runs in leading the Tigers to within one game of the WCWS before losing to eventual national champion Arizona. Despite barely missing out on the chance to make it back to Oklahoma City, Klein was named an All-American for the second time in her career.
Now, as a fifth-year senior, Klein is recognized as one of the leaders of this team. Not much of a talker like some of her teammates, Klein prefers to lead by her actions and experience on the field and by her character and toughness off it.
“My role on this team is definitely being the most experienced. I take pride in leading with my actions and by performing well, and if I can perform up to my best ability, hopefully I’ll have people follow me,” Klein said.
Klein’s character and toughness have not just been noticed by her teammates, but by her coaches as well. Having seen Klein bounce back twice from a torn ACL, head coach Yvette Girouard has been nothing but impressed with her star center fielder.
“I have total respect for her work ethic and the strength of her character because honestly I tore mine (ACL) once, and that was a tough rehab,” Girouard said. “To overcome that twice is something that anybody in sports would have to stop and take notice of it. It’s just an unreal accomplishment and compliment to her that she didn’t give up.”
Klein certainly did not give up. She fought back, earning the nickname “perseverance” from her teammates after her redshirt season.
As a senior Klein looks back on the growth and the perseverance she has exhibited to make it to where she is today.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more than to play for LSU, and I think that the coaching staff has made me the best that I can be,” Klein said.
Two All-America awards and the trust and confidence of her teammates and coaches can testify to that.