BATON ROUGE — One of the greatest collegiate softball programs of the last decade moved one step closer to a new era as the LSU softball team broke ground on Tuesday at the construction site of the new Tiger Park.
LSU head coach Yvette Girouard, Athletics Director Skip Bertman, LSU President Dr. John Lombardi, LSU Chancellor Sean O’Keefe and Tiger Athletic Foundation CEO Gen. Ron Richard were among the dignitaries who helped to break ground on one of the newest athletics facilities on campus. Following the official ground breaking, Bertman, Girouard and O’Keefe spoke with members of the media, members of the University community and members of the Diamondbackers, the softball support group, about the new stadium.
The New Tiger Park will be located on Skip Bertman Drive, across from the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine and adjacent to the LSU Women’s Soccer Complex. The stadium is expected to be completed in time for the Tigers to play their first game in the new facility in the spring of 2009.
The new stadium will feature 1,289 seats? including 587 chair-back seats? and the capability of accommodating 1,200 more fans on an outfield berm. The softball stadium will also feature first-class team facilities, including a locker room, team lounge, meeting facility, training facility, equipment room, indoor batting cages and umpire locker rooms.
All seats in the New Tiger Park will be angled toward the playing field, and the facility will include an open concourse with concessions areas and video monitors. Press facilities and private suites will be included in the new stadium, plus enhanced lighting for night and televised games.
The stadium will also be designed to allow for future expansion. The berm/earthwork package was completed in 2006 and has been settling in preparation for construction.
Comments from the LSU Softball Field Groundbreaking Ceremony
Skip Bertman opening statement…
“Yvette Girouard, James DeFeo, Megan Smith, Adam Roorbach and Kristen Hobbs make up a wonderful staff. Yvette has won three Southeastern Conference Championships since she’s been at LSU, and in 16 of her 27 years she has seen postseason play. (Girouard) is a veteran of the College World Series in Oklahoma City. She has also been involved in the community, which I am very proud of. Her student-athletes have always represented the best both off and on the field. They are wonderful young ladies. We have some former players here today, and that is wonderful.
“Yvette has been a joy for an athletic director. She is a first generation coach. Yvette has laid down the fowl lines, put the sprinkler system in place, raised money and has done everything that very few coaches do today. That means a lot to me.
“She has had four classes go through, promising every year that the softball field would come through the next year. Unfortunately, the hurricanes really threw us for a loop. The softball stadium was caught up in that. Now, it has finally come through. There is no question that it will be there for 2009. There is no question that she will be able to be there in the fall a year from now. There is no question that the fans will be able to go in and check their seats before purchasing their tickets because the contractor is outstanding and there is enough time to do that. With that, I’d like to turn it over to the guest of honor and the happiest person in the room, Yvette Girouard.”
Yvette Girouard opening statement…
“We have a plaque in our locker room with the saying ?Leave it better than you found it.’ Well, when we do walk away from here, we will have left it better than we found it. Again, I want to thank the administration, both past and present, for their commitment to the softball program. Unquestionably, this is the biggest accomplishment, achievement and monetary contribution to any women’s sport in the history of LSU sports.
“I find it interesting that the new park is somewhere in the vicinity of where the LSU softball team played from 1979 -1981. There was a short time where there was a LSU softball program, but it was disbanded and then originated again with the modern era of SEC softball. I think it is ironic and a fitting tribute to those women who had no nothing. They had no Title IX, no scholarships, nothing. They basically played where the softball field will now be located. It is like hallowed ground and we want to honor those women who wore that uniform then. I’m glad that the facility is there now.
“It is a new day for LSU softball and women’s athletics. This puts the cap on a program that has been outstanding from day one. LSU softball holds more titles and SEC championships than any other softball program in the conference. We are not being disingenuous to our athletes any more. This field is really going to happen. We are really going to play there.
“Our fans that have been so dedicated from the word ?go’ when LSU softball originated will have all the amenities. If you want to sit in the shade, you have a roof to sit under. If you want to stand on the concourse and not miss a minute of the action, you’ve got it. If you want to go sit in the outfield, and slide down the grass, you can do it. It has all the amenities for the fans. It will be a tremendous facility to watch softball games. You will be protected from the sun and the wind.
“For our student-athletes, the clubhouse will be unlike any other clubhouse in the country. I went around with my camera and took notes from everywhere we have gone, and we built it the way we thought it should be built for the fans as well as the student-athletes. The batting cages will be built underneath the clubhouse. The club area is at the top. We have a coach’s office, a stadium-style theater to watch video, squad room, training room, locker room, coach’s facilities, as well as umpire facilities.
“What was really important to me was that we had the look of LSU. We wanted the arches, the brick, and the stucco. It cost a little more money to get the arches, but we wanted to make sure that it was done right. I think it will be unlike any other park in the country with its aesthetics and amenities. It is both fan friendly and a great recruiting tool. This park is for everyone, all of those that came before us and all of those that will come after us for many years to come. We have waited a long time, but I think we did it right. That was the bottom line.”
Chancellor Sean O’Keefe opening statement …
“This is a day we have been looking forward to for a long time. As Chancellor of the university, I hope for student-athletes to excel on the playing field as well as in the classroom. Coach Girouard, with very limited assets, has achieved both of those things. The All-Americans as well as the Academic All-Americans that come through this program serve as a testimony to great leadership and tremendous athleticism, as well as the poise and discipline of many of the former players, some of which are here today. This is an opportunity to recognize and better showcase these abilities.”