BATON ROUGE — The LSU softball will host its second-annual “Meet the Tigers” event at Tiger Park next Thursday, Oct. 25 at 6:30 p.m. with an intrasquad scrimmage as all loyal fans are encouraged to come out and meet the 2008 team.
Fans will get the chance to welcome new Director of Softball Operations Adam Roorbach and student assistant coach Kristen Hobbs to the Tiger softball staff as well as meet the LSU newcomers. Last season over a hundred loyal Tiger softball fans came out for the inaugural “Meet the Tigers” event following LSU’s fall win over Southeastern Louisiana. This year, the team will hold a scrimmage as part of the event in preparation for the Fall Collegiate Classic next weekend.
LSU will host the Fall Collegiate Classic in Tiger Park on Oct. 27-28. The Tigers will take on LSU-Eunice-LSU-Alexandria, Hinds Community College and Bossier Parish Community College in the two-day tournament.
Roorbach joins the nationally ranked Tiger program from Houston, where he served as an assistant coach for the 2007 season. No stranger to the softball community, he was as an assistant softball coach at the Division I level for three years after spending four seasons as a head coach at the NAIA and junior college levels. Roorbach worked with current LSU assistant coach Megan Smith for one season at Western Carolina.
Hobbs joins the staff after a stellar career as a Tiger from 2004 through 2007. A four-year letterwinner behind the plate, the Florida native had her best season as a senior when she hit 14 home runs with 21 RBIs and a .279 batting average. She earned a Brad Davis SEC Community Service Scholarship and was named to the SEC Good Works Team. In addition, she was selected the Most Valuable Player of the Easton Tiger Classic and was a member of the NCAA Tempe Super Regional All-Tournament team.
The Tigers return 11 letterwinners from the 2007 squad that advanced to their second-straight NCAA Super Regionals, winning the NCAA Regional in Palo Alto, Calif., after earning the SEC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning their fifth SEC Tournament title.
National Fastpitch Coaches Association first-team All-American and Diamond Sports Catcher of the Year Killian Roessner returns for her final season, while Academic All-American Dee Dee Henderson, All-SEC selections Dani Hofer and Jazz Jackson, and NCAA Palo Alto Regional MVP Rachel Mitchell also return to action for the Tigers.
Fans will also get the chance to meet six new freshmen standouts, including redshirt freshman Stacey Woods, who missed last season with an injury. Incoming freshman Starla Guffey of St. Amant, was named a first-team NFCA High School All-American and the Diamond Sports National High School Catcher of the Year, while Jessica Mouse of Tampa, Fla., and Tiffany Shaw of Shreveport both earned NFCA first-team High School All-America honors.
The 2008 season will begin with the Easton Tiger Classic on Feb. 15-17. The Tigers will host St John’s, Ball State, Nicholls State and Chattanooga in the three-day tournament at Tiger Park.
2007 LSU Fall Collegiate Classic
Saturday, October 27
Nicholls State vs. LSU-Eunice 9 a.m.
LSU vs. Hinds Community College 11 a.m.
LSU-Eunice vs. LSU 1 p.m.
Hinds Community College vs. Nicholls State 3 p.m.
Bossier Parish Community College vs. LSU 5 p.m.
Hinds Community College vs. Bossier Parish Community College 7 p.m.
Sunday, October 28
Bossier Parish Community College vs. Nicholls State 10 a.m.
LSU vs. Bossier Parish Community College Noon
LSU-Alexandria vs. LSU 2 p.m.
Nicholls State vs. LSU-Alexandria 4 p.m.