BATON ROUGE, La. ? LSU softball head coach Yvette Girouard conducted the first team meeting of the 2008-09 season on Tuesday as players returned to campus for the start of the fall semester.
The team met in the original Tiger Park locker room as Girouard and her coaching staff welcomed the Tigers back to campus, but the welcome party officially started Saturday at Walk-On’s Bistreaux for the program’s 11 newcomers.
“We held a ?welcome rookie’ brunch at Walk-On’s on Saturday, so the parents of the new players who were here could come join us,” Girouard said. “We had never done this before, but with so many new faces and new families to our program we thought that it would be a great idea. That received great reviews, and it was fun to see players and families interacting.”
The Tigers are coming off the final season in the original Tiger Park as the team will move into the brand new stadium located on Skip Bertman Drive for the beginning of the spring season. Last season LSU finished 44-18 overall with a No. 15 ranking in the national polls, and the Tigers hosted an NCAA Regional for the third time since Girouard took over the program in 2001. It also marked the seventh time in eight years under Girouard that LSU advanced to the NCAA Regionals.
The Tigers welcome back eight returning letterwinners: sophomore outfielder Tiffany Shaw, sophomore third baseman/catcher Jessica Mouse, sophomore outfielder Ashley Applegate, sophomore pitcher Casey Faile, junior outfielder Jazz Jackson, junior pitcher/first baseman Cody Trahan, junior outfielder Rachel Mitchell and pitcher Dani Hofer, the lone senior on the team.
Individual workouts begin Tuesday at Tiger Park, but Girouard said the returning players as well as the newcomers have been working out on their own in preparation for the new season.
“I have already seen that they are doing a lot of conditioning on their own,” Girouard said. “I have seen the pitchers out there throwing. I have seen some eager players, and I know the coaching staff is really excited about starting workouts next week with the individuals.”
Two Tigers, as well as several incoming freshmen, turned in impressive performances during summer tournament play. Mitchell, who earned First Team All-Southeastern Conference honors as a sophomore last season, returns as the Tigers’ leading hitter. Mitchell batted a blistering .374 with team highs in home runs (11) and runs batted in (51).
During the summer, Mitchell competed in the Amateur Softball Association 23-Under Tournament and helped lead the Virginia Legends to their third-straight national championship on the way to earning All-America honors for her performance in the tournament. Mitchell also was a member of the 2007 national champion Legends team.
Mouse earned second-team All-America honors this summer with the Brakettes in the ASA Women’s National Tournament in Amherst, N.Y. The Tampa, Fla., native hit .279 with 14 doubles, a triple, three home runs and 35 RBIs in 55 games.
LSU opens individual workouts on Tuesday, and team practice begins September 29 and runs through November 19.
The Tigers will host the 2008 LSU Fall Collegiate Classic October 17-19 beginning with a doubleheader against Nicholls State at 6 p.m. on the first day.