BATON ROUGE – Under picture-perfect skies in the Capitol City, the LSU softball team returned from winter break and took its initial steps towards the 2012 season with a spirited two-hour workout Wednesday afternoon at Tiger Park.
“I was extremely impressed that the players came back ready to go,” head coach Beth Torina said. “We are in a better spot than I thought we would be. We got in a ton of reps and got a lot of things accomplished. I also felt our level of conditioning was strong. There’s still work to do, but we got everything in that we wanted to for day one.”
After working on baserunning to start the session, Torina split the players into infield and outfield groups. The Tigers alternated between working on fundamentals in the batting cages and defensive situations on the field before capping the workout hitting off live pitching.
Ashley Applegate and Katie Guillory earned the “Practice Player of the Day” awards. For their efforts, the players received puzzle pieces from Torina.
“Ashley and Katie put in a lot of time over the break, and it really showed,” Torina said. “They had great live hitting rounds and really connected well with the ball. I was very happy with the steps those two have taken to improve in all facets of the game.”
LSU ushers in the next chapter of its storied history and opens the Torina era versus Penn State on February 10 at the Tiger Classic. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. and the Tigers also have tilts against Michigan and Louisiana Tech on opening weekend.
LSU returns 17 players from its 2011 roster sparked by NFCA All-American Third-Team and All-SEC First-Team selection Brittany Mack along with All-SEC Freshman Team pick Simone Heyward. The Tigers notched a 40-18 record and made their 13th NCAA Regional appearance last season.
Fans can follow LSU softball using social media at www.Facebook.com/lsusoftball and @lsu_softball on Twitter. Season tickets can be purchased for $75 at www.LSUtix.net for an impressive home schedule that features 2011 NCAA Tournament participants Florida State, Georgia Tech, Michigan and Penn State along with electrifying SEC series versus Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Mississippi State and Ole Miss.