UPDATE: Rain Pushes Starts Times back for Softball Opening Day
BATON ROUGE – Inclement weather has delayed the start of the 2012 LSU softball season at Tiger Park. Day one of the Tiger Classic will now begin at 4:30 p.m. with Michigan and Louisiana Tech. LSU’s game with Penn State will start 30 minutes following.
Follow every pitch of the Tiger Classic via live stats on www.LSUsports.net/livestats. Fans also can follow LSU softball using social media at www.Facebook.com/lsusoftball and @lsu_softball on Twitter. KLSU 91.1 FM will carry Saturday’s Michigan-LSU live.
Gates will still open at 3 p.m. and fans can purchase tickets on-site starting at $5 for adult general admission and $3 for youth ages 3-12 at the Tiger Park Ticket Booth. Season tickets are on-sale for $75 and additional ticket information is available at www.LSUtix.net.
—
BATON ROUGE – The No. 22 LSU softball team ushers in the next chapter of its storied history under first-year coach Beth Torina and plays host to the Tiger Classic at Tiger Park this weekend. The Tigers welcomes Louisiana Tech, No. 15 Michigan and Penn State to the capital city.
LSU takes on Penn State [7 p.m.] on Friday followed by Saturday tilts with Michigan [12:30 p.m.] and Penn State [3 p.m.]. The Tigers conclude opening weekend with a Sunday match-up with in-state rival Louisiana Tech [12:30 p.m.].
“We’ve talked a lot about preparing for this first weekend. I think these [players], especially eight great seniors that we have on this team, have really, really high goals and expectations for the season,” Torina said. “We have to show up ready to play every time we take the field, and they’re committed to do that.”
LSU returns 17 letterwinners sparked by all three members of its pitching staff and will only have to replace two position starts from a squad that collected a 40-18 mark last season.
Brittany Mack recorded 20 of those wins en route to All-SEC First-Team, NFCA All-South Region First-Team and NFCA All-American Third-Team selections. She ranked among the SEC’s elite in ERA (1.74), opponent batting average (.197) and strikeouts (209). The Round Rock, Texas, product enters the 2012 campaign 75 Ks away from moving into the program’s top five.
Rachele Fico will look to build on her strong finish in 2011 where she won nine of her last 11 decisions. Last time out, she turned in a career-best 18 strikeouts versus Syracuse to open the NCAA College Station Regional. The 18 Ks was the second-most in program history for a single-game.
Meghan Patterson was explosive in her rookie season. She went 6-1 and racked up 91 strikeouts over 53.2 innings of work.
“They’re very talented, they’re very special and they will keep us in every ball game on the schedule this season,” Torina said. “Any one of them could be a No. 1 at many universities throughout the country. We’re really lucky to have a staff of that caliber all in one place.”
LSU’s offense brings back Simone Heyward, who produced team-highs with a .294 batting average, 39 runs scored, 28 walks and 23 stolen bases. The Tigers won 25 of 27 games when Heyward scored and her 23 stolen bases were sixth-best in the SEC.
Ashley Langoni and Tammy Wray accounted for 13 of the team’s 27 home runs a season ago. The duo also checked in second and third on the squad with 38 and 33 RBIs, respectively.
Juliana Santos garnered 32 of her 38 hits and 24 of her 26 RBIs from the No. 2 spot in the lineup last season. The Tigers won 33 of 43 games when Santos batted in the two hole.
LSU has six players scheduled to make their debuts over the weekend, including Ashleigh Kuhn. A transfer from Northwestern State who redshirted last season, Kuhn notched a .287 batting average and 28 RBIs during the 2010 season.
“Our offense is swinging really well,” Torina said. “I think if you ask our pitching staff, it’s a lot tougher for them to get this offense out for them this year. They are making huge strides, and they have a lot of confidence. Confidence is so much of hitting, and these kids have a ton of confidence right now.”
Follow every pitch of the Tiger Classic via live stats on www.LSUsports.net/livestats. Fans also can follow LSU softball using social media at www.Facebook.com/lsusoftball and @lsu_softball on Twitter. KLSU 91.1 FM will carry Saturday’s Michigan-LSU live.
The Tiger Park Ticket Booth will open one hour prior to the first game of each day. Fans can purchase tickets on-site starting at $5 for adult general admission and $3 for youth ages 3-12. Season tickets are on-sale for $75 and additional ticket information is available at www.LSUtix.net.