BATON ROUGE, La. – About five weeks out from the season-opening contest against Ohio State, the LSU softball team opened the 2016 season on Wednesday afternoon at Tiger Park with the team’s first practice of the preseason.
Under clear skies the group returned to work in preparation for the opener against the Buckeyes February 12 after wrapping up fall practices at the end of last semester. The Tigers will feel at home for much of the early portion of the season, playing 21 of their first 26 games at home in Baton Rouge to open the year.
“The first day is always exciting,” head coach Beth Torina said. “There are so many emotions that come with the first practice of the year, but it’s always exciting to see what the next year has in store.”
LSU returns seven everyday starters, three pitchers and 16 total letterwinners from a 2015 team that won 52 games and earned the program’s fourth trip to the Women’s College World Series. Included in those returners is the quintet of returning All-Americans in senior Bianka Bell, juniors Bailey Landry and Sahvanna Jaquish and sophomores Carley Hoover and Allie Walljasper.
The team also returns NFCA All-Region selection Kellsi Kloss, along with SEC All-Defensive stopper Sandra Simmons and all-freshman team selection Emily Griggs.
“The approach going in is to continue where we left off in the fall,” Simmons said. “We worked really hard in the fall, so now we just want to go out and show what we have.”
In all, LSU will play 37 of its 56 total games this year in Tiger Park, hosting three tournaments in February and early March, while welcoming Alabama, Florida, Kentucky and South Carolina to Baton Rouge in SEC play and closing the year against Washington in May.
LSU hosts the Tiger Classic February 12-14 in Baton Rouge, with the Tigers taking on Ohio State, North Florida, Connecticut and Pacific.
For all of the latest news and information on Tiger softball, visit www.lsusports.net/softball. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/lsusoftball along with @lsusoftball and @BethTorina on Twitter and @lsusb on Instagram.