BATON ROUGE — LSU head softball coach Yvette Girouard has announced that the Tigers will add Baylor transfer Kirsten Shortridge and incoming freshman Katie Guillory to the roster for the 2009 season.
Shortridge, a native of Keller, Texas, and the 2007 Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year, along with Guillory, a Louisiana all-state selection and native of Carencro, will join seven other incoming freshmen to give LSU nine newcomers to the program next season.
Guillory was a member of the 2008 Louisiana Class 5A all-state team out of Carencro High School. The speedy lefthander also played for the West squad in the 2008 School Coaches Association All-Star Doubleheader. She recorded a .425 batting average while slugging at a .600 clip at the plate in her senior season.
“Katie is an outstanding outfielder,” said Girouard. “She is fearless on the field. It was her dream to come and play at LSU and it is awesome when you are able to make someone’s dreams come true.”
In two years as a pitcher and outfielder for the Bears, Shortridge advanced to the Women’s College World Series and was part of a Big 12 Conference Championship team. In her first season at Baylor, Shortridge was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in addition to her Freshman of the Year honors.
“We are extremely excited to add Kirsten to the Tiger lineup,” said Girouard. “She addresses so many of our needs. She provides us with a true leadoff hitter and will be the fastest player on the team. Kirsten is a great outfielder and also an accomplished pitcher. She is just a great all-around player.”
She went 17-6 with a 2.14 earned run average and 125 strikeouts as the Bears advanced to the Women’s College World Series for the first time in school history. Her 17 wins ranked as the second most by a freshman in Baylor softball history. She also finished her freshman campaign ranked No. 1 among freshman and 12th overall with a .340 batting average.
In a win over Texas A&M, she clinched the Bears’ first Big 12 regular season championship. She also hit the game-winning home run in the deciding game of the NCAA Waco Super Regional against Michigan.
Bothered by an injury last season, Shortridge went 5-9 in 21 appearances in the circle for Baylor. She posted a 3.72 earned run average with 58 strikeouts in 94.0 innings of work. While also playing right field, she hit .354 with 24 stolen bases and 27 runs scored. She ranked in the top 10 in the Big 12 in stolen bases and batting average and threw a one-hitter against Nebraska on April 13, 2007. She finished her career at Baylor with the sixth most career wins and shutouts.
An incoming junior from Keller, Texas, Shortridge was the Gatorade National Player of the Year as a high school senior, going 32-2 with a 0.22 earned run average in 242 innings. She also posted 23 shutouts, eight no-hitters and three perfect games, averaging nearly two strikeouts per inning in the circle. For her career, she was 112-11 with state records for shutouts, earned run average and strikeouts. She ranks No. 2 in the national high school rankings with 86 career shutouts, No. 7 with a 0.11 career earned run average and ninth with 1,544 career strikeouts.
At the plate, she was equally as impressive. In her final season at Keller High School, Shortridge hit .523 with 27 RBIs and 47 stolen bases. The Indians won the 2005 Texas Class 5A state title, a game in which Shortridge earned a one-hit 15-inning win with 22 strikeouts on her way to being named Texas 5A state tournament Most Valuable Player.
Keller High School finished the 2005 season ranked No. 1 in the nation in the USA Today/NFCA high. Shortridge was a three-time high school All-American and a two-time Gatorade Texas Softball Player of the year who recorded more career no-hitters with 28 than she allowed runs, surrendering only 22 in her career.
The 20-year-old daughter of Jeff and the late Taryn Shortridge, Kirsten was majoring in special education while at Baylor. She will be available to play immediately and have two years of eligibility remaining.