On an LSU softball team that lost its leading hitter and ace pitcher from the 2012 season, many holes need to be filled this season, but the Tigers can relax knowing the brains of the operation will still take the field.
Junior infielder Allison Falcon, who LSU coach Beth Torina named a team captain last week, established herself as a leader for the Tigers by being perhaps the smartest person on the team.
“She is ridiculously intelligent,” Torina said. “She is a super smart kid who just understands the game and understands exactly what we’re needing her to do.”
Falcon isn’t all brains and no brawn, though. Knowing what to do in a game and then actually doing it are two separate tasks, and Falcon has proved she can do both.
Falcon is the Tigers’ top returning hitter, and a linchpin in the middle infield. Starting 53 games last season primarily at second base, she collected a .253 batting average and 23 RBIs — both ranked second on the team behind former outfielder Ashley Langoni.
The consensus among Falcon’s teammates and coaches is that she makes all their jobs a bit easier with her intellectual approach to the game.
“When I have her in the middle infield, it’s almost like I don’t have to coach that day,” Torina said. “She is able to direct people without being bossy or pointing a finger or telling them they’re wrong.”
Senior All-American pitcher Rachele Fico, who tallied a 1.12 ERA that ranked fourth in the nation last season, credited her ability to keep opponents from scoring to the LSU defense and Falcon — the field general who keeps it all working like clockwork.
Fico and Falcon began their careers at LSU the same year, and after watching the crafty infielder make play after play, game after game, Falcon has earned the respect of her coaches and teammates, Fico said.
“She may not be super vocal and outspoken, but what she says carries a lot of weight,” Fico said. “A lot of people listen to her and respect her, and that definitely is a key to our success as a team.”
As a walk-on, Falcon didn’t arrive at LSU with as many expectations as her two-year roommate Fico, who garnered High School All-America Honors after racking up a 105-3 record and 1,884 strikeouts in high school.
But Falcon’s work ethic and results on the field make it easy to forget she wasn’t highly touted.
“She came on as a walk-on, but I don’t think I believe it,” said LSU junior outfielder Simone Heyward. “I think that’s just a motivational thing they’re trying to tell us because she’s amazing.”
Falcon’s smarts don’t just appear on the softball field either. As a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient, she leads by example in the classroom as well, which only strengthens her influence on the team.
Falcon will need to exert that influence this season, as she will be expected to compensate for much of the lost production of seven departed seniors from the Tigers’ College World Series appearance season in 2012.
But Falcon said she is prepared to lead the Tigers based on lessons she learned from team leaders who came before her.
“I learned to control myself on and off the field and to be a good influence for the younger players,” Falcon said. “Also, just to make better decisions so they will know what it takes to be successful.”
