The LSU lacrosse team is coming off its best season in program history — a year where the team achieved the highest national ranking in team history and was recognized with a national award from U.S. Lacrosse.
In 2015, the Tigers could be even better.
“This year, we’re coming out blazing because we want to show the other teams they got off easy last year,” said team president and senior attacker Drew Campbell. “We want to show that we’re a team that’s not to be taken lightly.”
The Tigers finished last season with an 8-5 record in the first year under coach Jeff Echols. They qualified for the national playoffs but were ruled ineligible and did not participate due to academic issues.
Echols enters his second season with the team and is already the most successful coach in LSU lacrosse history.
“Through the discipline and dedication that the new staff brought in, I think the guys responded to it,” Echols said. “It created a winning environment, and therefore, we had the best season that LSU’s ever had,” said Echols.
The Tigers bring back several players from last season, including Campbell. He is one of the captains of the team this year and is looking for a chance to lead his team to the playoffs now that they can participate.
The team’s success last year wasn’t limited to its win-loss record. LSU was one of 11 schools recognized nationally with The James “Ace” Adams award for sportsmanship by U.S. Lacrosse.
The award was presented to the team after being voted on by coaches and referees across the country.
“It’s a tribute to our players and how they handle themselves on the field,” Echols said. “We’re very honored to have the award.”
The Tigers will kick off the season with a weekend of Southeastern Conference action. The season opener is Friday night against Texas A&M at Olympia Stadium, a 2,000-seat facility about five miles off campus. It will be followed by a game against Ole Miss on Saturday at 4 p.m.
The team’s first four games of the season will be home games against SEC opponents. Campbell sees this as an opportunity for the team to build early momentum and pick up where it left off last year.
“We feed off of the crowd’s motivation,” Campbell said. “It gets rowdy to the point where it messes with the other team, but we definitely want more people to come out here.”
Echols said he notices the lacrosse program at LSU is growing, achieving bigger goals and drawing the interest of multiple recruits across the country. He looks to build on that with another successful season for his team in 2015.
“Lacrosse is an exciting sport. There’s no doubt about that,” Echols said. “It’s the fastest growing sport in the nation, and we believe we represent LSU. And we appreciate being able to do that.”
You can reach Mario Jerez on Twitter @MJerezIII_TDR.