The LSU softball team isn’t wasting any time jumping into a rigorous schedule that features five of last year’s eight College World Series teams.
The No. 22 Tigers will start their opening weekend against Penn State on Friday night.
LSU will then face the reigning Big Ten champion No. 15 Michigan in a doubleheader, followed by a second bout with Penn State.
The Tigers wrap it up Sunday, when they take on Louisiana Tech, which returns seven of its starters from last year.
Senior pitcher Brittany Mack said she welcomes the field of talent they will see on opening weekend.
“That’s how you get better — playing good, competitive teams,” she said. “Some other schools start off with teams of a smaller caliber and then start [Southeastern Conference play], and they haven’t been well prepared.”
By the time the Tigers open SEC play March 14, they will have faced No. 4 California, No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 11 Oklahoma State.
Senior outfielder Ashley Langoni said LSU’s highly-ranked opponents will contribute to the team’s RPI, which she said would be important when making a bid to NCAA regionals.
But sophomore infielder Tammy Wray said the Tigers aren’t putting too much pressure on themselves on opening weekend.
“Win or lose, we’re playing great competition, so we can’t be too hard on ourselves about it,” she said. “It’s just going to pump us up even more.”
LSU coach Beth Torina is also excited to get started, but for a different reason than the players — this will be Torina’s first regular-season game in Tiger Park at the helm for LSU.
Torina took over for Yvette Girouard this summer when the 11-year Tiger skipper retired in May.
Torina has already experienced the Tiger Park crowd during the Tigers’ preseason scrimmages.
“I’ve seen what Tiger Park can be, so I have a little bit of sneak peek of it and I’m glad,” she said. “I think I would’ve been so star struck in game one that I would have missed a few pitches looking up at the stands at all the great fans we have.”
Langoni said she’s ready to get the season started, adding that the preseason routine is getting old.
“We’re all kind of tired of practicing, and we’re ready to play someone other than ourselves,” Langoni said. “I think we’re just excited to get out there and have competition against nine other girls.”
LSU is equipped with a pitching staff that finished the 2011 season No. 3 in the SEC in runs allowed, No. 2 in hits allowed, No. 2 in batters struck out and No. 3 in opposing batting average.
But last year, the Tigers couldn’t find a rhythm on the other side of the ball, finishing toward the bottom of the conference in batting average, hits, runs scored and on-base percentage.
Wray said LSU plans to showcase their offseason improvements on opening weekend.
“We’re looking forward to proving to everyone how much we’ve grown from last year,”
she said.
 
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Contact Albert Burford at [email protected]