On Monday afternoon the LSU Softball team held their annual media day with emphasis on making it to the College World Series final.
The Tigers are coming off back-to-back years of finishing in third place in the Women’s College World Series and an appearance in the SEC tournament final. Head coach Beth Torina spoke about the seven new freshmen on the team, the returning starters, and the tough task ahead for the team.
“I think this is one of the fastest teams we’ve had in my time here,” Torina said about the roster. “There’s a ton of youth. We will have some learning to do early in the season, but I hope as we get into SEC play and deep into the season, this team is ready to compete at the highest level.”
The youth she is talking about is a talented new group of freshmen that are eager to make their mark on this team. “I’m excited to get in that atmosphere and have that pressure on me, pressure is awesome” freshman Amanda Doyle said about the season opener.
Along with the new comers, there are a lot of returning players who are ready to step into the leadership roll and guide the first years players to be the best they can be. Junior Allie Walljasper said; “One of my goals this year is to be a leader on this team, really just to guide the young ones.” Walljasper and senior Bailey Landry are going to be big time factors in the Tigers success in the 2017 season; “They’re definitely going to do great things, they’re going to make an impact in our lineup” said Landry, who is one of four seniors on this season team.
The Tigers open up their season this Friday February 10^th with a double header against Oklahoma State and Penn State. First pitch is scheduled for 4pm.