The LSU softball team wrapped up its fall season with a 3-1 record in the second edition of the Fall Collegiate Classic.
The Tigers easily dispatched Northwestern State, Chipola CC and Faulkner State but fell to ULM, marking the first fall season loss for LSU since at least 2004.
The defeat was a reminder of the anemic offense that often plagued the Tigers through 2010, when LSU was eliminated from the NCAA tournament after being on the wrong end of back-to-back 1-0 games. However, the loss will likely prove to be just a speedbump in an otherwise innocuous fall performance.
“Obviously I wasn’t pleased that we didn’t score a run against UL-Monroe but other than that, it’s been pretty good,” LSU coach Yvette Girouard said.
Despite the setback, Girouard said the team still fulfilled many of the goals of the fall scrimmage season.
“I want to see us attack the ball at the plate and see us attack the game,” she said. “I think that we have done that magnificently in some aspects. It’s very apparent we are much quicker.”
Additionally, Girouard praised the performance of the pitching staff, particularly junior pitcher Brittany Mack.
“Brittany Mack looked extremely good this weekend,” she said. “She’s shown some signs of brilliance but just hasn’t been able to finish the season because of stress fractures in her arm. We’ve done everything we can think of to change her mechanics, taking innings and pitches off. She can be very good for us.”
Freshman pitcher Meghan Patterson will likely help fill the void in the pitching staff created by the departure of former All-Southeastern Conference pitcher Cody Trahan. However, the ace of the staff will be sophomore pitcher Rachele Fico.
The 2010 SEC Freshman of the Year posted a conference-low 1.15 ERA in her first season as a Tiger, validating her reputation as a prodigious talent that came from setting a national high school record with 21 perfect games.
Fico also spent her summer demolishing teams in a summer league while playing for the semi-pro Stamford Brakettes.
The Oxford, Conn., native cruised to a 33-0 record in just 34 starts with a 0.35 ERA.
“Fico is much better than she was last year, so that’s a pretty good start right there,” Girouard said. “We don’t want to ride Fico, but she is built for the long run and in our game, she could throw a lot of innings.”
While the team will have the unenviable task of replacing Trahan and first-team All-American Kirsten Shortridge, the team is already feeling the impact created by younger players. This year’s squad will include six freshmen, a higher total than four of the past five seasons.
“The freshmen have really played well,” Girouard said. “Cassie Trosclair has also done a great job for us after transferring from Auburn and sitting out last year.”
While the fall season often helps to get the players back into competition mood, there is a limit to how much can be gleaned from games against the Faulkner State Community College Sun Chiefs. However, the Tigers should better prepared for late-inning battles based on their improved fitness.
“It’s always hard to compare in the fall because of the level of competition,” Girouard said. “We’re in tremendous shape, so that’s more of a mental aspect of not giving up so readily when you’re in tremendous shape.”