LSU senior pitcher Carley Hoover is ready to have fun with her teammates in her final season at Tiger Park.
“The drive back here from home this time around, I just had a very different perspective,” Hoover said. “It’s just been work before, and it’s still work, but I’m just excited to close out my career here.”
Expectations continue to rise for the Tigers, and with the regular season just two weeks away, they are ranked fourth in the Southeastern Conference preseason polls.
Hoover is entering her senior season as energized as ever. After injuring her knee against Ole Miss last April, she put her durability to the test in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional the following month.
When her team was on the verge of elimination, Hoover helped lead them to victory twice. She ended up tying a school record with her 15th career postseason win.
Following LSU’s loss to Oregon in the Women’s College World Series, Hoover had surgery on her knee. The type of surgery she had took a while for the bone to heal, and as a result, she was sidelined for all fall workouts.

Despite her long rehabilitation process, Hoover was adamant about taking her time and not forcing things too quickly.
“Fall didn’t matter as much as spring is going to matter, and preseason isn’t going to matter as much as postseason is going to matter,” Hoover said. “So, it’s all about taking care of my body one day at a time.”
There were many learning curves LSU had to face last season. Hoover described those lessons as very hard to learn in the moment and felt for the underclassmen that were going through the same thing.

However, she and her team are ready to move past those curves from last season and have a brand new outlook for this season.
“When you first show up on campus, you think that this is going to last forever, and all of a sudden, it’s your fourth year,” Hoover said. “I’m just ready to have fun.”

But if there’s one trait Hoover is learning more of this season, it’s the trait of patience.
LSU coach Beth Torina commended Hoover for her patience and growth throughout the fall, and praised her for her help in setting the bar so high for the softball program.

“The cool thing about Carley is that she’s always tinkering and trying to get better,” Torina said. “That’s exciting as a coach to see a kid that’s already accomplished so much just continuing to find ways to be better.”
Hoover expressed her gratitude for making it to her senior year and wants to focus more on living in the moment.
“I’m going to enjoy every weekend and every tournament game,” Hoover said. “It’s not just about the postseason, but it’s about sharing moments with my teammates.”