The state of Louisiana has long been regarded as a hotbed for college football and baseball recruiting, providing homegrown talent that serves as the foundation of successful LSU teams.
For softball, it’s a different story.
Only eight of the 20 players on LSU’s roster hail from the Pelican State, with some coming from as far as Connecticut, New York and California to make their collegiate homes in Baton Rouge. LSU coach Yvette Girouard said the team’s needs often force them to look out of state.
“We always want to sign the best in-state kids,” Girouard said. “Then we look at our needs, and it just happens that a lot of these positions are filled by out-of-state kids.”
Girouard said recruiting the entire country requires extensive hours by the coaching staff. She said she tries to attend several summer tournaments throughout the country to keep an eye on certain players.
“We identify the players and then chase them all summer,” Girouard said. “We watch them play. There are certain tournaments that we always go to every summer because the best players are there.”
When it comes to convincing recruits to move hundreds of miles to attend college, Girouard said LSU sells itself. Southeastern Conference competition and the Tiger Park facilities help draw recruits to Louisiana.
“If we can get them to make a visit to this campus, we basically are going to sign 95 percent of the people that we make an offer to because this facility sells itself,” Girouard said.
For freshman third baseman and Somers, N.Y., native Tammy Wray, the appeal of a different climate was one of the most important factors in her decision.
“I knew right away coming from New York and it being so cold I wanted to go somewhere warm,” Wray said. “So down south was my first thought.”
Wray said despite being more than 1,400 miles from home, she never felt homesick. Girouard understands the importance of making sure her players feel at home and created a big sister program to help them adjust.
Upperclassmen are assigned incoming freshmen to help them move in and familiarize them with their class schedules.
“It was definitely a culture shock at first, but I embraced it with open arms,” said sophomore pitcher Rachele Fico, an Oxford, Conn., native. “Upperclassmen reached out to all the underclassmen when we first got here. It was really easy to adjust coming to school down here because we had so many people to show us the way.”
Fico said the families of her teammates from Louisiana even took her in and made her home-cooked meals.
“They treat us like we’re their own family, their own blood,” Fico said. “Their families take us in and treat us like their own daughters. It’s really nice to have support from so many different angles on our team.”
The trend of out-of-state Tigers will continue next season.
Girouard signed five players in the class of 2011 who hail from five different states    — Florida, Texas, California, Illinois and New York.
 
 
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Contact Hunter Paniagua at [email protected]