One week away from the Tigers’ 2016 season opener, LSU softball coach Beth Torina had one theme coming this season, “next”.
“We came up with the theme of next,” Torina said. “It’s about taking our game to the next level. It’s about our next at bat, our next game, our next opponent.”
After coming as what Torina described “six inches short” of advancing to the Women’s College World Series, the Tigers are focused on earning a return trip to Oklahoma City. LSU features one of the deepest rosters in the country, returning five All-Americans and seven starters, and three pitchers from a team that started the 2015 season with program-record 25-game winning streak.
Senior infielder Bianka Bell put it simply,“I want to win it this year.”
LSU is ranked No. 3 in the USA Today/NFCA preseason poll, its highest in program history, but the Tigers aren’t getting caught up in preseason rankings.
“Every time we take the field we expect to have everyone’s best game played against us,” Torina said. “We’re going to work in practice like we’re the worst team in the country and we’re going to come out and play you like we’re the best team in the country.”
Talent Galore
Despite losing just one starting field player, Torina comes into 2016 without a set lineup and plans to shift through different options in the beginning of the season.
“This is the deepest roster that we’ve ever had, there’s competition at virtually every spot on the field,” Torina said. “The first weekend we play, you’ll see a lot of different faces and you’ll see a lot of people try and earn their spot.”
The Tigers’ six freshmen will look to showcase their talents early in the season, including outfielder Akiya Thymes and pitcher Sydney Smith.
After the graduation of senior outfielder A.J. Andrews, Thymes brings speed into the lineup and a constant stealing threat. Torina called her the fastest player in the program and a “game-changer” on the bases.
Smith, a two-time Minnesota Gatorade Softball Player of the Year, joins a pitching rotation, which averaged a 1.84 ERA in 2015. During her five-year prep career, Smith collected a 51-1 record in the circle and notched a less than 0.20 ERA during her senior season. Torina said that she will be a huge addition to the pitching staff.
The power hitting duo of junior infielder Sahvanna Jaquish and and Bell return after they combined for 35 home runs and 149 RBIs last season.
Sophomore pitchers Carly Hoover and Allie Walljasper, both members of the NFCA All-American Third Team, return for their sophomore seasons, after tallying an 1.78 ERA and 1.83 ERA, respectively.
“We can have someone in our starting lineup that other teams in our conference would die to have,” Hoover said.
Tigers excited to start season in Tiger Park
LSU opens the season against Ohio State at 5 p.m. on Feb. 12 in Tiger Park, and Jaquish can’t wait to play in front of the Tiger faithful.
“Our fans are just so loyal,” said Jaquish. “The energy in Tiger Park is just electrifying and I just love playing in Tiger Park. I can’t wait to see what this year holds.”
Last season, the Tigers smashed program attendance records, averaging 1,625 fans per game and tallying a total of 69,907 attendees.
The return of “Juanita” the Rally Fish
During last season’s trip to the WCWS, Torina sent Bell and Walljasper to Walmart for groceries, but the pair came back to the team hotel with an unexpected addition — Juanita, the Glo-Fish.
Tigers fans meet the newest member of our nonstop dugout rally fiesta, Juanita the GloFish💜💛🐟 pic.twitter.com/DiA3Ve7k6H
— Bianka Bell (@bee_bellz) May 27, 2015
Juanita became the Tigers’ mascot during the tournament as part of what Bell called the “nonstop dugout rally fiesta.” She made her national television debut during the ESPN broadcast of LSU’s 6-1 win against Auburn on May 28.
Thanks to assistant coach Lindsay Leftwich, Juanita is still with us today.
“I had it on the plane on the way back and she got a little pale, I thought she was going to explode actually,” said Bell. “She’s at the field now, she’s got a nice little tank and set up in coaches office.”
@JacquesDoucet @LSUJuanita is doing great and will be at Tiger Park for Opening Night! pic.twitter.com/EZeMbC5AUN
— Lindsay Leftwich (@LLefty18) February 5, 2016
