Six LSU players were named to the Louisiana Sports Writers Association 2016 All-Louisiana Collegiate Softball team and two more were selected as honorable mentions.
Senior third baseman Bianka Bell, senior first baseman Sandra Simmons, junior designated player Sahvanna Jaquish and sophomore pitcher Carley Hoover were all named to the First Team. Junior outfielder Bailey Landry and sophomore utility Allie Walljasper were selected for the Second Team, while senior catcher Kellsi Kloss and freshman hurler Sydney Smith were both tabbed as honorable mentions to round out the Tigers picked in the poll released Sunday.
Kloss, Bell and Simmons have each played their final games for LSU and advance onto the next step of their careers. But the rest of the honorees return after being huge contributors for the Tigers in 2016.
Hoover, who served as the team’s ace in the circle, was arguably the most impactful player this season. She finished the season with a 22-8 record and held batters to a team-low .210 from the plate. In addition to her first team selection, Hoover was Co-Pitcher of the Year after finishing tied in the poll with Louisiana-Lafayette’s junior Alex Stewart.
Walljasper was named as utility because of her prowess from the circle but also her evolved swing throughout the season as well. She was the de facto No. 2 pitcher and won both Super Regional games for LSU to advance into the Women’s College World Series.
The Manteca, California, native earned 11 wins and maintained a .222 average from the plate.
Her performance alongside Hoover and Smith added a 1-2-3 punch to the Tigers’ pitching rotation.
Jaquish will return in 2017 as the star of the LSU batting order. In 2016, the junior infielder had the third best batting average on the team with a .343 and notched a .632 slugging percentage clip, second-best on the team. She’s currently second behind Bell in career home runs and RBIs, but if she keeps her averages will easily overtake Bell in both categories, in 2017.
Landry returns to lead an experienced Tiger outfield alongside sophomore Emily Griggs and freshman Elyse Thornhill. Griggs started each of the team’s 70 games this season and Thornhill ended the year as the left field starter.
Overall, the team is losing three seniors, which impacted the team throughout their careers, but with the foundation of returning Tigers leaves the team ready for 2017.