Attendance records set as fans energize the Box
Tiger baseball fans, have you noticed the new addition to “The Intimidator” this season? Not the flag, the attendance records, all six of them, sitting just below the national championships. That’s right, LSU holds six consecutive attendance records and is working on its seventh.
Many fans give Skip Bertman credit for the records in attendance.
When Skip Bertman became the head coach in 1984, attendance averaged 918 fans per game. That year the team only played 24 games during the season. Overall in 1984, attendance totaled 22,021 for the season.
In 2000, a school-record 286,874 fans attended LSU Baseball games. On average, 7,355 fans attended the 39 games in 2000.
A.C. Scott, a season ticket holder since 1993, said Bertman got everyone involved in the baseball games. He said Bertman got the youth in the community involved so the parents got involved in coming to the games.
“It started as a family event,” Scott said. “It still is and I hope it will stay that way.”
Eddy Vankerkhove, a 12-year season ticket holder, said before Bertman was the coach, there was no enthusiasm
“I think it was the success of the team and Skip,” Vankerkhove said about the attendance records.
Other fans know that they deserve the credit.
Anita Haywood, longtime season ticket holder also known as the K-Lady, said she thinks the fans’ dedicated attendance helped the baseball team win the national championships.
“I think Smoke’s theory is correct, without that part of the sign [attendance] the rest of the sign would have never happened,” Haywood said. “I think the fans support of LSU Baseball is an integral part of the national championships.”
Haywood has attended LSU baseball games since 1980. She came to her first game with her boyfriend at the time because he thought it would be a good idea for a date. Then she began to come with him often. Then she married him, and she said she knew she would be coming for the rest of her life.
This is Haywood’s 19th season as the K-Lady. Haywood first became the K-Lady when LSU had a pitcher that struck out a lot of batters. Haywood is a teacher, so she had access to supplies to make paper K’s to hang up for every strike-out he pitched. She has been doing it ever since.
An LSU Baseball fan made the wooden K’s Haywood now uses and presented them in a special bag to the coach’s committee and the K-Lady.
Students are important fans in the game as well.
The Coon’s Corner members are students who sit in the farthest corner of the student section, all the way at the top.
Their section is named after Josh “Coon” Gravois, a construction management senior. Gravois said he requests seat T-1 every game. Gravois said he gets to the game two hours before just to get his seat.
“When they [tickets] go on sale, we get here,” Gravois said.
The Coon’s Corner members pride themselves on taunting the right fielder of the opposing team and supporting the right fielder for the Tigers. This season, they have a cheer for the right fielder. One member will yell “Sean” and the others will reply “Barker”.
“We make a difference in the game,” said Joey Rodrigue, a former LSU Law School student and Coon’s Corner member.
The original members went to high school together. Now, they recruit their friends to join the group.
Tommy Royster, an electrical engineering senior said students go to football but they need to go baseball games because they are free.
“Baseball games are an untapped resource for student entertainment for weekends in the spring,” Royster said.