Ever since she started playing softball at age 11, Leigh Ann Danos never doubted she would play for LSU.
“My heart’s always been at LSU,” said Danos, a sophomore catcher from Lafayette. “As exciting as it may have been to think about going to different schools, my parents went here. I’ve been bleeding purple and gold since I could walk.”
Danos, a pre-med major who wants to pursue a career in the medical field, likely could have gone to other schools in the South, such as Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor or Alabama, but she said her family ties to LSU were just too strong.
“Things just fell into place,” Danos said. “I knew it was something I couldn’t pass up.”
Danos has been a staple in the 2003 squad’s lineup, sporting a .283 batting average, hitting two home runs and driving in 14 RBIs. She has split time with senior Jennie Reeves behind the plate, starting 17 games, and has a .611 slugging percentage and .413 on-base percentage.
LSU head coach Yvette Girouard said having Danos in the batting order has given the offense a boost, and as long as she produces, she’ll participate.
“The kids know that whoever hits is going to play, and she’s a bat that needs to be in the lineup,” Girouard said. ” At this point, Jennie Reeves is still the better defensive catcher, so when we go with an offensive lineup first to score some runs [Danos will play].”
Danos led St. Thomas More High School to the 2001 state championship, earning Louisiana Class 4A MVP in the process. She also was named to the first team All-State and All-District squads three times in her career.
“It was so awesome because I just went in there and had fun,” Danos said of her high school days.
Danos transferred to James E. Taylor High School for her senior year in 2001 but decided to graduate early and attend LSU that spring.
“I could have stayed in Lafayette to finish out my senior year, but my family’s important to me, and that would have split us up,” Danos said. “I tried to do it for a little while, and it was too hard on my family.”
Girouard said she normally would not put a player in a position to come to school early, but Danos’ situation was different. Because Danos did not know many people at her new school, Girouard said she tossed the idea to Danos and her family, and they ran with it.
      “I’m not sure I’d ever do it again in a normal situation,” Girouard said. “It’s almost too overwhelming as a freshman to go through everything that we do.”
Last season Danos hit .293 with 18 RBIs and was named to the first team All-Louisiana squad. She said coming to school early helped her, and she has matured since then in all aspects of her game.
“I was nervous when I got here. I was only 17, but everybody was awesome,” Danos said. “When I came in, I don’t think I really understood what it took to play at this level. It hadn’t quite hit me yet.”
Girouard said Danos has adjusted to things better in her second season on the team, and the results of her adaptation are obvious.
“She’s got all the tools to be unbelievable behind the plate,” Girouard said. “She’s just a weapon with the bat. She’s showing the talent we all knew she had.”
With Reeves in her last season of eligibility, Danos is the future of LSU softball behind the plate. Girouard said the possibilities of what she can do hitting and fielding are endless.
“The sky’s the limit for her,” Girouard said. “She’s an intelligent person, so I think she understands adjustments and what she needs to do. She doesn’t let much bother her.”