Three LSU softball seniors were all left asking the question after a 7-3 win over Southern Mississippi in the home finale at Tiger Park — what now?
Emotions ran high as Christy Connor, Megann Steege and Jennie Reeves sprinted to their positions where their numbers were painted on the field.
Reeves read a poem the three collaborated on that was filled with sentimental statements as well as humor. One line said, “Thinking about life without softball is our biggest fear.”
Reeves said the poem was something the seniors created on a bus trip. “[We] just thought of a bunch of memories that we had had over the year and decided to put it together in a poem,” Reeves said. “A little bit of humor, a little bit of sentimental — it was nice.”
LSU coach Yvette Girouard presented each senior and her parents with a framed action-photo of herself for memory sake also as a part of senior night festivities. Girouard said she was glad the Tiger seniors made another Kodak moment tonight by finishing the home slate with a win.
“I’m glad that they got a win and can look back on this with fond memories,” Girouard said. “What a fantastic crowd we had out here. Our fans were just so great all year long, and this was the icing on the cake tonight.”
All three seniors said their final game at home came quicker than expected.
LSU first baseman Christy Connor said she was dazed as she played her last game at Tiger Park. The Katy, Texas, native went a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate and scored a run.
“I thought about it all week and how I was going to feel,” Connor said. “It was kind of like a dream just passed by … It was a great night to go out on.”
Tiger catcher Jennie Reeves went 1-for-3 in her final home performance. She said her performance could have been much better, but she was pleased with the seniors’ efforts as a whole.
“I think the momentum tonight was just great,” Reeves said. “The seniors stepped it up tonight and had a great time with it being our last game. You’ve got to love the fans and thank the fans.”
Reeves said she has mixed emotions as her softball career comes to a close. She is sad right now but looks forward to starting a career as a coach in the near future.
“It seems like just yesterday that I got here, and I was a freshman, and all of the sudden I’m done,” Reeves said. “Hopefully I’ll go forward in my coaching career and be able to help others.”
Megann Steege said her 0-for-3 performance at the plate was not the way she wanted her career to end. The left fielder managed to catch two fly balls in the game to keep a couple of USM scoring threats at bay.
Steege said the thing she will remember most about the game was the fans and the memories they created for the seniors. “Obviously I struggled tonight, so it’s not the way I wanted to go out,” Steege said. “As far as the way the things people said on the way in, I’m going to remember that for a long time.”
Steege said she is happy she finished her career as a Tiger with a great group of players.
“It’s something that we worked our whole lives for. We finally had our opportunity to play college ball, and now it’s coming to an end,” Steege said. “I wouldn’t want to do it with any other group of people.”