Despite losing five seniors from last year’s softball squad, head coach Yvette Girouard believes LSU has a chance to accomplish “good things” in 2003.
Girouard said the loss of All-American pitcher Britni Sneed affects her team the most. Sneed led the Lady Tigers to a Southeastern Conference championship last season behind a 34-7 record as a starter. She also had 478 strikeouts and a 0.75 ERA.
Girouard said that the mix of defensive speed and offensive power the Tigers possess will help the short comings the pitchers may have. However, she is confident in the pitching ability of both Kristin Schmidt and Tessa Lynam.
Schmidt earned a 17-4 mark as a starter last season with 200 strikeouts and a 1.02 ERA. Girouard called the junior a “proven competitor” who can put the team where they want to be.
Girouard said the only down side to Lynam is she has no experience as a pitcher in collegiate play, but she likes her in the circle because “she’s a warrior.” Lynam, who played first base last season as a freshman, also is a threat offensively as she had nine home runs and 40 RBI with a .291 batting average last season.
The Lady Tigers suffered a setback last week with the loss of Leslie Klein due to a torn ACL. The freshman was expected to start for LSU in left field, but she will receive a red-shirt this season.
With the injury, Girouard said that it is important for her squad to stay healthy to compete in the SEC as well as nationally. She believes the Lady Tigers have what it takes to win the SEC and earn a berth to the Women’s College World Series if “all the pieces fit” in May.
LSU opens the season with early tests against national powers such as DePaul, UCLA and Oklahoma. The Tigers then face the SEC schedule, which Girouard believes is second in difficulty only to the Pacific-10 Conference.
Girouard said the SEC probably will not be dominated by pitchers like in years past. Rather, she thinks it will be a hitter’s league this season.
“It’s going to be an interesting SEC race. The title may literally be up for grabs,” Girouard said.
In its preseason exhibition, LSU hosted its first-ever softball alumnae game. The alumnae team included former All-Americans Ashlee Ducote-Eddy, Stephanie Hastings, Treena Peel and Sneed.
The Lady Tigers defeated the alumnae team 4-2. A home run by Lynam off Sneed knotted the game at one apiece before LSU scored two runs in the third inning to take the lead for good.
Girouard said she was glad to see her young team “bow up” to the alumnae because she does not want them to be “soft.” She also thought the team hit the ball well in the contest.
LSU’s team has only three seniors this year along with four juniors, three sophomores and four freshmen. With the season being so long, Girouard said she looks forward to watching the team mature. She said they already have a strong work ethic and good team chemistry, which she thinks is most vital to the team’s success.
Most importantly, Girouard does not want her team to buckle under the pressure of repeating as SEC Champions and earning a berth to the WCWS.
“We have to remember the season is a marathon and not a sprint, and we just want to keep getting better every day,” Girouard said.