For 10 years, the Andrews sisters added to LSU softball history as lock-down outfielders, and in 2025, LSU baseball player Chris Stanfield has emulated Aliyah’s style of play through and through.
Aliyah Andrews played for softball from 2017 to 2021. She is an All-American and has several All-SEC honors to back her game. Throughout the 2025 baseball season, Stanfield’s traits as a player have shown an undeniable resemblance.
Andrews created the original brand of LSU athletes. Although she graduated at the beginning of the NIL era, she was known as “Air Aliyah” for her diving catches. She has made several game-saving plays and made herself comfortable on SportsCenter Top 10.
In the recent weeks of SEC baseball play, Stanfield has kicked his game into gear, and it has matched Andrews’ style of play defensively. Stanfield has made several diving catches so far this season and has made himself comfortable on the LSU baseball top plays list.
Although they are both known for cultivating defensive gems, they have both gotten it done in the batter’s box. In 2025, Stanfield has found himself in several different spots in the lineup, and he has had to adapt and do his role wherever he found himself.
Andrews had a similar path in finding her ideal spot in the lineup in her career. She batted primarily in the leadoff spot during the 2016 and 2018 to 2021 seasons. Andrews was known for her speed, and being a slapper in the box allowed her to get down the line even faster with a bunt or contact. Later in her career, she added some power to her swing, even hitting a few over-the-fence home runs.
In 2017, Emily Griggs took over the leadoff spot for Andrews. She batted in the two-hole to give the Tigers a double leadoff during that season.
Their speed has been a big part of their tools as players. In both Stanfield and Andrews’ junior seasons, their on-base percentages were over .400. In addition to their high on-base percentages, they both have helped their team with their hit production.
In Andrews’ junior season, she totaled 73 hits. Stanfield is on pace to match this with 43 just over halfway through the 2025 baseball season.
Andrews was one of the most abled slap style hitters in LSU softball history, meaning she mainly used the ground to get on base. This means that she didn’t get past first base on many of her hits. In her junior season, 99% of her hits were singles. Only one hit was for extra bases.
Stanfield has had similar stats in his junior season, although they are not as drastic. 67% of his hits have been singles. Stanfield has hit 14 extra base hits this season, but not a single ball has gone over the wall for him in 2025.
The similarities between Andrews and Stanfields’ game show LSU’s big expectations for their outfielders, especially center fielders. Baseball has names like Dylan Crews and Andrew Stevenson, who came before Stanfield, and softball has AJ Andrews and Simone Heyward, who set the field for Andrews.
Comparing Stanfield to one of the all-time greats in Andrews shows the strength of his game and how he can lead this team to a deep postseason run, as Andrews has done each year she has put on the purple and gold.
