“We fight! We fight! To the last game, to the last inning, to the last out, we fight!”
Senior center fielder A.J. Andrews’ voice sends chills down her teammates’ backs as they prepare to step onto the field in Tiger Park.
Andrews’ speech, modified from the 2012 film “Red Tails,” is just one of the countless pre-game rituals the No. 6 LSU softball team has established during its historic 2015 campaign.
They range from the quirky, like junior shortstop Bianka Bell and sophomore second baseman Constance Quinn’s pregame skit, to the serious, like the team praying together before line drills. LSU’s pregame antics provide focus and comfort that bonds the Tigers together in an unpredictable sport.
“So many different people have different attributes to bring to it,” said senior utility player Dylan Supak. “It keeps us grounded. It keeps our tunnel vision on because we’re focused throughout the whole warm-up.”
Although everyone’s favorite aspect is different, each part of the routine brings a different meaning and bonds the team together by creating an energetic but relaxed atmosphere before games.
For Andrews, the words of her pregame speech represents the mentality the Tigers should take into every game until the game is over, no matter the score.
“In softball, the game can switch at any time,” Andrews said. “That mentality of ‘til the last whatever’ we are going to fight to the end, it’s so powerful to me. The great teams are the ones that do fight.”
While Andrews provides inspiration, Bell and Quinn act out various alter-egos in a skit, keeping the pregame atmosphere loose and entertaining their teammates.
Even LSU coach Beth Torina makes guest appearances.
“Sometimes, I have a role I play in there,” Torina said. “I at least ask questions and make them act out certain things that I give them. I enjoy watching it. I keep a little bit of handle on it if it ever gets out of control, but it’s all in good fun.”
While most of the rituals remain the same home or away, there is one major exception. Andrews’ Muhammad Ali speech is exchanged on the road for Quinn’s game chant, modeled after Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees’ pregame speech.
After she saw Brees do it, Quinn said she thought “Why not do it?” and since then, the chant has been a staple for the Tigers on the road.
For freshman pitcher Carley Hoover, the chant is the pinnacle of the Tigers’ pregame traditions.
“It literally sends chills through my veins,” Hoover said. “We’re all so pumped up and we’re yelling so loud … All you can focus on is each other. To have that and feel like we own the field we’re about to play on — and it’s not even our home field — it gives us the advantage right away. It’s my absolute favorite to know that we are all one and coming together.”
Although one or two players usually lead most of the rituals, the Tigers gather together before line drills and pray as a team.
For junior infielder Jenna Kreamer, the Tigers’ tradition of prayer brings the team closer by sharing their faith.
“That’s a huge factor as who we are as a team, and what we set our standards and our goals on,” Kreamer said. “It’s awesome because we’ve all bought into that. We’ve all realized that’s a huge factor in how we start a game and how well we perform. It’s pretty cool that we can all come together in this way.”
All the Tigers’ pregame traditions reflect the chemistry they have shared since practice started in the fall, which has translated into recording-breaking success on the field this season.
“All the lighthearted stuff that’s what we’ve come from, that’s what we were like day one in the fall,” Supak said. “The success the team has had is just a culmination of hard work, everyone pushing each other at their positions and the team chemistry and the dynamics.”
You can reach Morgan Prewitt on Twitter @kmprewitt_TDR.