After falling short of reaching the Women’s College World Series last season, the No. 19 LSU softball team will come into the 2015 season loaded with talent at the plate and in the circle.
Led by All-American sophomore catcher and infielder Sahvanna Jaquish and senior outfielder A.J. Andrews, the Tigers will start the season with the annual Tiger Classic in Tiger Park, featuring games against Memphis, Eastern Illinois, Tennessee State and North Carolina State.
LSU opens the tournament today with a double-header against Memphis at 4 p.m. and Eastern Illinois at 6:30 p.m.
“There is no question this is the most talented team we’ve had here,” said LSU coach Beth Torina. “They have a great offensive potential, but when you add this pitching staff, [there are] a lot of people that can step up.”
At the plate, the Tigers have a dynamic lineup balanced with power hitters, such as Jaquish and junior infielder and pitcher Bianka Bell, and slappers, such as Andrews.
The Tigers’ power shined at the 2014 NCAA Tucson Regional when Jaquish hit four home runs in the Tigers’ five games to break the LSU single-season home run record with 17 homers in 2014.
After slamming 12 homers out of the park during her freshman campaign in 2013, Bell increased her offensive production last season, finishing with 14 home runs and 51 RBIs.
Kloss nearly doubled her career home run total in 2014, earning nine home runs.
While the power hitters crushed home runs, Andrews and former Tiger outfielder Jacee Blades made plays using their speed.
Andrews led the Tigers with 38 steals, finishing second in the Southeastern Conference in stolen bases. Blades’ speed helped her earn a .352 career on-base percentage.
Sophomore pitchers Baylee Corbello and Kelsee Selman are joined by freshmen Carley Hoover, a transfer from Stanford, and Allie Walljasper.
Corbello led the Tigers with 188 strikeouts last season — the second-most strikeouts in program history for a first year pitcher. Selman shined against Boston University in the Tucson Regional on May 17, 2014, when she posted eight strikeouts and only one walk in a complete game.
In her limited action for the Cardinal in 2014, Hoover posted a 1.65 ERA and 26 strikeouts in a 2-0 record in five starts. Walljasper comes to LSU after a stellar prep career, during which she tallied 895 strikeouts compared to only 89 walks.
“All four of us offset each other very well,” Corbello said. “Everyone brings something different to the table … Whenever we are able to work together and really use our strengths, that’s when we have hands-down one of the best pitching staffs in the country.”
The featured matchup of the Classic comes Saturday and Sunday when the Tigers take on NC State, which has reached an NCAA Regional for the past two seasons.
The Wolfpack is led by seniors pitcher Emily Weiman and shortstop Renada Davis. Last season, Wieman finished 21st in the NCAA with 253 strikeouts in 269.2 innings pitched. While Weiman led from the circle, Davis sparked NC State from the plate with 19 home runs, which was tied for 11th in the NCAA last season.
“For the third year in a row, we face the No. 1 out-of-conference strength of schedule,” Torina said. “These guys love the challenge, and they are ready for it. They’ve prepared. They came to LSU to be challenged, and that’s why they like playing in the SEC.”
You can reach Morgan Prewitt on Twitter @kmprewitt_TDR.