For the past two seasons, the LSU softball team has enjoyed the luxury of two dominant aces capable of shutting opponents down in the batters’ box. Now with the graduation of Emily Turner, junior pitcher Dani Hofer steps up into the lead role in LSU’s pitching rotation this season, and her coach and teammates are confident she can shoulder the burden. “[Hofer] is a huge part of our success,” said senior catcher Killian Roessner. “[Hofer] is going to take us as far as we go, and we have all our faith in her.” Hofer’s former travel ball coach, Thad Rowe, said the veteran presence of Roessner and Turner has probably helped Hofer develop into the dominant pitcher she has become. “Having [Turner] there as an older pitcher who was very successful, who she could learn from and get along with and observe, I think really helped her mature,” Rowe said. “And a great catcher is a calming force for a pitcher, and having [Roessner] behind the plate helps Dani out greatly.” Hofer, who was the Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year in 2005, thrived with the help of her veteran teammates, compiling a 40-8 record in her first two seasons at LSU with a combined ERA of 1.72. But her success is something she has been working toward since she was very young. “The first time that it was brought to our attention that Dani even knew how to throw a softball was when her grandfather asked her to see if she could pitch when she was maybe 6-years-old or so,” said Ed Hofer, Dani’s father. “She immediately did the windmill motion and threw it, because she had been watching her older sister play.” Dani Hofer continued to tune her craft throughout her high school days in Safety Harbor, Fla., always driven to better her game. “Dani wants to push and wants the very best,” Rowe said. “Even if it looks like the result is excellent, she may not think it was her best game, and she’s always looking and striving to improve.” Ed Hofer said while Dani received considerable recruiting attention in the Southeast, coming to LSU was not a difficult choice for the young pitcher. “As soon as she came to the campus and met Coach Girouard – when we got back in the car, Dani was letting us know that this would really be her favorite place to go,” Ed Hofer said. And while moving away from home can be a daunting change, Ed Hofer said his daughter was fortunate enough to have the LSU softball team to help her feel at home. “Coming to a softball team, you have an immediate family and friends,” Ed Hofer said. “It’s not like you’re coming cold to the campus. The year that the hurricanes came in was her freshman year, and in the long run I think that brought [the team] closer because they were going through that together.” Two years later, Dani is ready to lead the Lady Tigers in their quest for the team’s first College World Series appearance since 2004. “The girls are really motivated this year,” Dani Hofer said. “We really want to go all the way.” According to her coach, Hofer is taking a new, “more lively personality” into this season. “She was very quiet the first couple of years,” Girouard said. “You didn’t even know if she was really paying attention or really getting what we were saying, didn’t really add much to the conversation or I think to the team personality. But she’s really come out of her shell, and it’s fun to watch.” Hofer and her catcher, Roessner, insist Dani Hofer has always been outgoing, particularly off the field. “On the field, she’s more stone-faced, doesn’t change her emotions at all. But she’s always been very bubbly with us,” Roessner said. “She’s an awesome person to talk to, and she’s a fun person to be around. She’s been awesome in the dugout every time in between innings … Her personality is definitely a big asset to this team.”
—-Contact Jerit Roser at [email protected]