LSU coach Yvette Girouard said the “L” word in athletics is usually a bad thing.But not for her young team, she said.”The L-word in athletics is usually a bad word because it means loss,” Girouard said. “But we’ve looked at the fall as learning, so the L-word is not a bad word for us at all.”LSU’s “learning” process begins tonight at 6 p.m. against Nicholls State at Tiger Park in the LSU Collegiate Classic.LSU plays Nicholls State in a doubleheader. The Tigers also play Louisiana College and LSU-Alexandria on Saturday and Chipola Community College and UL-Monroe on Sunday.Eleven of the 19 players on the roster are newcomers. Further highlighting LSU’s lack of experience this fall is the eligibility of junior outfielder Jazz Jackson. Jackson is academically ineligible to participate in fall practice.Girouard said Jackson is ineligible until January.”She probably will get herself eligible,” Girouard said. “She needed to do what she needed to do in the summer, and she didn’t.”Girouard said the coaching staff is starting “from scratch” in terms of teaching the players.”We’re going to try to check our egos in at the door as a coaching staff and see what we have in the seven games that we play and experiment with things,” Girouard said. “[We will] try different options because it doesn’t really matter about the outcome.”Even with the return of junior Cody Trahan, LSU’s pitching staff still has question marks concerning senior Dani Hofer’s right wrist injury.Girouard said Hofer, LSU’s lone senior, is now pitching at regulation distance but not at a high velocity.”Hopefully by January she’s throwing and actually throwing her pitches,” Girouard said. “But right now she’s not doing any of that.”Girouard said Hofer’s wrist was building up scar tissue quickly after undergoing surgery in June.”I’m not saying we’re back to square one,” Girouard said. “We’re not, but that was the problem before.”Injuries aren’t the only problem the Tigers have had this fall. They have also dealt with various illnesses.”We’ve had three people with bronchitis,” Girouard said. “You name it. They’ve been sick.”Junior outfielder Rachel Mitchell, a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection last season, was one of the sick players.Mitchell said she had several illnesses bothering her.”I had upper respiratory infection, I developed some asthma — quite a lot of different things,” Mitchell said. Mitchell said it has been a challenge playing with a new group, but also said the freshman are picking up on practice methods “really fast.””We’re all communicating a lot better now,” Mitchell said. “We’re knowing what’s expected of the coaches.”Girouard said the freshmen are starting to get used to managing time between practice, school and team study halls.”They’re starting to breathe a little bit more right now,” she said. “Time management is the biggest issue … it looks like they’re starting to come out of it a little bit.”—-Contact Robert Stewart at [email protected]