Despite being a club team since 1973, LSU lacrosse has only recently seen a relatively large amount of popularity and exposure.
In recent years, the influx of lacrosse culture into the South has influenced the team.
“When I was a freshman, we were quite the ragtag bunch of guys,” said Jacob Most, lacrosse player and LSU club president. “It was a collection of a lot of guys who hadn’t played before.”
Most, mass communication junior and former Daily Reveille employee, has noticed a difference in the makeup of the team in just three years of lacrosse.
“This year we had tryouts for the first time,” Most said. “We had like 50 people show up.”
The interest increase wasn’t an accident. Most, a New York state native, cites the growth of high school lacrosse throughout Louisiana, Texas and surrounding states as the reason for the participation boost at LSU.
He also said the increased number of area players with high school experience has strengthened the team’s numbers and talent.
Fourteen high schools across Louisiana have lacrosse programs. Of them, Catholic High School and Dutchtown High School are the closest to LSU.
LSU lacrosse coach Nick Joslyn, a 2005 LSU alumnus who played for the team, said more players come from Louisiana high schools than in previous years. Fifteen members of the LSU club are from Louisiana, according to the team’s roster.
With increased interest in the sport comes increased fan support. The team’s first two games were Friday night events hosted at the UREC Sport and Adventure Complex.
“We had probably over 100 people at the games,” Most said, “which for a club sport is a pretty huge amount.”
Most said the team was encouraged by the crowd interaction.
“They started doing the ‘Geaux Tigers’ chant from both sides of the field, and we scored right after that. The crowd went crazy,” he said. “Crowd support was something I’ve never really been a part of at a lacrosse game.”
The games were also covered by NBC-33 TV, Tiger TV and The Advocate.
As the talent and crowds grow, the venues for the team grow.
The team even played a game against Ole Miss in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Ole Miss’ football stadium.
After starting off with two losses on the season, LSU notched its first win of the season Feb. 20 against Baylor. The win marked the team’s first win against Baylor in program history.
“We should be beating Baylor and competing with Texas and Texas A&M,” Most said. “It was a huge stepping stone for our team.”
Both Joslyn and Most agreed the team is growing and improving, but the goal for the season is to do well in conference play and qualify for the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association playoffs. The Tigers are members of the Lone Star Alliance.
“Even with these out-of-conference losses we had, we’re still in the hunt for the playoff berth,” Joslyn said. “When we travel to Texas A&M and Texas State, if we win one of those games, we’ll go to the playoffs. That keeps the guys motivated.”
The last time LSU made the playoffs was in 2007, when the team qualified on technicality after Rice dropped out of the competition.
The future of the sport depends on the continued growth of lacrosse throughout the South, Joslyn said.
“Once Louisiana high school lacrosse gets big and relevant, that will certainly help us out,” he said. “We always lack a little in lacrosse IQ and experience, but we’re moving in the right direction.”
Most is also excited about the future of the LSU club.
“We’ve grown exponentially from when I got here to where we are now,” he said. “Everybody on the team has played before, and that speaks for itself in terms of improving as a team.”
 
—-
Contact Albert Burford at [email protected]