Prior to the 2016 season, Tiger Park was named the best collegiate softball stadium in the United States by flosoftball.com.
The No. 5 LSU softball team ended the 2015 season, 38-5, within the friendly confines of Tiger Park and drew more than 69,000 fans into the stands to watch the Tigers shatter countless program records. But this year, the facility looks a little different after LSU completed improvements begun before hosting the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
During the offseason, Tiger Park underwent further renovations to enhance the fan experience while seamlessly integrating additional media access into the facility’s design, to support the program’s expanding media coverage.
But the largest change was the makeover of the popular outfield berm into the Tiger Park Terrace.
LSU players appreciate the new look, but to some, including freshman utility Elyse Thornhill it is still the same old berm.
“I personally refuse to call it the terrace,” Thornhill said. “It looks nice … but I still call it the berm. It was cool seeing all the fans sitting on the new benches.”
In the past, parts of the berm were unable to be used by fans to watch the action because the incline was too steep.
The new terrace features multiple levels with stairs in between each and a walkway, which runs from the left field foul pole to nearly dead center field.
Freshman infielder Amber Serrett said it adds to the atmosphere allowing more fans to make Tiger Park a difficult venue for the opposition.
“I was big fan of the berm coming on my visits,” Serrett said. “I loved it and the way it looked. When it was under construction, I don’t think anyone really knew what it was going to look like.”
The renovation gives space for nearly 1,000 fans to have a better view of the game and allows LSU officials to bring in overflow bleachers, which could be used for high-demand games such as matchups in an NCAA Regional or Super Regional tournament.
After the new Tiger Park opened in 2009, the berm quickly became the go-to for fans with standing room only tickets and University students, who are let in without a designated seat. As Tiger Park’s calling card, the berm was a place for fans to cheer on LSU no matter the weather or the occasion, complete with tents or not.
“It adds flavor to the park,” said freshman athletic training major Logan Covington. “It’s really visitor friendly for those coming out for the first time…hopefully there will be a lot of nice ball games to watch in it.”
A new ticket gate was added near center field to help fans with season tickets or those who bought tickets prior to the contest. The entrance allows better access as it is near the tailgating area and parking lot.
Fans were the primary goal of most of these changes, but with the team continues to improve and get better more and more games are broadcasted on TV. So, improvements were made to help out media as well.
Permanent camera platforms were built, one near each dugout, to help with TV broadcasted games. When the Tigers draw a national television audience, these stations will be manned in addition to the standard cameras throughout the park.
Junior infielder Sahvanna Jaquish said the enhancements are nice aesthetically but don’t change fundamentally the way the team plays as they should be focused during the game.
“No one should be looking at the berm while the pitch is coming,” Jaquish said. “It doesn’t have an effect from a hitting standpoint. It’s better, it’s safer and [the fans] have a lot of fun.”

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Wingate Jones

The newly renovated Tiger Terrace on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 at Tiger Park