Certainly second-year softball head coach Yvette Girouard did herself no favors by being extremely successful in her debut season.
The Tiger softball team won the Southeastern Conference’s Western Division, then proceeded to win the SEC outright and the SEC Tournament. Girouard also won 2001 SEC Coach of the Year while leading the Tigers to their first-ever College World Series and a third place finish.
The team is preseason No. 4 in the country and is picked to win the SEC title again this year.
Could it possibly have been too much too quick?
“It was funny at the end of the year, my assistant coach James DeFeo said ‘Ooh, we might have made a mistake. How are we ever going to top this after our first year?,’” Girouard said at Softball Media Day on Wednesday. “And I said ‘You know, Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore, we’re at LSU and they expect to win National Championships.’”
“We’re not foolish enough to think that maybe this team can be one of those teams that can [win a national title]. We have the highest of expectations for this year’s team.”
And to contend for a national title in college softball, a team needs pitching. Even with the loss of last year’s No. 2 starter, Ashley Lewis, this is still LSU’s strength going into the 2002 season.
Returning is Britni Sneed, a 2001 NFCA First-Team All-American and a member of the 2001 WCWS All-Tournament Team. Sneed had a school record 0.66 ERA last season.
Joining Sneed is Notre Dame transfer Kristin Schmidt, a 2001 NFCA Second-Team All American. Schmidt should provide no drop off in talent from Lewis’ departure.
“The strength and core of this team is our pitching staff,” Girouard said. “In [softball], that better be where your strength is.”
Girouard said not only will her pitching staff be solid, but hitting, which was second in the SEC a year ago, should be solid as well.
“Everybody is starting to feel the ownership of their swing,” Girouard said.
Girouard said the talent is there, it will just be a question of the team dealing with the tough moments.
“It is going to be whether we handle adversity in a season,” she said. “This is a marathon. How we handle adversity is going to be the challenge of this team. That’s exactly what made last year’s team so incredible.”
The Tiger softball squad also lost shortstop Stephanie Hastings to graduation. Hastings led the SEC in runs scored and was among the top in the conference in doubles and hits.
Replacing Hastings could be a chore for freshman Blair Smith, who hails from Moreno Valley, Calif. However, Girouard, who said the Tigers will have eight solid bats in the lineup at any given time, said she wants Smith to concentrate on fielding her position. She said Smith’s offense will come as she gets more experience on the college level.
“We lost a critical player in Stephanie Hastings,” Girouard said. “[Blair Smith] is a great defensive shortstop. She’s very smooth, very fluid. Offensively, we have some work to do [with her]. That’s the one position where we’ll have to give up a bat in the lineup to make sure that we get outstanding defensive play.”
The loss of speedster and center fielder Dee Douglas has also been a concern for LSU. However, Girouard said former right fielder Trena Peel has been very successful in recent workouts in center field.
“Trena looks phenomenal right now,” Girouard said. “She looks unstoppable. She is making play after play. Her offense looks incredible. She will be a true impact player, and she will definitely compete for All-American honors.”
But the trickiest position to figure out will be catcher.
Comparing her situation in similarity to baseball head coach Smoke Laval, Girouard said that there are three catchers that have strengths in certain areas. Junior Jennie Reeves, freshman Leigh Ann Danos and freshman Lindsey Howard will all contend for the spot to replace Jennifer Schuelke.
“Jennie Reeves is our best catch and pitch person,” she said. “Then we have Danos, who we believe eventually will be the best LSU catcher ever. She has all the tools. Lindsey Howard is also capable. We have some options there.”
On the down side, Girouard said the schedule does not help the Tigers. The team will spend all of the weekend series in April on the road. They will also spend two weekends of February playing in the UNLV Invitational and the NFCA Leadoff Classic.
Girouard said the loss of players such as Lewis, Hastings, Douglas and Schuelke may hurt the team in a leadership capacity. She wants to challenge players on her team to step up to the role.
“The critical people that we lost were really our leaders; the glue that really kept this team together,” she said. “But last year’s in the past.”