LaDonia Hughes certainly has had an interesting last few years, yet how she ended up at LSU is what is even more compelling.
Born in Lynchburg, Va., Hughes attended Prince Edward County High school in Farmville, Va. A four-sport star, Hughes led her softball team to four straight district titles, as well as being a two-time all-state track selection and 2000 state basketball champion.
Following high school, Hughes attended Lake City Community College in Lake City, Fla., where she led her team to the 2001 NJCAA national championship.
As a sophomore at Lake City Community College, the thought of attending LSU never even crossed Hughes’ mind.
“I figured once I went to a junior college, I’d try and go to the biggest softball, D1 school,” Hughes said. “My first choice, being that I’d never thought I’d be here at LSU, was East Carolina,” Hughes said.”
Little did she know that she was soon to be discovered.
In the summer of 2002, Hughes was participating in a softball tournament in Virginia.
Coach Yvette Girouard, along with UNC Greensboro coach Stephanie DeFeo, managed to discover Hughes.
“I was at a national tournament and I had to leave the next day,” Girouard said. “[Coach James DeFeo’s] sister told me about [Hughes].”
Stephanie DeFeo, assistant coach DeFeo’s sister, managed to spot Hughes and point her out to Girouard.
“[Hughes] was still in the tournament and they were practicing,” Girouard said. “I watched her catch balls, and I could tell she was a player.”
After seeing her merely shag fly balls, Girouard immediately signed her.
“We found her without ever really seeing her play,” Girouard said. “I could just tell. I find a lot of kids by just the way they handle themselves.”
Now in her second year at LSU, Hughes has made her presence felt.
In her first season as a junior in 2003, Hughes was named the Louisiana Newcomer of the Year.
With a .284 average, Hughes led the team in steals and runs scored, as well as triples and sacrifice bunts.
As a second-team All-Louisiana selection, Hughes was drafted 32nd overall by the San Antonio Armadillos of the National Pro Fastpitch League in the 2004 Senior draft.
Now in her senior year, Hughes currently ranks second on the team with 13 steals, as well as sporting a .353 average with 27 runs scored and 52 total bases.
“It’s a good and bad scenario for her because I think she can catch everything in the outfield, which she can’t sometimes,” Girouard said. “But the catch 99 percent of the country can’t make, she’ll make.”
Girouard said it’s Hughes’ play off the field that makes her special.
“Not only is she a good player, she’s a very good person,” Girouard said. “She’s fun to coach.”
DeFeo also praised Hughes’ attitude on and off the field.
“She’s one of the silent leaders,” DeFeo said. “She leads by example. She’s one of the hardest working players on the team.”
And although she’s already earned one national championship at Lake City, Hughes said she’s looking to earn another.
“I hope [we get to the college world series],” Hughes said. “Once we put everything together, we plan on being there.”