LSU softball was well represented by Team Coffey in Series 3 of the Athletes Unlimited All-Star Cup.
After Series 2 of the All-Star Cup, former LSU alumna Danieca Coffey found herself in third place on the AUSL leaderboard, and she took the opportunity to make the other Tigers in the league bleed blue for the third series.
Five of the best softball players to wear purple and gold were chosen to be a part of the 60 players to compete in the All-Star Cup. Four teams are redrafted every five days to play against the others to gain the title of champion.
In the draft, Coffey chose utility Sahvanna Jaquish, outfielder Aliyah Andrews and utility Ali Newland. After the draft, she traded for outfielder Ciara Briggs because the team needed her knowledge on the field, in the lineup, and in the dugout.
Coffey said in an Amid Action interview that it was upsetting not to draft Briggs, so she had to make the trade.
“If you could’ve seen my face, I was super sick,” Coffey said. “She helps me. Like her being the GA last year while I was playing [at LSU], I realized how close we were.”
The relationship between the two former LSU table setters grew during Coffey’s redshirt senior year, despite their differences. She said that Briggs would help and settle her down when she needed it, so she knew she had to draft her.
Coffey also owes trading for Briggs to a strategic decision by Team Facilitator Mia Davidson.
“I think [Briggs] was the last draftee,” Coffey said. “Mia told me I could wait a little bit longer, so I was trying to wait, and then I was supposed to draft her right before Keilani [Ricketts] drafted her.”
In addition to trading for Briggs, Coffey utilized her significant knowledge of the other Tigers to her advantage. During the interview, Coffey had Briggs, Andrews and Jaquish all across the outfield, and later in the series, Newland came in to pinch hit and run for Team Coffey.
Coffey used Newland as a closer in the outfield for her team. In Game 1, she came in to play right field when Team Coffey was up late in the game. Coffey also knew that Newland carries a certain clutch gene in her game, and she called on her several times to do a job, whether it was to hit, run or play defense.
Jaquish played a similar role for the team. Although Coffey never played with Jaquish, she is the only four-time NCFA All-American in LSU history, and a part of the Talons roster in the regular AUSL season. Coffey knew the versatility was needed in such a packed roster with all of the Tigers.
The lineup was so packed with Tigers that, at one point, the bases were loaded with Tigers – all because she batted the four starters right behind each other in Game 1 of the series.
Coffey said she didn’t even realize it worked out that way, but it led to great things happening for the Tigers in blue.
Coffey also got hot when the time came, knocking a monster shot to bring her team within one run in Game 2. Andrews did her job in the outfield, running down balls in the gap to come up clutch and showing off her station-to-station hitting skills.
Unfortunately, Team Coffey still fell short in the All-Star Cup, losing the series 2-1, but wins in the All-Star Cup aren’t the end of the world. The points system allows one winner, not a team, but it sure helped these Tigers on the field together.
The school’s motto is “Forever LSU” for a reason.
“You know [the Tigers] have got to stick together,” Coffey said.
