re: LSU SOFTBALL Adds #3, #4 and #5 2026 Recruits

This is awesome write-up, just saw it from a few months ago. I still believe it will be tough season, talent is far below what left, the strength will be pitching with Berzon. I would doubt they host a regional and finish in the bottom 1/3 of the conference, the lack of true juniors and senior position players is glaring.

I really don’t get the hate for Torina. Constantly has great recruiting classes, constantly finishes in the top 16. 4 WCWS appearances, 7 super regional appearances. LSU appeared in 2 WCWS and 2 Super Regionals before Torina got here. She has literally raised the bar. Everyone complained about her staff, she now has a brand new staff. Complaining about the lack of returning starters. Yeah that’s what happens when you start 7 seniors (which had you ranked number 1 at some point last year). Only reason they didn’t make the world series last year is because they couldn’t beat Canady twice.

Like she’s a successful coach, not a ton of roster turnover which means players like her, great leader, great recruiter. The grass isn’t always greener. I think Torina is great and not a big worry for the AD. Now Volleyball is a different discussion…

I don’t think anyone hates Beth Torina, but just like we football we discuss the pro’s and cons of this season, other than the pitching staff and a few players it will be a inexperienced less talented team than what we had last yr. Maybe by the end of the yr this team will develop and have a chance to do damage in postseason…that’s the hope anyway.

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nicholastiger

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Dobson was a scapegoat for poor recruiting, he is the same coach that had Bianca Bell, Bailey Landry, Sanchez and others. What has changed? The talent has changed and allowing Leftwich to do hitting changed everything too. I’m not here to argue whether Leftwich was good or bad I am saying multiple hitting coaches does not work. Until recruiting picks back up then the results will be what they have been, the last committed class is elite but the current roster despite all the glorious rankings isn’t great. There is a reason Oklahoma has been great and it’s not because Gasso is the greatest ever or JT Gasso is the great hitting guy ever, it’s because they evaluated and recruited great. Florida was down for a couple of years, how did they get back to greatness last yr? Walton went out and got elite players, he was still the same coach that was down for a couple yrs but has better players now. Fix evaluation and recruiting and Torina will be back in the WS, she is still the same coach as the 4 WS just needs to fix recruiting and the last committed class last November is a great start.

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who replaced [Dobson] on staff?

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Actually no one. Looks like softball will indeed be the victim of some of these new budget realities.

No new full time decorated assistant was hired. There are now two graduate assistants instead of the usual one—Taylor Pleasants and Ciara Briggs, to fill out the numbers. That seems to be Beth’s thing to make previous year seniors into graduate student coaches. Allie Walljasper and Amanda Doyle lately filled those roles.

Doesn’t matter. Beth is a mom not a coach at Sec level. And congrats to her id want my wife to be the same thing.

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we should be in the WCWS at least half the time with our facilities and investment.

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Clearly, you haven’t been to any SEC road games. I like Tiger Park, but it’s on par with its conference peers. West Coast teams have long had better facilities. All of these teams can’t be in the WCWS every other year.

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SW and I think he likes that he can point and say “See? I don’t fire every coach.”

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This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. As a manger, hanging on to staff from previous regimes just so you can say look what I didn’t do, is how you lose your management position.