With a 1-0 shutout victory over No. 4 Tennessee on Saturday afternoon, LSU head coach Beth Torina became the Tigers’ all-time winningest coach in program history. On Sunday, Torina pulled back the curtain on achieving the landmark milestone.
“What a cool thing, man,” Torina said. “Doing it with Howard [Dobson] the whole way by my side. Lindsay [Leftwich] was here for most of them. But now, Bryce [Neal] and Quinlan [Duhon] with me. There’s so many people that contributed to this and so many women that gave their heart and soul for LSU.”
Coaches aren’t the only ones who have been along with Torina for the ride. LSU has eight seniors on the team this season, including six All-SEC players, six all-region players, five National Fastpitch Coaches Association South All-Region First Team members, two All-Americans and one two-time Gold Glove winner.
“This senior group has just done so many things in their career, with one thing hanging left over their heads, and that’s what they will set out to do this year,” Torina said ahead of the season.
Torina now boasts 527 career wins at the helm of the Tigers. In the storied history of LSU Athletics, Torina is one of only five coaches of head-to-head team sports with at least 500 career wins at LSU.
Beth Torina honors Yvette Girouard
With the victory on Saturday, she passed Yvette Girouard (526 wins) and now trails only Skip Bertman (870), Paul Mainieri (641), and Harry Rabenhorst (569). Torina is the only active coach at LSU with 500 or more wins.
LSU hired Torina to be the program’s next head coach in 2012. In her first year as head coach, she guided LSU to the quarterfinals of the 2012 Women’s College World Series, followed by an SEC West Division title in 2013.
Of course, Beth Torina hasn’t forgotten the woman who set the foundation for her to stand on in Baton Rouge.
“The other thing I want to mention, too, is to be in the same sentence as Yvette Girouard — I texted her last night and I was like, ‘You built this house, lady. I’ve just living in it,'” Torina said.
Giourard was the LSU softball head coach from 2001-11. While there, Giourard guided the Tigers to four SEC Tournament titles and was a three-time SEC Coach of the Year. LSU has not won an SEC Tournament under Torina. The 45-year-old head coach will look to change that narrative this season.
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