The new Tiger Park (2009-Present)
Located on Skip Bertman Drive off the banks of the Mississippi River, Tiger Park is the crown jewel of college softball. The 2013 season will mark LSU's fifth season of "Softball on the Berm."
LSU moved into the state-of-the-art facility prior to the 2009 season. The park features 1,289 chair back and bench back seats, a party deck on the third base side and a 30-seat suite above the first base line. There also is seating for 1,200 additional fans located on the left field berm.
The two-story Tiger Park clubhouse provides the resources necessary to sustain LSU's championship tradition of excellence. The first story possesses spacious indoor batting cages, an umpire locker room and a training facility.
On the second level, the hallways are littered with plaques honoring LSU's NFCA All-Americans and All-SEC selections leading into the locker room, team lounge, video breakdown theater and coaches offices. The hallway also features a mural dedicated to opening night when 2,172 fans gathered to watch LSU embark on the next chapter of its storied history by christening Tiger Park with a 6-0 victory over McNeese State on February 11.
Prior the game, LSU honored its softball past and present as former alumni joined the current team on the field for the ribbon cutting ceremony. Retired head coach Yvette Girouard cut the ribbon and spoke during the dedication along with Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Joe Alleva, then-Chancellor Mike Martin and former Athletics Director Skip Bertman.
The Tiger Park concourse pays tribute to the program's rich tradition which includes plaques spotlighting the 2001 and 2004 Women's College World Series teams.
LSU enters the 2013 season with a league-leading 18 championships which include eight SEC Western Division titles along with five SEC regular season and five SEC Tournament crowns.
In its first four seasons, Tiger Park has already seen 112,176 fans come through its gates which include a program-record 1,286 per game average during the 2011 season. LSU has compiled a 95-26-1 record highlighted by a 31-win campaign in 2010.
In October 2010, Tiger Park was rated the fifth-best architecture building by the LSU Faculty Senate Monthly Newsletter. Below is what the newsletter wrote about the park.
"Best seen at night, when its gables and overhang seem to brighten into a shimmering white sails winging through cool ebony skies, the softball stadium shows that LSU can come up with a building that plays to something other than the local taste for plantation imagery and Greco-Roman bric-a-brac. Welling out of a hillock in a way that suggests strong shoulders on the brink of swinging a home run, the softball stadium evidences a modest freshness that brings a smile and popcorn and hot dogs."
Stadium Information
Capacity: 2,489
Playing Field Distances
Foul Lines: 200 ft.
Power Alleys: 210 ft.
Centerfield: 220 ft.
LSU's Record in the Tiger Park
| Year |
Overall
|
Pct.
|
SEC
|
Pct.
|
| 1997 |
27-4
|
.871
|
10-4
|
.714
|
| 1998 |
28-2
|
.933
|
12-1
|
.923
|
| 1999 |
30-3
|
.909
|
15-1
|
.938
|
| 2000 |
31-4
|
.886
|
13-1
|
.929
|
| 2001 |
29-1
|
.967
|
14-1
|
.933
|
| 2002 |
28-3
|
.903
|
13-2
|
.867
|
| 2003 |
29-6
|
.829
|
12-3
|
.800
|
| 2004 |
21-7
|
.750
|
9-5
|
.643
|
| 2005 |
21-8
|
.724
|
7-8
|
.467
|
| 2006 |
34-3
|
.919
|
12-3
|
.800
|
| 2007 |
30-4
|
.882
|
11-3
|
.786
|
| 2008 |
30-6
|
.833
|
12-2
|
.857
|
| OTP | 338-51 | .869 | 140-34 | .805 |
| 2009 | 19-8-1 | .696 | 7-6-1 | .536 |
| 2010 | 31-5 | .861 | 13-1 | .929 |
| 2011 | 21-6 | .777 | 8-6 | .571 |
| 2012 | 24-7 | .774 | 10-4 | .714 |
| 2013 | ||||
| NTP | 95-26-1 | .783 | 38-17-1 | .688 |
| Total |
433-77-1
|
.848
|
178-51-1
|
.776
|
Top 10 Attendance Figures in new Tiger Park
| Date | Opponent (Tournament) |
Attendance
|
|
| 1. | April 9, 2011 | Alabama |
2,563
|
| 2. | Feb. 11, 2009 | McNeese St. |
2,172
|
| 3. | May 22, 2010 | UL-Lafayette (NCAA Regional) |
2,168
|
| 4. | May 21, 2010 | McNeese St. (NCAA Regional) |
1,901
|
| 5. | April 10, 2011 | Alabama |
1,865
|
| 6. | April 21, 2012 | Ole Miss |
1,815
|
| 7. | April 28, 2012 | Georgia |
1,750
|
| 8. | April 17, 2010 | Arkansas |
1,738
|
| 9. | April 18, 2009 | Florida |
1,679
|
| 10. | April 22, 2012 | Ole Miss |
1,645
|
Year-by-Year Attendance in the new Tiger Park
| Year |
Total
|
Dates
|
Average
|
| 2009 |
33,133
|
28
|
1,183
|
| 2010 |
42,686
|
36
|
1,185
|
| 2011 |
33,694
|
27
|
1,247
|
| 2012 |
38,145
|
31
|
1,230
|
| 2013 | |||
| Total |
147,658
|
122
|
1,210
|
LSU Indoor Practice Facility
When the weather prevents the softball team from practicing at the new Tiger Park, the team moves to the indoor, climate-controlled football practice facility.
LSU student-athletes benefit from one of the most modern indoor facilities in the nation. Located at the site of the Charles McClendon Practice Facility, the indoor facility was built as part of a $15 million upgrade of the LSU physical plant in the late 1980's and early 1990's and houses a full football field.
Original Tiger Park (1997-2008)
In 2008, the LSU softball team completed its 12th and final season of play at the original Tiger Park. Built in 1996, the facility opened just prior to the inaugural 1997 season.
The original park was located adjacent to the W. T. "Dub" Robinson Tennis Stadium and the LSU Natatarium on the north end of the athletics complex.
After delays caused by Hurricane Katrina, LSU broke ground on the "new" Tiger Park on Oct. 9, 2007, and officially opened against McNeese State on Feb. 11 to begin the 2009 season. The new facility is located on Skip Bertman Drive adjacent to the Soccer Complex.
The original 1,000-seat facility (seating chart) was home to the LSU softball team since the program was reinstated in 1997.
In just 12 seasons, Tiger Park hosted five NCAA Regional tournaments and become one of the toughest places in the nation for visitors to play.
LSU had an astounding 338-51 (.869) record in the original Tiger Park, including a 140-34 (.805) Southeastern Conference mark. In 2001, the Tigers advanced through the NCAA Regional tournament at Tiger Park to its first berth in the Women's College World Series.
Tiger Park was also been home to some amazing feats. On May 20, 2000, LSU and Southern Miss battled out 12 scoreless innings in NCAA Regional action before the Tigers plated the game-winner in the 13th.
From 1997-2008, LSU was 15-7 (.682) all-time in NCAA and SEC postseason games at the original Tiger Park.
In 2008, the final season at the original Tiger Park, an average of 866 fans watched as LSU won 25 regular-season home games, the largest average home attendance in LSU Tigers softball history.
Original Tiger Park Records and History
Streaks at the original Tiger Park (1997-2008):
Longest Winning Streak: 30 games (April 12, 2006 - March 18, 2007)
Longest Losing Streak: 4 games (March 25, 2005 - April 6, 2005)
Tournaments Hosted at the original Tiger Park (1997-2008):
NCAA Regional Tournament (5): 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2008
SEC Tournament (1): 2008
Top 10 Attendance Figures in original Tiger Park
| Date | Opponent (Tournament) |
Attendance
|
|
| 1. | April 28, 2007 | Tennessee |
2,326
|
| 2. | April 29, 2007 | Tennessee |
1,531
|
| 3. | May 22, 1999 | Southern Miss (NCAA Regional) |
1,506*
|
| 4. | May 18, 2008 | UL-Lafayette (NCAA Regional) |
1,454
|
| 5. | May 18, 2001 | Penn State (NCAA Regional) |
1,426*
|
| 6. | March 24, 2007 | Alabama |
1,371
|
| 7. | May 9, 2008 | Alabama (SEC Tournament) |
1,337*
|
| 8. | May 17, 2008 | UL-Lafayette (NCAA Regional) |
1,316*
|
| 9. | May 20, 2000 | Southern (NCAA Regional) |
1,280*
|
| 10. | March 20, 2004 | Georgia |
1,238
|
* - Denotes Session Attendance
Year-by-Year Attendance in the original Tiger Park*
| Year |
Total
|
Dates
|
Average
|
| 1997 |
8,910
|
17
|
524
|
| 1998 |
7,383
|
17
|
434
|
| 1999 |
11,708
|
21
|
557
|
| 2000 |
12,315
|
26
|
473
|
| 2001 |
12,589
|
23
|
547
|
| 2002 |
14,262
|
31
|
460
|
| 2003 |
14,602
|
22
|
663
|
| 2004 |
12,924
|
18
|
718
|
| 2005 |
12,780
|
19
|
672
|
| 2006 |
14,731
|
24
|
613
|
| 2007 |
17,313
|
21
|
824
|
| 2008 |
21,652
|
25
|
866
|
| Total |
161,169
|
264
|
610
|
* regular-season games only
