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Beth Torina
Beth Torina heads into her 10th season at the helm of the LSU softball program after she returned the Tigers to national prominence with two 50-win seasons, five 40-win seasons and four trips to the Women's College World Series in 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017 already to her credit in her short time in Baton Rouge.
Since taking the reins of the program prior to the 2012 season, Torina has now led the Tigers to the pinnacle of the sport more than any other LSU head coach, while becoming the first to lead the team to Oklahoma City in consecutive seasons in program history. She is averaging 45 wins per season in Baton Rouge, leading a ranked side that has featured in the top ten for much of the last six seasons. The Tigers have finished the last six seasons ranked in the Top 10, which leads the SEC. They have been ranked in the Top 10 the last seven out of nine seasons and ranked in the Top 25 every week since the end of the 2014 season. Along with UCLA, LSU was the only other school with three consecutive trips to the Women's College World Series (2015, 2016, 2017). Under Torina, the Tigers have played a Top 10 strength of schedule ever year. In 2014, the Tigers had the nation’s toughest schedule and in 2017 and 2015, they had the second-toughest schedule.
In a shortened 2020 season, the top ten Tigers finished 21-3 and led the nation in ERA (0.95). Shelby Wickersham, who earned CoSIDA Academic All-America, led the Tigers with the second-best ERA in the nation at 0.40. The Tigers were undefeated at home, going 18-0 and Torina recorded her 500th career win - a 12-0 no-hitter against Sam Houston State on Feb. 21. A day later, Maribeth Gorsuch threw the first seven-inning perfect game in program history. Gorsuch faced the minimum 21 batters and threw 21 first-pitch strikes. She struck out a career-high 16 including eight straight from the second through fourth innings.
The Tigers finished 2019 in the Top 10 for the fifth-straight season, finishing with a 43-19 overall mark. They made their 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament, winning the Baton Rouge Region for the fourth straight year. Amanda Sanchez and Shelbi Sunseri both picked up NFCA All-American honors. Sanchez transferred in and made a significant impact in her final season, recording a .354 batting average with nine home runs, 16 doubles, a .627 slugging percentage and 54 RBI. The Tigers broke the single-season home run record, tallying 74 on the season. Shelbi Sunseri and Shemiah Sanchez both led the way in the home run category as they each finished the year with 17 apiece. In the first weekend of the season, the Tigers recorded a total of 73 runs in six games, marking it the most runs scored in the first six games in program history and the most scored in any six-game stretch. On the year, the Tigers picked up five SEC weekly honors and one national weekly honor. Amanda Sanchez picked up SEC and NFCA weekly honors in the same week after hitting .700 against No. 16 South Carolina. The Tigers finished the year with a .303 batting average which was 43 points higher than 2018. Along with both Sanchez's earning All-SEC honors, Shelby Wickersham and Savannah Stewart were both named to the SEC All-Freshman team.
The 2018 season saw the second most home wins in school history with a total of 35 in Tiger Park. The Tigers made their 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, winning the Baton Rouge Regional for the third straight season. A pair of Tiger greats in Allie Walljasper and Carley Hoover earned NFCA All-American honors. Walljasper, who threw the longest game in SEC history (19 innings), became the third player and second pitcher in program history to earn three All-American honors in her career. Over the last four seasons, the Tigers have been one of only two pitching staffs in the nation to rank in the top 15 of national ERA and one of only three programs in the nation to earn at least five All-American pitching honors over the four seasons.
The 2017 season was another one for the books as the Tigers went to their third-consecutive Women’s College World Series. The Tigers hosted their fourth regional under Torina before taking on Florida State in the Tallahassee Super Regional. The Tigers toppled a national seed for the third time in program history on the road in the Super Regional Round.
With the second toughest strength of schedule in the nation in 2017, Torina led the Tigers to their 11th appearance in the SEC Championships and the second-straight under Torina. The season marked the sixth-straight year at least two pitchers have recorded 10 wins, every year since Torina’s arrival in Baton Rouge. It was the fourth season that the pitching staff had an ERA below 2.00.
The Tigers earned many honors along the way. It was the second-time in program history that teammates earned First Team All-American honors in Sahvanna Jaquish and Bailey Landry. Jaquish became the first four-time All-American in program history. The Tigers have earned at least one All-American honor for a program-record of nine-straight years.
The 2016 season saw the Tigers return one of the most experienced teams in the country at virtually every position as LSU, beginning and ending the season as the third ranked team in the nation, finished the year with a 52-18 overall record, winning 50 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2006 and 2007.
After earning another regional hosting bid, LSU swept through the Baton Rouge regional earning wins against LIU Brooklyn, McNeese State and Arizona State. The Tigers then went on the road to James Madison, and in dramatic fashion became the 15th team in the super regional era, and fifth team on the road, to drop the first game and go on to win the next two to advance to Oklahoma City. The 2016 WCWS appearance marked the first time in program history that the team earned back-to-back berths at the WCWS. The Tigers played the nation’s sixth toughest schedule in 2016 en route to winning 31 games at home.
In the SEC, the Tigers earned series wins over WCWS participants Alabama and Georgia, while closing the conference slate with a pair of sweeps over South Carolina and Arkansas, winning eight of their final nine league games to finish 13-11. It set up the Tigers for a run in the 2016 SEC Softball Tournament, where the team got a walk-off win against Texas A&M in the opener, before earning wins over Kentucky and Tennessee to reach the final.
Bianka Bell and Carley Hoover were both named All-SEC. Bell earned first team honors for the second-straight season, while Hoover landed on the second team. LSU had the most representatives on the NFCA All-South Region Team of any other university in the region, getting Bell, Hoover, Sahvanna Jaquish, Sandra Simmons, Kellsi Kloss, Bailey Landry and Allie Walljasper.
Jaquish and Bell were both of LSU's NFCA All-American selections. Jaquish became the third LSU player to be named a three-time All-American, while Bell earned the nod for the second consecutive year.
The 2015 season, one of the greatest seasons in program history, culminated with LSU hosting a Super Regional at Tiger Park for the first time. LSU capped the 2015 season with back-to-back victories over Arizona, which sent the Tigers to the Women’s College World Series for the second time under Torina.
The season started off with a 25-game winning streak, which is the best start to a season in the program’s history and the longest winning streak in program history. The streak was also the best start to a season in LSU athletics history and second best streak in among any sport at LSU.
The Tigers ascended to its first ever No. 1 ranking during the year, holding the top spot for three weeks en route to the first 50-win season for the group since 2007. During the 2015 season, the Tigers won 21 games against ranked opponents and 38 games at home, both program records.
The team set season records in team batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, RBI and total bases in 2015. The pitching staff set a program record for saves and allowed the fewest doubles in program history.
After originally being picked fourth in the preseason, LSU finished that way by the end as it hosted the 2015 SEC Tournament for the first time since the new Tiger Park opened. The Tigers finished the SEC slate with a 15-9 record against league competition, the third time under Torina that an LSU team has won at least 15 league games in a season.
The season awards came in like a tidal wave for the Tigers as a record five LSU players were named NFCA All-Americans with Bianka Bell earning first team honors, Bailey Landry and Sahvanna Jaquish earning second team honors and freshmen Carley Hoover and Allie Walljasper being third team selections.
Bell was one of four first team All-SEC selections along with Hoover, Jaquish and Kellsi Kloss. Landry and A.J. Andrews were second team picks. Hoover and Emily Griggs were named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, while Sandra Simmons landed on the SEC All-Defensive Team.
For the first time since becoming the head coach at LSU, Torina was named the LSWA Louisiana Coach of the Year, while Bell was named the Louisiana Hitter of the Year and Hoover earned the Louisiana Pitcher of the Year.
Torina's third year at the helm proved to be defining in many ways, as the 2014 squad incorporated an influx of youthful talent into an already experienced squad which led to 38 wins and a trip to the NCAA Tucson Regional final, LSU's eighth consecutive trip to the postseason.The Tigers played the second toughest schedule in the country, with 19 wins against teams ranked in the top 25 of the RPI.
The Tigers finished the SEC slate in the tie for sixth place after going 13-11 in the now division-less conference, earning a win in the SEC tournament for the first time since the 2010 season before being sent to Arizona to grab wins against the Wildcats, Louisville and Boston.
Sahvanna Jaquish earned NFCA All-American honors for her outstanding freshman campaign, becoming the fifth player in program history named to the second team list. Jaquish belted a single-season program record 17 home runs and collected a team-best 55 RBI. It was the fifth consecutive year an LSU player was honored as an All-American.
Along with being named to the NFCA All-South Region first team along with Bianka Bell, Jaquish was one of four players to earn All-SEC honors as she was first team, while A.J. Andrews was placed on the second team. Baylee Corbello and Bailey Landry were also selected to the SEC All-Freshman team.
LSU raced out to a 14-1 start in 2013 which was the program's best start to a season since 2007. Playing one of the nation's toughest schedules, the Tigers claimed 12 victories over Top 25 opponents and spent a majority of the season ranked inside the nation's Top 15. It was the LSU's highest win total over ranked opponents dating back to the 2006 season.
LSU returned to the top of the SEC's Western Division and clinched the program's ninth division crown with a three-game sweep over Alabama that featured three one-run victories. The final two games of the series were played in-front of the two-largest crowds in Tiger Park history.
A.J. Andrews and Rachele Fico earned NFCA All-American accolades. The last time LSU had two players garner Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American status during the same season was 2007.
Fico took home NFCA All-American First-Team honors for the second straight season. She joined Ashlee Ducote and Britni Sneed as the only two NFCA All-American First-Team selections in program history. Fico was a USA Softball Top 25 Player of the Year finalist, a Top 10 finalist for the Senior Class Award and picked up the NFCA's National Player of the Week award on April 30 after two wins during LSU's sweep of Alabama.
Fico's 24 wins in the circle was the highest total for a LSU pitcher since Dani Hofer tallied 24 wins in 2007. She twirled 10 shutouts to rank tied for 10th nationally. The right-hander racked up 232 strikeouts and matched the SEC's single-game record held by Tennessee's Monica Abbott with 22 Ks against Mississippi State.
LSU had five players secure All-SEC accolades with Andrews (First Team), Jacee Blades (Second Team), Bianka Bell (Second Team, Freshmen Team), Fico (Second Team, Team) and Kellsi Kloss (Freshmen Team). Bell became the second player in LSU history to collect the SEC's Freshman of the Year award.
Andrews registered a .353 batting average on 71 hits, the program's highest totals since Kirsten Shortridge's All-American campaign in 2010. Bell connected for 12 home runs, tied for third-most in program history for a single season.
The 2012 WCWS berth was the program's third overall appearance on college softball's biggest stage and program's first since 2004. The Tigers are only one of three teams since the current regional/super regional format that was adopted in 2005 to knock off a pair of seeded teams in No. 8 Texas A&M and No. 9 Missouri on the road to Oklahoma City.
In 2012, Torina guided the LSU pitching staff to a stifling 1.58 staff ERA which tied for second-lowest in the SEC. The 1-2 punch of Rachele Fico and Brittany Mack amassed 36 of LSU's 40 victories during 2012 in the circle.
Fico garnered 20 victories, a stout 1.12 ERA, racked up 221 strikeouts, limited opponents to a .183 batting average and tossed 13 shutouts over 230.1 innings. Her 1.12 ERA and 13 shutouts were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the NCAA rankings.
Mack created and championed the “Geaux Play” program where new or gently used sports equipment was donated at home games to benefit the Miracle League Association at Cypress Mounds. She was named a Lowe's Senior Class Award Top 30 Finalist and the SEC's Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year, the first time a LSU softball player has received that award.
Fico and Mack finished their careers as two of LSU's most decorated hurlers. The duo combined for 134 victories and 1,399 strikeouts during their careers. They are two of the six pitchers in program history to account for 600-plus Ks.
Both Mack (2012) and Fico (2013) went onto become the first overall draft picks in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) League during consecutive years. Mack played her first season with the USSSA Florida Pride under Torina before the pair was reunited with the Akron Racers in 2013.
Torina spent three seasons with the Pride as an assistant coach (2010) followed by a two-year run as head coach (2011-12). During her tenure, the organization captured the 2012 Ringer Cup trophy awarded to the league's regular season champion and won the 2010 NPF championship. The Pride roster featured multiple Olympians which includes ESPN softball analyst Jessica Mendoza along with Caitlin Lowe and Natasha Watley.
Before joining the LSU program in June 2011, Torina took Florida International of the Sun Belt Conference to new heights. The two-time SBC Coach of the Year led the Golden Panthers to a 129-111 record in four seasons and directed FIU to its first NCAA Tournament victory in 2010.
The 2010 campaign saw the Golden Panthers sweep the SBC postseason awards as Kasey Barrett was the league's Pitcher of the Year, Ashley McClain was tabbed Player of the Year and Brie Rojas garnered Freshman of the Year status.
Individually, Torina coached 10 players to 14 All-SBC selections sparked by Jessy Alfonso and McClain, who have picked up All-SBC First-Team honors during each of the last two seasons. McClain also has collected 2010 and 2011 NFCA All-South Region First-Team accolades.
Torina spent five seasons as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Houston from 2003-07. The Cougars claimed the 2007 Conference USA regular season and tournament titles. One of her most prized recruits, Angel Shamblin, went on to become a two-time C-USA Pitcher of the Year, an NFCA All-South Region selection and a 2008 NFCA All-American. In addition to Shamblin, Torina saw seven UH hurlers receive All-Conference USA accolades during her tenure.
Torina began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Stetson University from 2000-02, leaving her mark on the Hatters' softball program after helping lead the 2001 squad to a share of the regular season Atlantic Sun Conference championship. Torina's pitchers set a quartet of school records, including wins (45), shutouts (20), strikeouts (385) and strikeouts per seven innings (6.70).
Torina earned her B.S. in health sciences and occupational therapy from Florida in 2000. During her playing career with the Gators, she was a member of the 1998 Southeastern Conference regular season championship team as the squad's top pitcher. She posted 60 career wins, which currently ranks tied for fourth in the UF record book. In the classroom, Torina was a GTE Academic All-America and a finalist for the 2000 H. Boyd McWhorter SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Torina has established an active community service function within the softball program as the Tigers regularly visit hospitals and schools in the Baton Rouge area. She is personally involved in several philanthropic causes highlighted by the program's annual “Strikeout Ovarian Cancer” event where LSU wears teal jerseys to celebrate survivors and support the cause of spreading ovarian cancer awareness. Torina's mother, Betty Dieter, is a seven-year ovarian cancer survivor.
In 2013, the inaugural “Geaux Teal Ovarian Cancer Walk” was added to the Teal weekend’s slate of events. In its initial year, the walk began at Tiger Park and rose close to $15,000 for ovarian cancer research. The organization has raised over $350,000 since its inaugural year. Torina serves on the committee of women from Baton Rouge to New Orleans with connections to ovarian cancer either as a survivor or lost a family member to the deadly disease. The organization has set records in both number of attendees and funds raised in each of their first eight years. 1,080 attendees celebrated loved ones at the 2019 event. The organization promoted “Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month” and received a proclamation from Governor Bobby Jindal during September 2013. The organization held their first virtual event in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Torina and her husband, Nick, were married in January 2010. The couple has three daughters Taryn, Tatum and Tenley. They currently reside in Baton Rouge.
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