Courtesy of LSU Athletics
BATON ROUGE, La. – Head coach Beth Torina and the LSU softball team have announced the addition of Carley Hoover to the Tigers roster for the 2015 season, joining the Purple and Gold after one year at Stanford University.
Hoover, the 2013 Gatorade National High School Player of the Year, appeared in only five games for the Cardinal in 2014 and enrolled at LSU over the summer.
“I’m very confident about the direction the program is going in, and being able to add a player like Carley to our team will help us continue to grow the tradition of LSU softball for years to come,” Torina said. “We are excited to add a player of her caliber to our roster, and we look forward to welcoming her to the LSU family.”
A three-sport athlete on the prep level, the 6-2, right-handed pitcher from South Carolina will add to an already loaded pitching staff LSU will have returning to the fold in sophomores Baylee Corbello and Kelsee Selman, along with another highly touted addition to the circle in freshman Allie Walljasper. The Tigers were 38-24 last season and made it to the final of the NCAA Tucson Regional.
“I’m really excited to be a part of this team, and cannot wait to see what we can accomplish together next season,” Hoover said. “The Tiger family has welcomed me with open arms, and I’m proud to wear these colors and represent this great university.”
At D.W. Daniel High School, Hoover became one of the most dominant athletes in recent memory for the school, as she was a top-flight softball, volleyball and basketball player, reaching back to her junior high days where she started for the volleyball team as an eighth grader. At the net and on the court, she was a MaxPreps All-American in volleyball and an all-region selection and state runner-up for the basketball team.
On the diamond, Hoover was building her legacy as early as 2008 when she led the Simpsonville softball team to the Little League Softball World Series. By the time she graduated in 2013, Hoover would go on to earn two national player of the year awards, two All-American nods by MaxPreps, twice be named the class 3A state player of the year and make it to the state finals twice, culminating with a championship in her final year.
A force in the circle, Hoover finished her career with 1,345 strikeouts, averaging 2.00 strikeouts per inning in every season. She held opponents to a .079 batting average or lower in every season, while maintaining an earned run average of 0.51 for her first three years, before owning a paltry 0.15 ERA as a senior. That final year she was 16-4 with 338 strikeouts and just three earned runs allowed on the season.
She was able to do just as much damage swinging the bat as well, averaging .500 at the plate with 28 home runs, a .710 on-base percentage and a career slugging percentage above 1.000. Her play allowed her to earn five all-state and five Seneca Daily Journal Player of the Year award honors.
For all of the latest news and information on Tiger softball, visit www.lsusports.net/softball. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/lsusoftball along with @lsusoftball and @BethTorina on Twitter and @lsusb on Instagram.
