BATON ROUGE -- Leading up to the upcoming 2009 softball season, LSUsports.net will get to know the 10 newcomers on the Tiger softball team. Today’s edition features catcher Morgan Russell and infielder Juliana Santos.

Russell picked up three All-Edmond and All-Conference selections as Santa Fe High School in Oklahoma four-time state finalist. She earned All-Edmond Co-Player of the Year, All-Region and All-State as a senior after batting .402 with 22 doubles and 27 RBIs.

“Wearing the LSU uniform is an honor and one of the best feelings in the world,” Russell said. “This was my dream school. I feel like I’m adjusting pretty well when it comes to managing the pitching staff. The mental part of the game has been the biggest adjustment for me. I love the challenge and being put in positions where I have to step up a notch.”

Santos notched back-to-back WAC MVP honors as Orestimba High School in California won the WAC Section championship in 2007 and 2008. She batted .667 and paced her section with 55 RBIs on 11 home runs and 21 doubles. 

“I love everyone on the team,” Santos said. “There’s a lot of competition and the pace of the game is a lot faster in college than it was in high school. You have to work hard every day in practice if you want to be successful. My goal is to do whatever I can to help our team.”

LSU embarks on the 2009 season at the Paradise Softball Classic, squaring off against Oklahoma, UAB and host Hawai`i from Feb. 5-7. The new Tiger Park opens against McNeese State on Feb. 11.

Season tickets are on sale now at www.LSUSports.net, the official Web site of LSU Athletics. Tickets also can be purchased at the ticket office or by calling (225) 578-2184 or (800) 960-8587.

There are a limited number of chair-back seats still available for $100, while reserved bleacher seating is $75. Fans are encouraged to get their season tickets to guarantee great seats for LSU’s marquee home schedule that features six games against teams that made the 2008 Women’s College World Series.

Know Your Softball Tigers, Vol. 4, 2009
	Morgan Russell #4 Catcher | 5-7 | Fr.	Juliana Santos #2 Infielder | 5-5 | Fr.
Anticipated Major	Kinesiology	Biochemistry
Nickname	Mo	Jules
Thoughts on playing in the New Tiger Park	Just stepping on the field gives me chills. I’m grateful because there have been a lot of people that have worked to make this field happen.	It’s really exciting. The park looks gorgeous and amazing. I can’t wait to play in it.
Quality a teammate has that I wished I had	Kirsten Shortridge’s speed because I’m slow as molasses.	Katie Guillory’s intensity. She gives a 110 percent on every ball no matter how tired she is.
Superstition:	I have to do the same routine in the batter’s box.	I don’t have any.
If you could be in a movie, who would be your co-star and what type of movie would it be?	No doubt Brad Pitt in a romance. He can fall in love with me.	My family and it would be comedy because we’re funny people.
If the team was on Survivor, who would win?	Jessica Mouse	Kirsten Shortridge
Who has the singing voice to win American Idol?	Anissa Young	I don’t think anyone has the singing voice to win, but Morgan Russell and Anissa Young would be in the final round on our team.
If you could have dinner with any athlete or coach, who would it be?	David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox	Steve Finley of the Colorado Rockies
What do you want your freshmen class to be remembered for?	We came together and never gave up. I want the fans to remember our heart and of course our main goal as a team is to win a national championship.	Our goal is to win a national championship. I think our group of freshmen has a lot of potential and room to grow as players to reach that goal in our career.