Beth Torina
Episode 134
23 AUG 2021
She has been the head coach of the women’s softball team at LSU for ten years, following a stint leading a National Pro Fastpitch team, having previously been in the same position at Florida International University. Prior to that she had been the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Houston. She had started into coaching as an assistant coach at Stetson University in 2000. As a student-athlete she had been a pitcher at the University of Florida. In her current role she has established an active community service function within the softball program as the LSU players regularly visit hospitals and schools in the Baton Rouge area.
Notable guest quotes:
“I’ve been raised Catholic my whole life… definitely was at church every Sunday with my family and my parents, and my dad has been a big pillar of my faith and my religious upbringing.”
“I spent a lot of time at the church on Wednesday nights and Sunday nights and some of the youth groups had a big part of who I am. We did some cool stuff. We went to World Youth Day and got to see the Pope.”
“I was really lucky to get involved with the campus ministry… there was a family that would have a Bible study on Sunday nights and then the Catholic, on-campus church at the University of Florida was just awesome. I developed a really good relationship with Fr. Tim, who was the priest there at the time.”
“One thing I think is really cool here at LSU is… when we go on the road, we make sure on Sunday mornings… we always try to find a church in the city that we’re in.”
“I have spent a lot of time in my life telling God the things that I want, and He just can kind of laugh and make a much better plan than I ever could have imagined.”
“We’ve worked really hard, especially here at LSU, to have some program standards that we live by. We call it TIGERS for Life and it’s Trust, Integrity, Grit, Energy, Relentless, and Selfless. All of our players could tell you this… and I think I just try to live my life the same way I ask them to live it.”
“You have so many special women that, ya’ know, we’re supposed to be growing them, and in return they end up growing us all the time. And I think a big key to that is just letting your heart be open to it.”
“We are raising three little girls and I would say, when I talk about God’s plan, this is the one where He really had a different look than I did.”
Related link:
Beth’s full bio on LSU website
