Two-time Stanislaus District MVP Walljasper is young ace for national power LSU

From the dusty diamonds of the Central Valley to the lavish stadiums of the Southeastern Conference, Allie Walljasper is proving her pitching arm is all-world.

The LSU freshman – and former Sierra High School standout – has bolstered the Tigers’ reputation as an elite program.

With Walljasper and fellow freshman Carley Hoover (Stanford transfer) in the circle, LSU climbed as high as No. 1 in the national polls, earned the right to host last week’s SEC Tournament and will reprise that role in the first leg of the NCAA Division I Tournament.

The Tigers were awarded a No. 5 national seed and will host Arizona State, Nebraska and Texas Southern in the Baton Rouge Regional, beginning Friday.

“We’re really honored to be the five seed. It’s a great moment for this program and is definitely based on what these players have earned throughout the season,” coach Beth Torina said in a school news release. “They’ve played a fantastic season, and I think they deserve a lot of the credit for what happened (Sunday).”

Not bad for a program with two freshman pitchers. Walljasper and Hoover have been recognized for their sudden impact at the collegiate level, drawing multiple Player of the Week awards. Hoover also was named to the All-SEC first team and freshman team.

While Walljasper, a 6-foot-2 fireballer, was left off the conference honor roll, it hardly diminished the season she’s had against one of the country’s thorniest schedules.

The right-hander leads the team in starts (18), ERA (1.76), complete games (13) and shutouts (five). Walljasper won 13 of her 17 starts before the SEC Tournament with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 4-to-1 (86-23). Her success has been tracked closely by former teammates and coaches at Sierra, where her father, Troy, remains an assistant coach and sister Lindsey has emerged as a freshman ace.

“We’re always up on what she’s doing, if she’s pitched that day and what her stats are. We always talk about what she’s doing as a team,” said Sierra first-year coach Vic DeAnda, whose team opens the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoffs against Union Mine on Thursday at Arnaiz Softball Complex in Stockton. “It’s pretty big to go to a big-time college like that and play on national TV. The kids get pretty pumped up hearing about her.”

Walljasper had few equals on the high school circuit. The four-time Valley Oak League MVP led Sierra to two Division IV section championships. She collected 63 wins and 895 strikeouts over a sparkling career, earning The Bee’s Stanislaus District Player of the Year honor in back-to-back seasons.

DeAnda said Walljasper had an imposing presence as a fresh-faced ninth-grader. That confidence, he said, has allowed her to cement her place on LSU’s staff as a freshman.

“She came in as a freshman like she’d been there before,” DeAnda said. “When it came to pitching, she just had a great head on her shoulders. Nothing bothered her. She was competitive, a girl that always wanted to win, and she’s taken that to the next level.”

This story was originally published May 11, 2015 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Two-time Stanislaus District MVP Walljasper is young ace for national power LSU."