» From left to right: Sidney Padgett, Yvonne Philipps, Claire Langlois and Courtney McGuffee are members of the LSU Baseball Bat Girls, a 31-person squad that assists the Tigers on and off the field.
Dealing with Stereotypes But one thing that doesn’t change much are the assumptions people make about Bat Girls. “A lot of the times, people think we are cleat chasers or you just want to get with guys,” Philipps said. “In reality, all of us girls love baseball and love LSU.” Rachel Rhodes, history junior and second year Bat Girl, said she has looked into the Bat Girl programs at several other universities and has found LSU’s squad to stand apart in its image and root in Southern tradition. “Bat Girl programs at a lot of schools are different,” she said. “Often it’s assumed if you’re a Bat Girl you’re dating a player, but we avoid that at all costs.” Rhodes explained that Bat Girls are not allowed to date players, and though people often assume the squad is full of “baseball groupies,” she stressed LSU’s Bat
Girls are just female students who simply love baseball. “We don’t want to have the image of lackeys or groupies, and a lot of us are good friends with the players,” Rhodes said. “During the game, they’re used to us. Sometimes the away players, especially from smaller schools, are curious about us. Stony Brook had no idea who we were or what we do.” Taylor Raines, kinesiology sophomore, said she has noticed few stereotypes surrounding the squad. She said opposing teams have usually played LSU and are familiar with the presence of Bat Girls on the field. “When you try out to be a Bat Girl, in the interview they are very clear that when you are a Bat Girl, you are not there to distract the baseball players,” Raines said. “You have to stay out of their way but also assist them.” Clair Langlois, mass communication senior and first year Bat Girl, said she grew up watching the Atlanta Braves with her family every night over the summers, but
some people don’t immediately appreciate her love of the game when they hear she’s a Bat Girl. “Half my friends ask, ‘What player are you going to date?’” she said. “It’s frustrating because I absolutely love the sport of baseball. Yes, the players are good looking, but even if they weren’t, I’d still love the sport.” Abigail Woltering, anthropology and sociology junior said LSU’s Bat Girl program is nothing like what some would assume about the girls. “It’s interesting, that’s so the opposite of what it is here,” she said. “Other teams might have Bat Girls looked at that way, but the players here they know [fraternization] is not an issue, and fans know better.” Courtney McGuffee, mass communication sophomore, said she got into the program after growing up in a family dedicated to the sport. She said fans are friendly and can sometimes get flirtatious. “People will hang around the program box sometimes or come to program stands and try to start conversations and absolutely I talk, but I keep it professional. You l s u l e g a c ym ag .co m
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