They say you can't go home again, but that's where LSU coach Yvette Girouard is bound.
The NCAA announced Sunday night the LSU softball team is a No. 1 seed for its 48-team field, but it won't be hosting a regional.
The Tigers (53-9) will be playing Northwestern State (45-3) at noon Thursday at Lady Cajun Park on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. That's where Girouard went to school and coached for 20 years, taking the Lady Cajuns to national prominence and three Women's College World Series.
No top seed, including LSU, will host. Michigan and Oklahoma are the only No. 2 seeds to host.
"I'm shocked," Girouard said. "It's the most bizarre seeding I've ever seen in my coaching career. I've never seen anything like this. They sent every No. 1 seed on the road. They had said a lot of things were going to be thrown out the window, but no one expected this."
According to a release on the NCAA's Web site, "Top-seeded teams were not guaranteed to host a regional because site selection was based on geographic location."
"I don't know what happened," Girouard said. "It has to be something. Maybe it was money. Maybe ULL bid more than we did. I don't know. But none of the top seeds got to host. Who knows what they were thinking."
The No. 3-ranked Tigers won the Southeastern Conference Tournament and Girouard expected to be hosting. LSU has hosted regionals the last three years.
"I have no idea what happened," she said. "I'll make a call and try to find out, but I don't know. I'm very disappointed the regional's not going to be in Baton Rouge. I thought we did everything we could to try to get the regional. But I'm sure with all the Louisiana schools, they'll sell out at ULL. I'm sure they'll all be ready for us. It'll be interesting."
ULL will be hosting its eighth regional and first since 1997. The Lady Cajuns (49-11) are a No. 3 seed and play No. 4 seed Massachusetts (52-11) at 5 p.m. Thursday.
Tournament booklets will go on sale at 9 a.m. today at the ULL ticket office to Lady Cajuns season-ticket holders, Louisiana Classics members, Big Wheel members and Louisiana Athletics Partners.
Open sales begin at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the ULL ticket office with booklets going for $50 for box seats, $40 for reserved and $30 for general admission. If any remain, individual tickets go on sale Thursday.
The Tigers, who defeated ULL 2-1 last year in Baton Rouge to reach their first WCWS, gained their sixth straight regional bid.
In the other game Thursday in Lafayette, No. 2 seed Arizona State (40-18) will play No. 5 seed Mississippi State (35-29) at 2:30 p.m. The LSU-Northwestern loser plays the loser of ASU-MSU at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
LSU beat Northwestern State four times this season in Baton Rouge: 3-1, 2-1, 4-3 in nine innings and 2-0.
"Northwestern State is the best No. 6 seed in the country," Girouard said. "We've had our wars with them."
ULL's regional will have the No. 3 seed at the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla., regardless of who wins the regional.
