Lamar sports information

BEAUMONT — Lamar softball coach Holly Bruder announced Tuesday that outfielder Shannon Klaus, the most valuable player for Trinity Valley Community College last season, has transferred to LU and will play for the Cardinals this spring. The sophomore will have three years of eligibility at LU.

Klaus, a first-team all-conference selection as a freshman at Trinity Valley last season, batting .408 with 17 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. A first-team all-district and academic all-state performer at Cedar Creek High School, Klaus was a high school teammate of current LU softball player Shelby Hughston. Klaus played travel softball for the Austin Storm and Texas Blaze.

Klaus intends to major in biology at Lamar.

“We are so excited to add Shannon to our roster for this spring. She will bring much needed experience and a tremendous amount of speed and baserunning ability to the roster,” Bruder said. “She has a very strong arm that will fit into our outfield nicely.”

The Cardinals, who went 34-31 last season and advanced to the finals of the National Invitational Softball Championship, open their season Feb. 9 when they meet Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech on the first day of the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The home season opens at 2 p.m. Feb. 19 with a doubleheader against perennial national power Washington at the LU Softball Complex.