Success starts with adjustment. The best players and teams are not perfect, but their ability to evolve through circumstances separates the champions from the runners’ up.
Although the No. 1 LSU softball team boasts one of the most efficient and prolific lineups in the country this season, the Tigers have struggled at times during Southeastern Conference play to balance their aggressive approach to hitting and patience at the plate.
“Offensively, we’ve got to make sure that we are swinging at strikes and not chasing pitches out of the zone,” said LSU coach Beth Torina. “We’ve spent a lot of time lately hitting pitcher’s pitches, instead of the pitches we want to hit. We’re going to continue to work on that. That’s something that’s plagued us all season long.”
The Tigers’ fearless approach at the plate has allowed the lineup to thrive under pressure in LSU’s biggest wins this season, including a victory against previously No. 1 Florida.
After dropping Game 1 against the Gators on March 13, junior catcher Kellsi Kloss sparked LSU to a 14-10 victory with a two-out, two-strike grand slam in the top of the seventh. The Tigers went on to win the series with a 10-4 demolishing of Florida in Game 3.
Against No. 11 Tennessee in Knoxville last weekend, LSU’s lineup hit a season-high seven homers in a three-game series to claim the Tigers’ first series win in program history at Tennessee.
Sophomore infielder Sahvanna Jaquish and Kloss highlighted the series with multiple home run games in Game 1 and Game 3, respectively.
Jaquish and Kloss’ success against Tennessee exemplifies the Tigers’ mentality at the plate to hit according to their strength as a batter.
When Jaquish steps up to the plate, the Tigers’ home run leader thrives on inside pitches.
“I look for inside [pitches],” Jaquish said. “Inside is my strength. Hopefully, I start off looking inside. When I have two strikes on me, then all bets are off and I just try to protect [the plate] out there.”
When each batter approaches each at-bat with her strengths in mind, the Tigers consistently manufacture runs throughout the order.
LSU has seven players in the lineup who have recorded at least 20 RBIs this season. Junior shortstop Bianka Bell and Jaquish have combined for 116 of the Tigers’ total 281 RBIs.
When the Tigers let their aggressiveness take over at-bats, batters start chasing pitches out of the strike zone, which Torina calls “pitcher’s pitches,” and throw off the balance of the entire lineup.
Hitting pitcher’s pitches can create many different problems in the order, from hitting foul balls to striking out, Jaquish said.
In their only SEC series loss of 2015 against Kentucky, the Tigers tallied a season-low of five runs and did not make effective adjustments against the Wildcats’ pitching staff.
Throughout the series, LSU struggled with strikeouts. In Game 2 and Game 3, the Tigers combined for 18 strikeouts.
Against the Wildcats’ duo of left-handed pitchers in Game 2, the Tigers’ normally consistent four left-handed hitters stalled. The four combined to go 2-for-12 with four strikeouts.
Although LSU’s lineup excelled in the first two games against Tennessee, the Tigers took a step back in Game 3.
After retaking the lead with a two-run inning in the top of the third, LSU couldn’t keep pace with the Lady Vols, who posted back-to-back three-run innings.
“The only way to really succeed is to learn from your failure,” Jaquish said. “We’re really just going to focus on making adjustments sooner. Swinging ahead in the count instead of swinging at the pitchers’ pitch.”
You can reach Morgan Prewitt on Twitter @kmprewitt_TDR.