With a roller coaster of offensive performances throughout the last few weekend series, LSU softball coach Beth Torina hopes to see more “aggressive at bats” in the coming weeks.
“I think we’re just in a spot where we’re really passive,” Torina said. “I’m not sure why we’ve gotten to this point, but I just think a little bit more aggressive mentality [or] attacking mentality, and hopefully we’ll be able to [be a] bit better if we can do more of that.”
Torina is looking for the most productive lineup to step up for the final few weeks of conference play, even if that means changing it up to see what works most efficiently.
“I just try to go with who’s swinging well at the time,” Torina said. “We’ll see who does the best in the practice, and we’ll go from there.”
For most of the season, the designated hitter position has been a mainstay for freshmen Sydney Springfield and Amanda Doyle, depending on who is playing first base.
Torina said it’s a good problem to have when the coaching staff has so many options regarding lineups on both sides of the ball.
Junior pitcher Allie Walljasper, the only pitcher on the team who hits in games, took up the designated hitter spot when Doyle went into a slump.
She has maintained a .255 batting average.
Since then, many players have been stepping into the designated hitter role-most recently freshman pitcher Maribeth Gorsuch.
“We tried [Maribeth] Gorsuch against Ole Miss because she had been swinging well in practice,” Torina said. “She looked really good in practice and hadn’t really [had] too much of an opportunity.”
Gorsuch has pitched four games for the Tigers, but never came up to bat until the Ole Miss series. While she didn’t notch a hit, Torina is more concerned about her mentality with the play and her quality at bats.
“I liked all three at bats she had over the weekend and the one tonight [Northwestern],” Torina said. “She got rung up on a close pitch, but I thought the rest of the at bat was a really good at bat. She’s doing some good things. So is [sophomore catcher] Taylor Satchell, [and freshman second baseman] Nicky Dawson, those guys are doing some good things.”
In the 13 games Satchell has played this season, she’s posted a .208 batting average, and in the 27 games Dawson has played, she put up a .345 batting average.
Dawson has come in clutch during big games, both as the DH and as a pinch hitter. A slap turned home run from Dawson propelled the Tigers to a 7-2 win against Mississippi State on March 31.
So many viable options are proving to be difficult for the coaching staff, but Torina has a simple formula.
“It’s a tough choice,” Torina said of finding the right designated hitters. “We’re just looking for somebody who’s going to be a little bit more fearless, take a bigger swing, step up to the plate and just take some hacks.”
With a roller coaster of offensive performances throughout the last few weekend series, LSU softball coach Beth Torina hopes to see more “aggresive at bats” in the coming weeks.
“I think we’re just in a spot where we’re really passive,” Torina said. “I’m not sure why we’ve gotten to this point, but I just think a little bit more aggressive mentality [or] attacking mentality, and hopefully we’ll be able to [be a] bit better if we can do more of that.”
Torina is looking for the most productive lineup for the final few weeks of conference play, even if that means changing it up to see what works most efficiently.
“I just try to go with who’s swinging well at the time,” Torina said. “We’ll see who does the best in the practice and we’ll go from there.”
For most of the season, the designated hitter position has been a mainstay for freshmen Sydney Springfield and Amanda Doyle, depending on who was playing first base.
Torina said it’s a good problem to have when the coaching staff has so many options regarding lineups on both sides of the ball.
Junior pitcher Allie Walljasper, the only pitcher on the team who hits in games, took up the designated hitter spot when Doyle went into a slump.
She has maintained a .255 batting average.
Since then, many players have been stepping into the designated hitter role, most recently freshman pitcher Maribeth Gorsuch.
“We tried [Maribeth] Gorsuch against Ole Miss because she had been swinging well in practice,” Torina said. “She looked really good in practice and hadn’t really [had] too much of an opportunity.”
Gorsuch has pitched four games for the Tigers, but never came up to bat until the Ole Miss series. While she didn’t notch a hit, Torina is more concerned about her mentality with the play and her quality at bats.
“I liked all three at bats she had over the weekend and the one tonight [Northwestern],” Torina said. “She got rung up on a close pitch, but I thought the rest of the at bat was a really good at bat. She’s doing some good things. So is [sophomore catcher] Taylor Satchell, [and freshman second baseman] Nicky Dawson, those guys are doing some good things.”
In the 13 games Satchell has played this season, she’s posted a .208 batting average, and in the 27 games Dawson has played, she put up a .345 batting average.
Dawson has come in clutch during big games, both as the DH and as a pinch hitter. A slap turned home run from Dawson propelled the Tigers to a 7-2 win against Mississippi State on March 31.
So many viable options are proving to be difficult for the coaching staff, but Torina has a simple formula.
“It’s a tough choice,” Torina said of finding the right designated hitters. “We’re just looking for somebody who’s going to be a little bit more fearless, take a bigger swing, step up to the plate and just take some hacks.”

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Jordan Marcell

LSU freshman infielder Amanda Doyle (22) warms up before the Tigers' 3-0 loss to Minnesota on Saturday, March 4, 2017 at Tiger Park.