LSU has a powerful offensive team, but the Tigers don’t like to focus on batting averages.
They don’t worry so much about stats, hits or RBIs either, rather they work toward having quality at bats.
A quality at bat involves doing whatever it takes to get on base or move the runners, whether it be a hit, walk, bunt or sacrifice.
“We keep track of our quality at bats, not so much our batting averages,” senior catcher Sahvanna Jaquish said. “We always try to keep that above 50 percent and keep that going.”
Almost every LSU softball player has a higher on-base percentage than their total batting average.
Even the team’s biggest hitters sometimes have to play small ball or do their job to get on base, even if that does not involve getting a hit.
Senior right fielder Bailey Landry, who has the highest batting average on the team at .460, has an on-base percentage of a staggering .494, while Jaquish, who owns the program RBI record, has the highest on base percentage on the team at .543.
Another part of quality at bats is being productive when a big hit is needed and being able to come up with those hits.
With an offensive skid in the middle of the season, the Tigers are refocusing on those quality at bats and being productive at the plate.
“We’ve been hitting the ball really hard, not really getting any luck on that side,” junior pitcher Allie Walljasper said. “Just knowing that, keep getting the quality at bats, keep hitting the ball hard and it will come our way.”
The key to offensive success comes from being relaxed in the box and having fun in the dugout, freshman first baseman Amanda Doyle said.
“I’ve been having better quality at bats, better at bats in general,” Doyle said. “The outcomes just haven’t been there. It’s definitely helped me stay on track knowing that I’m going in the right direction.”
Throughout the last few weeks of the season and going into the postseason, many players will have to step up and make big plays for the team.
As the pitching continues to get better, the team must make those adjustments in order to continue to have quality at bats and continue contributing.
“A lot of it as we go down this stretch [at the end of the season] doesn’t necessarily come from getting hits,” LSU coach Beth Torina said. “We’re going to be facing a lot of good pitching and it’s going to take a lot of manufacturing. Moving runners, from sacrifice bunting to sac flies. There’s a lot of things as we go down the stretch here so you’ve got to make sure every at bat is productive.”