LSU is seeing more speed than ever this season — both on the bases and at the plate.
A team that normally relies on home runs and power hitters is adding more versatility to its lineup. After a back-and-forth offensive performance during the Tiger Classic, LSU is working on finding its groove at the plate.
Despite a setback in the 7-3 loss to Penn State, the Tigers finished the weekend with 40 hits and 40 runs scored.
“We talk a lot about buying into a plan and buying into the process,” junior center fielder Emily Griggs said. “Coach [Howard] Dobson and Coach Lindsay [Leftwich] and Coach [Melissa Brown] always talk about having an approach and having a plan when you go up to the plate. Everyone from top to bottom bought in, and that’s why we had the results that we did this weekend.”
While power hitters like senior catcher Sahvanna Jaquish and newcomers Amanda Doyle and Sydney Springfield hold down the team’s offense, the Tigers are working on filling in holes in the lineup.
“There isn’t a part of the game that’s too small to pay attention to,” Griggs said. “Sometimes a lot of people get hung up on the long ball or the home runs, and I think if you really look back at it, a lot of those home runs weren’t solo home runs. They were a lot of rallies started by slappers.”
LSU coach Beth Torina said the Tigers are working on creating more opportunities on offense and not relying completely on those power hitters.
“When you have speed on the bases and at the plate, you can put a lot of pressure on teams,” senior right fielder Bailey Landry said. “Our speed players are really fast, so as long as you can put pressure on the defense you can make things happen.”
Landry, a returning All-American, adds depth in the two hole spot with both power and speed. She led the Southeastern Conference with six triples last season and had one triple on eight hits in the Tiger Classic.
Landry said it’s always important to make the defense think about what she is going to do next. It is key to keep the defense on their toes so they don’t know how to respond.
“I am so glad that Bailey Landry is on my team,” Griggs said. “You don’t know where to play her. Do you play her like a regular slapper? Do you play her like a hitter? I think having that diversity in her is an amazing thing to have, I’m just so glad she’s on my team.”
Big base hits and homeruns matter a lot more when there are people on base.
All of the little things add up, and it comes in hand when producing more runs, Griggs said.
“We have more speed than what we even showed this weekend,” Torina said. “We didn’t necessarily play into that speed as much as it will come into play in the future. It’s going to be exciting, it’s going to be fun. I think as we move forward, you’ll see some more things from them.”
LSU is seeing more speed than ever this season — both on the bases and a the plate.
A team that normally relies on home runs and power hitters is adding more versatility to its lineup. After a back-and-forth offensive performance during the Tiger Classic, LSU is working on finding its groove at the plate.
Despite a setback in the 7-3 loss to Penn State, the Tigers finished the weekend with 40 hits and 40 runs scored.
“We talk a lot about buying into a plan and buying into the process,” junior center fielder Emily Griggs said. “Coach [Howard] Dobson and Coach Lindsay [Leftwich] and Coach [Melissa Brown] always talk about having an approach and having a plan when you go up to the plate. Everyone from top to bottom bought in and that’s why we had the results that we did this weekend.”
While power hitters like senior catcher Sahvanna Jaquish, and newcomers Amanda Doyle and Sydney Springfield hold down the team’s offense, the Tigers are working on filling in holes in the lineup.
“There isn’t a part of the game that’s too small to pay attention to,” Griggs said. “Sometimes a lot of people get hung up on the long ball or the home runs, and if you really look back at it, a lot of those home runs weren’t solo home runs. They were a lot of rallies started by slappers.”
LSU coach Beth Torina said the team is working on creating more opportunities on offense and not relying completely on those power hitters.
“When you have speed on the bases and at the plate, you can put a lot of pressure on teams,” senior right fielder Bailey Landry said. “Our speed players are really fast, so as long as you can put pressure on the defense you can make things happen.”
Landry, a returning All-American, adds depth in the two hole spot with both power and speed. She led the Southeastern Conference with six triples last season, and had one triple on eight hits in the Tiger Classic .
Landry said it’s always important to make the defense think about what she is going to do next. It is key to keep the defense on their toes so they don’t know how to respond.
“I am so glad that Bailey Landry is on my team,” Griggs said. “You don’t know where to play her. Do you play her like a regular slapper? Do you play her like a hitter? Having that diversity in her is an amazing thing to have and I’m just so glad she’s on my team.”
Big base hits and homeruns matter a lot more when there are people on base.
All of the little things add up and it comes in hand when producing more runs, Griggs said.
“We have more speed than what we even showed this weekend,” Torina said. “We didn’t necessarily play into that speed as much as it will come into play in the future. It’s going to be exciting, it’s going to be fun. As we move forward you’ll see some more things from them.”

Gallery • 1 Photos

Kelly McDuff

LSU senior outfielder Bailey Landry (26) bunts the ball during the Tigers' 5-2 victory over OSU on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017, at Tiger Park.