LSU junior shortstop Bianka Bell and sophomore catcher/infielder Sahvanna Jaquish are a pitcher’s worst nightmare. They have the kind of power that wakes pitchers up at midnight before a game with the image of back-to-back homers imprinted in their vision.
The duo entered this season with the potential to become an elite power-hitting combo after combining for 31 home runs in 2014. Throughout the top-ranked Tigers’ historic 30-1 season, they have become LSU’s lightning rods at the plate, inspiring their teammates and cementing themselves among the nation’s best with 24 combined homers.
“Every time they get up to the plate and every swing they take, it amazes me,” said freshman pitcher Allie Walljasper. “We always make jokes in the dugout, and we call their home runs. Usually we are right when we call them. It’s awesome. They are having so much success, and they deserve every bit of it.”
Throughout the season, Bell and Jaquish have amazed their teammates and Tiger fans alike with their ability to stay cool, calm and collected in high pressure situations.
Although she hit 26 home runs and had 101 RBIs in her first two seasons, Bell has reached another level of consistency in 2015. She leads the Southeastern Conference and is third in the country in batting average (.561). Her 1.071 slugging percentage leads the SEC and places her sixth in the NCAA.
Despite her eye-catching statistics, Bell’s ability to break games wide open with key hits has secured some of the Tigers’ marquee wins this season.
In the Tigers’ series win against previously No. 1 Florida on March 13-15, Bell recorded 10 hits in 14 at-bats and eight RBIs while hitting .714 against the Gators.
Bell opened and closed LSU’s scoring in their nine-run first inning in Game 2 with an RBI single up the middle and a two-RBI single, respectively. In Game 3, Bell broke a 3-3 tie with a three-run homer in the sixth inning.
In LSU’s two-game series against No. 6 Oklahoma last weekend, Bell came out firing in Game 2 after recording only one hit in Game 1. She exploded for her first multiple home run game in 2015 and the second of her career.
Whether she is setting the LSU career home run record or earning a single, Bell keeps the same mindset at the plate — just get on base.
“I’ve just been doing what I normally do — just trying to stay within myself,” Bell said. “I’ve just been seeing the ball really well lately, and I’ve just been trying to make things happen for my team.”
After breaking the LSU single-season home run record as a freshman in 2014, Jaquish has continued to excel in producing runs for the Tigers. She trails only Bell with 47 RBIs and leads LSU in grand slams this season.
Like Bell, Jaquish has come through with key hits in the rare occasions when the lineup has struggled.
Against Louisiana Tech on Feb. 17, Jaquish stepped to the plate with the Tigers’ trailing by one run with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Jaquish secured a 7-5 win with a three-run walk-off blast to left field.
In Game 3 against Arkansas on March 8, Jaquish broke open the game in fourth inning with her second grand slam of the season, helping lead LSU to a sweep in its first SEC series.
The duo’s success individually pushes the other to improve. After struggling against Florida, Jaquish fought back from a home-run drought by hitting back-to-back homers with Bell for the first time this season in Game 2 against Oklahoma on March 21.
“[Bell] looked like she was having a blast out there hitting home runs,” Jaquish said after Game 2 against Oklahoma. “I was like, ‘Man, I should join the party and try to hit a home run.’ Thank God, one went out for me.”
You can reach Morgan Prewitt on Twitter @kmprewitt_TDR.