Junior shortstop Bianka Bell takes a deep breath and steps into the batter’s box — her sanctuary. The world becomes simple: just read and react. 
Countless people have told Bell how great of a player she is or could be for years, but until this season she never seemed to believe them. After posting two collegiate seasons with more than 10 home runs, Bell enters 2015 as one of the most explosive hitters on LSU’s roster. 
Through the Tigers’ first five games, Bell showed the power that strikes fear in every pitcher she faces, hitting a team-leading three home runs. Although Bell has struggled with errors in her first two seasons, her ability to turn around a game with a single swing gives LSU a chance no matter the score. 
“She’s in a different spot mentally than she’s ever been before,” said LSU coach Beth Torina. “She looks really comfortable. She looks relaxed. We’ve all known the type of hitter that she is since the day she got here, but it’s time that she’s finally starting to understand what she’s capable of. I’ve proud of how she started out this weekend.”  
Bell has come through with key hits on some of the biggest stages throughout her career.  
In her freshman year, Bell hit her first Southeastern Conference home run against Mississippi State on March 10, 2013, sparking LSU to a 9-2 victory and securing the top spot in the SEC West. 
Last season, the Tigers were trailing then-No. 2 Tennessee, 4-3, on April 4, when Bell came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh. Bell struck a three-run walk off homer, her seventh of the season, giving LSU its first SEC series win. 
Bell showed she hasn’t lost her touch in the 2015 Tiger Classic.
In the 2015 opener against Memphis, Memphis (1-3) led by one run when Bell came to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning. 
Bell sparked the Tigers with a two-run homer, which was LSU’s first home run of the season. The Tigers’ lineup caught fire after the home run, scoring four runs on six hits and leading LSU to a 7-2 victory in its opener. 
Through LSU’s first five games, Bell has hit a .563, a 1.313 slugging percentage and 10 RBIs, which is the most among players who have participated in all five games this season. 
Despite her offensive contributions, Bell struggled during her sophomore year with errors.  This lead to Torina benching her from fielding duties for three games and starting her at designated player.
After being named 2013 SEC Co-Freshman of the Year, Bell came into her sophomore year with immense pressure on her shoulders to repeat the success of her freshman campaign. 
“Last year, I got into my head a little bit much and it affected me in practice and definitely transformed into the games,” Bell said. “I was trying to beat my numbers and try to [do] better, and that definitely affected me a lot
on the field.”
Bell led the Tigers with 15 errors last season and was tied for the second-most errors in the SEC. Her fielding percentage declined to .923 as a sophomore after earning a .932 fielding percentage in her freshman year. 
Coming into her junior season, Bell changed her approach by not placing as much pressure on herself as an individual to make every play.
“This offseason and in the fall, I just worked on being myself and staying within myself and not trying to do more than I should be trying to do,” Bell said. “It definitely helped, so hopefully I’ll be a lot better this spring.” 
Bell has been able to settle into her role as a leader on the field. After the graduation of former Tigers’ third baseman Tammy Wray and second baseman Allison Falcon, Bell and junior first baseman Sandra Simmons have stepped up to take leadership of the infield. 
Although Bell said she is more of a leader by example, her teammates see her as a vocal leader. 
“Bianka is a born leader,” said sophomore catcher/infielder Sahvanna Jaquish. “She may act shy in front of the camera, but on the field she is loud. She’s just a little ball of energy and having her in the lineup will change a team’s view on how they see power in our lineup.”
You can reach Morgan Prewitt on Twitter @kmprewitt_TDR.