The LSU softball team is on a roll at 20-1, but rather than cruise into conference play this week, coach Beth Torina is looking to gun the engine.
The No. 14 Tigers open at unranked South Carolina, but the 21-2 Gamecocks are trying to establish themselves in the conference race. Both are on seven-game winning streaks, and Torina is still looking for improvement from her team.
“That’s our biggest challenge, continuing to help this team grow,” she said. “(We want) to find ways we’re challenging them in practice and finding them things they need to push themselves for. They are really old and experienced.
“We have to find a way to keep pushing and growing them in every space possible.”
The teams play at 5 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday and 6 p.m. Monday.
The recent trip to the West Coast bolstered the Tigers confidence after they won in a variety of fashions. They won two pitching duels, rallied to win from a 4-0 deficit and slugged their way to two more victories. That’s a good sign going into SEC play in a conference with nine teams ranked in the USA Today Top 25.
“There’s always a little added something when you play in conference,” Torina said. “That’s what everyone wants to do, win the conference, win the tournament. There’s a little bit added to it, but we have to keep playing LSU softball no matter who is on the other side of the field.
“It’s a reset, back to 0-0. The stats don’t matter anymore.”
The Tigers have been piling up plenty of stats. The top two hitters in the order, Danieca Coffey and Ciara Briggs, are batting .471 and .435, respectively, with on-base percentages of .542 and .506.
They set the table for Taylor Pleasants and Georgia Clark. Pleasants (.358 batting average) leads the SEC with 32 RBIs and is tied for third with eight homers. Clark’s power numbers are down because opponents fear her swing. She has five homers and 17 RBIs with a league-leading 19 walks. She’s batting .396 with a .556 on-base percentage.
Leave a Reply