LSU softball coach Beth Torina was so happy to get her team a breather from the grind of the Southeastern Conference, she closed Tiger Park to off-day workouts this week.
“A lot of them like to show up on their off days, so I told them to go to the coffee shop or movie theater instead, something else,” Torina said. “We still have a long week and are able to get three practices in. We had two really good practices last week as well. We’re on the right track.”
The No. 10-ranked Tigers were right back at it with a strong practice Tuesday in preparation of a nonconference series against a formidable opponent in Conference USA champion Liberty (31-19) beginning at 6 p.m. Friday. The teams play again at 6 p.m. Saturday and wrap up the weekend at 5 p.m. Sunday.
That closes out the regular season. Next week, the Tigers take off for the SEC tournament in Auburn, Ala.
“We came out yesterday with a lot of energy,” shortstop Taylor Pleasants said. “We had a split day, so it was a lot of just working on us. We’ll have a little more to play for on senior weekend. It always helps you push past fatigue or whatever it might be. Everyone wanting to do something for someone else — it will keep pushing us forward.”
The Tigers (36-13) needed a reset after going 4-8 over their final four conference series to finish 12-12 in SEC play. The LSU offense struggled to score, putting up only nine runs in the last nine conference games.
But the Tigers are still a strong bet for a good seed in the NCAA tournament with a No. 3 RPI ranking, best in the SEC. LSU has gone 6-6 against the top 16 RPI teams, and it can make progress against Liberty (No. 39 RPI) this weekend and in the SEC tournament next week.
“We’re finding ways to get their confidence back,” Torina said. “We call it sinking to their training instead of rising to the occasion. We want them to double down on what they’ve always done. We know the process works and that they are great players; continue doing what they do. That will be the key to getting them where they want to be.”
Pleasants has struggled in the past few weeks with only five hits and two RBIs in her last 44 at-bats. A career .325 hitter coming into the season, her batting average has fallen 62 points to .261 in the 16 games since April 2.
“I have to find a different mentality,” said Pleasants. “The mentality I have right now, the past weekend and before is not working. It’s finding a different way to approach each game, practice, each at-bat.”
While Liberty (31-20) isn’t a top 25 team, the Flames won the C-USA title with a 19-5 mark. Their overall record includes a sweep of Louisiana Tech with three shutouts and a split with UL.
Outfielder Rachel Roupe leads the Flames with a .371 batting average, 15 homers and 37 RBIs. Outfielder Mary Claire Wilson is batting .283 and first baseman Megan Fortner has good power numbers with 10 homers and 28 RBIs.
The Flames’ top pitcher is left-hander Kaylan Yoder, who is 10-7 with a 2.33 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 114⅓ innings. Opponents are batting .197 against her.