I thought that the team did very well considering how most of the starters slumped at the plate. If I were the coach I'd be proud of the fact that the team had gone to CWS again, and had actually won games there, not getting put out 0-2. Nothing to be ashamed of for the season, and a lot to be proud of.

Instead of starting a whole new thread I just wanted to post my thoughts here.

First, I believe that we have just seen a great group of seniors, probably the best we will see for the next few years. Simmons, especially, turned out to be a stellar first baseman, and she has always had a great eye for the ball. Just really impressive to me.

Bell had her problems on defense, but its the position that she plays, gets the most balls hit to her, and hit the hardest. She hit very well, especially toward the end of the season as she came back from the slump she had gone into. Kloss fell off hitting-wise, but she was always a threat, the opposing pitchers had to be careful what they threw to her, and we are going to miss her for sure. I really thought we'd see Kraemer hitting in the lineup, but Beth is with these girls every practice and maybe she saw something to gave her pause. Kraemer is a great player. Was good, also, to have Falcon on the roster as someone who could play infield and outfield with big game experience.

As for the rest, like just about everyone else, I was concerned about the strike out count for Landry this year. I know people hate to see a batter get up and swing at the first pitch, but the one's that never swing at the first pitch, and are good like Landry, are going to start off 0-1. The opposing pitcher is going to throw Landry and Jaquish a strike on the first pitch. Landry would start of 0-1, foul off a couple trying to slap, and then end up either getting called on a strike that is outside the zone, or swinging and missing. I think she needs to get rid of the idea of waiting till she gets a strike on her before she is going to swing. Everyone knows this girl could be an All-American next year, first team..she has it all, maybe it will happen her senior year.

Jaquish is the opposite of Landry, in some ways. She has a great eye for the ball, too, and she is a smart batter.. but she either takes the first strike (most of the time) and ends up in a swing of desperation. .. or she will swing at the first pitch and end up grounding into a double play or popping up. A good hitter can hit pitches in the zone and slightly outside of it, but just because you can hit a certain pitch dont mean you its the one you want to go after.

Thornhill is a pretty good player. I dont know how fast she is but she doesn't make mistakes in the outfield, and she gets timely hits. She drops her shoulder, a lot like UT's Aucoin does and goes into her swing with too much weight on the back leg. I'd be surprised if she didn't start this coming year. Think she is going to turn out to be a great player.

Amber Serret had a great year at shortstop, very impressive. I am sure she could start for just about every team in the country. Her struggle is at the plate, and she often stands too close ato the plate and ends up jamming herself, hence all the ground balls and infield pop ups.

Griggs will probably start this year, and I hope that she can continue to play defense as well as she has. She will probably move to left field, and if that happens, Thornhill might end up on the bench. Griggs has a pretty good arm, and she is fast...her defensive play is not a concern. Her struggle, like many of the other players, is at the plate. She has a great swing that leave the bat flat in the strike zone and I just wish she'd get planted and hit the ball rather than trying to chop the ball. If I wanted to hit a ground ball, I'd swing at the top half of the ball instead of chopping as Griggs does. She got some timely hits for us, and I'd be disappointed if she didn't get put out in the field to start the season off, and given a chance to show how good she is on both sides.

Quinn, as Beth says, is the heart and soul of the team, the emotional leader. Everyone likes the girl, and she has a great, positive attitude. I am like a lot of the others who thought we'd see Bourg and Sanchez get more time, but Quinn made some great plays and had some clutch hits.

A lot of people, especially Beth's critics, are going to be watching to see how willing Beth is to pull Quinn, Griggs, Landry, et al, in the event that they start struggling. Its a marker they are going to use to show that Beth is another case of Jim Haslett/Aaron Brooks, where the coach refuses to pull a player that should be pulled.

I admit, I don't know enough about Howard and his abilities, but it grieved me watching some of the things the LSU hitters did this year. Truth is, though, maybe it was the player, and not the coach. For those who say things have gotten better since 2012, yes, and thats because we have better hitters, and possibly not just a different batting coach.

Beth ain't going anywhere, and if she did, LSU would spend years trying to find someone as good as she is. She recruits well, she knows pitching, she knows softball....she ain't the team's problem. No coach is perfect, and I agree this coming year will be a test, but I think LSU is going back to CWS this coming year, and not just to participate, but to challenge for the championship.