re: Softball game 3: #11LSU 2 VS #22Ole Miss 3 Final

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I've heard that Cunningham has decided she doesn't want to be a catcher anymore. She wants to be an infielder.

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That makes zero sense, she was recruited and has practically played catcher forever. She has also played in the infield when she played travel ball for the Bandits but she mainly got looks at catcher. Her bat must not be ready then. Where did you hear this?

I think everyone is taking things to personally. I don't agree with attacking a player specifically but I think its acceptable to question a coaching decision, it happens to every coach, even to the best of them.

We did lose a lot last year between Bell, Simmons, and Kloss. I think no doubt we would see a lot less power numbers this year but I was somewhat expecting a little better production out of certain players.

I am very objective and I am not going to sugar coat anything. I think Beth Torina is a great coach and she has a really bright future here with the talent she has coming in over the next few years too. She has taken us places we have never been, and has had us competing at a level we haven't been at.

There is no question when Torina took over, our offense wasn't very good. We saw some surges in numbers at the plate. I think there is no question we brought in much better hitters and our approach was much better than what we had before. Bianka Bell, Jaquish, Simmons, Landry, Kloss all were highly touted players that are very powerful athletes.

If there was one consistent under Torina it has been pitching. We have had top staffs every year and always had a very consistent dynamic stable of pitchers.

Defense has been solid, sometimes would hurt us but at times very very good.

Offensively, I think we have been very very good at times, and at other times been not very good. LSU hitters under Dobson I think have been much much more patient than most other teams, we thrive on making pitchers throw a lot. We tend to wear down pitchers and earn a lot of walks. The one thing I do notice is that every LSU hitter comes in and leaves with the exact same hitting mechanics. LSU recruits a lot of talented girls, although success at a HS level and college do not always correlate or translate.

I think its pretty apparent that LSU hitters tend to have very similar patterns, in terms of attacking and laying off certain pitches. We rarely ever even attempt to swing at the backdoor curve ball on the outside. I think teams have somewhat caught on to our approach and are now really taking advantage. Thats why last year we had some major struggles in conference plays because our hitters were extremely predictable. Luckily for us Kloss, Bell, Simmons all had pretty hitting mechanics, nice compact swings coming out of HS. So I think that helped off set that at times.

This group has a lot of talent, speed, and raw power. We have seen glimpses of it. I think we are struggling really badly like I said, it is because we are way too predictable at the plate, we watch a lot of good pitches and swing at questionable ones. Except we have one other major problem, its our hitting mechanics with this group.

Only three players on this team have good hitting mechanics, Doyle, Jaquish, and Landry.

People don't understand how vital it is to have good hitting mechanics, its not just about out talenting someone. I think a lot of these young players have a lot of talent and the sky is the limit. We are not maximizing our play makers at the plate, instead their poor mechanics are completely taking them out of the game before it even starts.

I think the perfect example was is Texas A&M. They had really bad mechanics before bringing in Glasco to clean everything up. There was a substantial different in numbers, particularly power numbers. Its continuing to get even better for them this year as these players have now had more than a year in that system.

LSU's situation is not hopeless at all, it can be fixed. Once it is fixed, the sky is the limit

I know TLDR but this is my assessment on what is going on

you're very politely saying "fire Dobson"


I just doubt Dobson is going to have some radical overhaul of his coaching style. I guess Torina can force his hand to do it or walk the plank.

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Salty

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Checks out.

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You are the fricking idiot. Every softball thread, we gotta read what your fatass does as a coach

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I would stoop to your level by name calling, but I won't. I just use examples of what I've seen in 30 years of experience to try to explain. Sorry if that offends you, maybe you can come visit with my "fatass" in section 103, row 3, seats 6-7 and we can talk positively about our Tigers (if I'm able to get over from Houston for a couple of days).

I'm done with all of you. I'll just cheer on the team and let you stew in your misery. Life's too short to be that miserable and insulting. My 93 year old mother with dementia and me the only caregiver puts a lot of perspective on what's important in life. Getting so upset over wins and losses just isn't important to me anymore. That's why I try to stay positive and it's hard to do that here. Enjoy your evening and GEAUX TIGERS!

I watched the replay three times and on that play when Sanchez threw to second base, yes it pulled Quinn off the bag and no chance for a double play but wasnt that throw catchable???? Looked like it was. Not blaming Quinn as I am sure she was trying to push the double play but I dont think it was a horrible throw or not catchable.

That being said, LSU softball has arrived at a fork in the road, or another fork in the road like the one from a few weeks back when things went downhill.

Landry had a bad series, and that was expected, we all knew she was only human but I know she is going to bounce back, she has the eye for the ball, the mechanics, the patience. She will be fine.

Andrews is good in left field and at the plate.

Moving Quinn to batting third, I am ok with it. I think she is a little too far off the plate sometimes. Actually, standing too far from the plate is worse than too close. Standing too close, you can still protect the inside of the plate with an early swing, even a foul off swing like Wade Boggs used to do. Quinn is a late swinger, and I dont think she could protect the inside.

There is no good reason for a batter to swing at a pitch over the outside corner and miss it, horizontally speaking, by a few inches. One of the first things we learned in batting practice was to make sure you can reach anything over the plate in the strike zone.

As has been said, Serrett was too close, and she was probably the only one with tht problem. I hope she doesn't move too far from the plate. Many of the others frustrate me... I see them off the plate and the pitcher aiming outside, and the umpires calling strikes off the outside corner... I dont understnd why adjustments are not made.

It seems like, going over the films, even a middle schooler could see they are too far from the plate.

Some of you have complained that those of us who are scrutinizing the batting issues are out to get Dobson. NO... we are expecting see CORRECTIVE changes, and its not happening. Serret is the only one.

I betcha if you threw Springfield out there she'd do the same thing she has been doing, that long, looping swing. I betcha there aint no change next time you see her. Just watch.

Griggs is finally swinging away, and she can hit, flat through the zone, same as Nicky Dawson, brings the bat across flat, and thats why you see those two hitting the ball three feet off the ground into the outfield. Landry is pretty good about that, too.

Sanchez, as much as I like her, and really want her to start, needs to sit. Its the questionable defensive play and lack of hitting. Put Doyle on third and Jaquish needs to play third sometimes too to rest her legs. It's got to be wearing on her.

I dont care how good reputation a coach has and how much he knows, if he does not push for tangible fixes to problems that everyone can see, then his knowledge is wasted.

As a former high school player, I did shy away from the hitting coach because I was doing too good to change, me and the lead off hitter and the the guy behind me batting third, all of us were over .350 and there was no reason to change. I understand that. But these girls are getting up there with bad mechanics and dropping their shoulder, their bats not flat through the zone, or even close to it, and I just cannot believe that a college team that has a batting coach would send players up to the plate with such flawed mechanics.

The way I think it should go is if what you are doing is not working, and its a mechanical issue that causes your hitting to suffer, CHANGE. Fix the problem.

Many of you have suggested batting orders that look good. I am all for getting Doyle back in full time.

For those of you who are pushing for Nicky, I ask you WHERE would they put her as far as playing infield/outfield? You know Beth wont pull Quinn, she is doing well enough to stay. If Nicky had an outfielder's arm, I'd say give her a try, but like I said before, I dont see the mechanics for it.

I really wish Nicky could bat each game, at least.

Gorsuch hits hard, and Doyle is coming around.

Some say move Andrews to center, that would work, as Griggs played left before.

Changes have to be made, and if we see the same thing next time out, we can only assume that the coaching has taken a passive attitude toward the players.

One of the coaches I had was a great ball player, played college ball, but we had to find out own way, as far as hitting, because he didnt teach us anything other than tell us what we should or should not swing at, and maybe to move closer or further from the plate. Nothing about mechanics, and that is what LSU softball needs to concern itself with,,, both from the hitting side, as well as the fielding and throwing side.

Ciao.

As far as the SEC is concerned...

By position we have

- the best catcher

-second best first baseman behind kvistad

-third best second baseman behind Dewitt and Leach

--second best shortstop behind Gregg

-second best left fielder behind Lorenz

-best right fielder

Our third baseman sanchez is probably lower ranked than most

Griggs is probly middle of the road in center

We aint too bad off

Doyle at first is what i had in mind. SeAson aint over yet. Other than Florida there isnt a lot of talent there at first.

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Other than Florida there isnt a lot of talent there at first.

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Without even looking I know Tori Vidales at A&M has way better numbers.