If she is not fired, I will leave. Coach Beth Torina said she had a misunderstanding with her star player.
I’ll go if she’s not let go. Beth Torina, the coach, claimed that she and her standout player had a disagreement.
The LSU softball team was ecstatic to be going to the super regional round instead of remaining home.
After defeating Southern Illinois 9-0 on Sunday, the Tigers advanced to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City by playing No. 8 seed Stanford in a best-of-three series at Palo Alto, California.
The game starts at 9 p.m. on Friday and at 8 p.m. on Saturday. The time of any third game that is required on Sunday will be disclosed later.
Instead of flying halfway across the nation to host a super regional, coach Beth Torina thinks her team should stay home.
It wasn’t a casual comment or an answer to a query. Following LSU’s resounding victory on Sunday, Torina was prepared to voice her displeasure in her opening remarks.
“I haven’t commented on it, but I’ve been asked a lot about being the ninth seed,” Torina stated. “The track record of our crew was excellent. I have no idea why we are driving. Every statistic that suggests we shouldn’t have been there was there. We completed everything that was required of us by this committee.”
On Sunday, LSU easily defeated SIU in just 86 minutes and five innings. That proved to be the last straw for Torina, who believed her squad should have received a top-eight national seed from the committee a week prior.
Throughout the entire season, we had the greatest RPI in the SEC, she claimed. “I’m not sure if we should have received more or not, but it is quite upsetting.
“The group is eager and prepared for the upcoming chance. Here, we kind of like to do things the hard way, and we’ve learned our lesson the hard way a lot. By the end of next weekend, we want to still be in Oklahoma City, so we’ll be prepared and present.
The hardest conference, from top to bottom, is where Torina’s team competes. LSU was 9-2 versus seven tournament teams in its non-conference season, including a 50-7 victory over Texas.
On Sunday at Tiger Park, during the first inning of the Baton Rouge regional final game, LSU coach Beth Torina converses with left fielder Ali Newland.
Losing six of eight SEC series and having a 12-12 conference record made it more difficult to sell. Torina had to worry about the team’s mindset throughout that time and make sure her players weren’t distracted by the less significant statistics.
She was aware that her squad’s lack of strength wasn’t really demonstrated by playing the SEC’s toughest opponents, who consistently have excellent pitching. Her team consists mostly of seniors. After the conference tournament and league schedule concluded, she focused on her team’s mental health.
“The benefit of the SEC tournament is that you have a little window of opportunity to regroup between it and the regional. Because of your experience, you can somewhat regain your team’s confidence. Such a schedule definitely strains one’s mentality. The process of rebuilding them takes time. I hope this weekend and the tournament gave them the boost they needed to feel like LSU softball players and like themselves.
The Tigers (43-15) did appear to be the same team from early in the season, going 24-0 at one point and recording five straight shutouts. It was LSU’s second shutout of the regional for Kelley Lynch, who recorded her sixth shutout of the year. In 19 innings, the pitching staff gave up just one run.
After registering 20 hits in three games and three home runs in the final, the hitters, especially Taylor Pleasants, experienced a comeback. Pleasants had two home runs in the two games over SIU, which made the LSU pitchers comfortable and allowed Torina to manage the game with a free hand.
Even though Torina’s team needs to keep going on the road in order to qualify for the Women’s College World Series, that is the ammunition she was searching for.
Because of their incredible talent, Torina remarked that “this year was the most relaxed I’ve ever felt about a team.” There is some pressure at the end because they have done everything perfectly and are so worthy, amazing, and unique. I’m really hoping for this for them.
