Staff-wide effort

If you have only a glance at Louisiana Tech softball’s pitching staff, it can be deceiving.

There’s no head-andshoulders ace who has dominated the starting time, strikeout numbers, or weekend rotation hierarchy.

For some unfamiliar observers, it might signify a staff without a standout leader, an arm the Techsters can count on when they need a big start or a sense of calm when high- leverage outs are needed.

But Tech knows modern softball isn’t won or lost on the arm of just one player and is more than comfortable going the team route when it comes to the names it relies on in the circle.

Nothing‘ s going to change that as the No. 7 seeded Techsters (32-23) begin their run in the Conference USA tournament today against No. 6 Middle Tennessee.

If it ain’t broke. You know the rest.

“We’ve been telling them since day one that ‘it’s going to be staff. It’s not going to be a one man show or a two man show,” Tech pitching coach Chelsea Cohen said. “‘I’ve got six of you, you’re all very talented and we’re going to utilize you and read matchups and put you in positions to be successful.’ As you get deeper into the season, it’s nice to know you don’t have to put all the weight of the game on one person’s shoulders.”

And the numbers show it’s worked and will give the Techsters a distinct arsenal that no other team in the league can match for the win or go home stakes of postseason play.

Tech has four qualified pitchers below a 2.75 ERA entering the C-USA tournament. No other C-USA team has more than two.

The Techsters have three pitchers in the top 10 in C-USA in fewest runs allowed. No other team in C-USA has more.

And before the Techsters’ final two regular season series, they were one of four Division I softball programs with three pitchers with a sub-2.00 ERA. The others? No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 UCLA and No. 8 Clemson.

But saying it’s a team approach is one thing.

What about when the stage is bright this week and the Techsters will need their best to survive and advance? It would be forgivable if competitive ego took over and someone pushed themselves to the front of the pack to be ‘the one’ who delivers and shows who’s in charge.

That won’t be the case if you ask the pitching staff that’s gotten the Techsters this far.

They embrace the idea of leaning on each other and realizing there’s some just as good behind them ready to keep a strong standard of play going.

“We’re a staff for sure,” Tech freshman Allie Floyd said. “We don’t always have the same Friday, Saturday, Sunday starter; we just go off of who’s doing the best and what the best matchup is that day. I feel like our team relies on us and they know they can go to any of us and be confident.”

As Tech enters postseason play, the sixdeep arsenal of Floyd (2.52 ERA), Brook Melnychuk ( 2.04 ERA), Mary Martinez ( 2.12 ERA, Emma Hutchinson (2.45), Lauren Menzina ( 2.53 ERA) and Alyssa Martin ( 2.94 ERA) have stayed on message and feel its time they get the respect they deserve.

High standards

Before Cohen began her second season as Tech’s pitching coach this spring, she and Tech head coach Josh Taylor knew the Techsters needed a different approach to their staff.

After relying heavily on the arm of Audrey Pickett in 2022 – with the senior tossing a team-high 213 1/3 innings — Tech had to reshape its attack.

Just two players, Menzina and Hutchinson, pitched last season whenever Pickett wasn’t in the circle.

The solution for 2023? Give yourself more options, and reliable options at that.

The plan paid off, as this regular season was the first time since 2000 Tech has had four pitchers throw at least 60 innings.

Cohen was used to being a part of a strong staff in her playing days at the University of Arkansas and could see the strengths of the approach if the Techsters were to make it happen.

She was a two-year captain at Arkansas during her four years (2009-13) and finished top 10 in program history in wins, innings pitched, shutouts, and strikeouts.

Learning from someone with those credentials made the nerves of transitioning from high school ball to D-I competition smoother for Floyd, who said from day one it was made clear she wasn’t expected to be the driving force for the Techsters’ staff.

It was going to be a group effort that would hold each other accountable.

“I will say, being a freshman coming in, I wouldn’t say it was scary, but I didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes, and I feel like coming into the pitching staff I would say Coach Chelsea and the upperclassmen definitely allowed me to be myself and definitely get me the start that I did and let me know I could be myself,” Floyd said.

In the regular season, Floyd showed little signs of freshman fright as she led Tech in innings pitched (122), appearances (33), and strikeouts (44).

She’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Melnychuk, a redshirt junior, leads the team in ERA ( 2.04), including a 1.48 ERA in over 47 innings pitched in league play, and has taken full advantage of becoming a member of the six-headed attack for Tech after not sitting out all of 2022 with an injury.

And for as productive as she’s been, the prospect of young arms like Floyd rising to the moment and leaving no weak link in the staff leaves Melnychuk with plenty of optimism moving forward on the direction of the Techsters’ top arms.

“That gives you confidence knowing that there’s people behind you that can pick you up in any situation,” Melnychuk said. “It’s awesome having young pitchers start this strong – especially as freshman. You just know as the years go on and my time at Louisiana Tech is done, they’re going to be leaders for the freshmen that come in and it’s cool to see them start like that.”

Mary Martinez, a fellow freshman, was never going to be satisfied with just going along for the ride in her first season in Ruston. She wanted to be a factor in winning ballgames.

Wish granted through 27 collegiate appearances, as Martinez is second on the team with her 2.12 ERA and has the most wins (10) of any pitcher this season.

She doesn’t show emotion in the circle, no matter the result of an at bat, and takes pride in executing her assignments.

But for as camera shy as she is in-game, Martinez’s standards are already high as a freshman, and she’s fully confident in her teammates’ ability to succeed in any situation.

“I have full confidence that we’re going to go in there and shutout,” Martinez said. “All of our runs this year we’ve kept pretty low, and I have full trust in all of us. I don’t really get nervous about us. There’s six of us that can go out there and do something.”

Cohen said that unabashed confidence from Floyd is a byproduct of seeing multiple teammates go out and pitch before and after you on any given night.

When one individual’s start isn’t made more important than the rest, a freshman or redshirt junior will feel as much at ease in the teammate behind them as the next.

“She’s going to go out there and she’s going to attack batters,” Cohen said of Martinez. “She doesn’t care who she’s facing. She’s going to do what she does best, and she believes in that.

“And they all have very high expectations for themselves. Sometimes I have to bring them back down to Earth. You can’t hit your spot perfectly every time,” Cohen added.

Start paying attention

In the current state of college athletics, the gap between the Power Five and Group of Five schools seems to be widening, not pulling closer.

Resources, recruiting, and name brand staying power seem to let the rich get richer and the top-level talent collect in the SEC, Big 12, and Pac-12.

Tech’s staff is tired of that narrative.

Playing in Ruston and Louisiana Tech shouldn’t make you an afterthought, not when the Techsters’ pitching has been as good as it’s been this season.

Tech is top 40 nationally in team ERA (2.36), better than the likes of No. 21 Baylor, No. 13 Oregon, Maryland or Iowa.

The Techsters have thrown 12 shutouts, good for top 25 in the country alongside No. 11 Duke, Baylor, and more than No. 17 Florida.

“They’ve established themselves and I think they’re starting to believe it as well,” Cohen said. “I think our team is believing in them.”

Martinez has played at the 6A level in Texas during her prep playing days and had a chance to go up against future DI, Power Five talent and held her own. In her mind, the end destination doesn’t all the sudden make a player or staff better than someone at a smaller school.

Play speaks for itself. Melnychuk agrees and hopes the Techsters’ ability to sit comfortability in multiple top 25 pitching categories this season puts them on the radar of the top-flight programs.

C-USA opponents have gotten to see it firsthand and will be in store for more of it this week in the tournament.

At the end of the day, she believes good pitching, and the all-around staffs that produces, should be taken seriously no matter the level.

“There’s definitely a representation that we want to have and that it doesn’t matter if you’re a mid-major, Power Five or whatever. You can compete,” Melnychuk said. “It’s not like we’ve been pitching against weak teams the entire year and maintain these ERAs. We pitched against LSU twice, Ole Miss – those teams that are supposed to be your power teams, and we competed.

“It shows mid majors like Tech is an elite program so we know we can compete with anyone in the country.”

Tech’s staff will have its chance to continue to shine as the start of the C-USA tournament begins today at 10 a.m. against No. 6 Middle Tennessee at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.