The RoundHouse | 3/31/2022 4:19:00 PM
Lauren Lucas hit a few home runs in high school and didn't consider power a big part of her identity coming into Wichita State. Put the ball in play. Slap for hits. Run fast and mix in a few line drives.
"When I came on my visit here, (associate head coach
Elizabeth Economon) said 'We'll get you in here and we'll put 20 pounds on you and you'll be hitting home runs," Lucas said. "I was like 'Ok. Good luck with that.' Here I am – 20 pounds heavier and hitting home runs."
Wichita State coaches saw Lucas' potential and knew how to bring it to the forefront. The Shockers (17-10) open their home schedule vs. Tulsa (12-19-1) at 6 p.m. Friday at Wilkins Stadium.
Lucas, a sophomore right-fielder from Little Elm, Texas, is hitting .377 with seven home runs and seven doubles. She started the season batting ninth. She moved up to fifth for the past 11 games. With Lucas' replacing some of the production (44 home runs) lost from last season, Wichita State continues to produce strong power numbers.
The Shockers boast 54 home runs in their 27 games this season after hitting 103 in 55 games in 2021. Wichita State ranks fifth nationally this season after finishing 2021 in second behind Oklahoma's 161.
Lucas is the left-handed power hitter Economon forecast when she looked at a recruit with good hand-eye coordination, long legs and long arms.
"She has exceptionally quick hands," Economon said. "She slapped a little bit, and I was like 'You're not bad at slapping. But why would you want to just pop it (by infielders) when you could hit it over the left-field wall?'"
Last season, Lucas played in 13 games and started five. She hit .154 with one double in 13 at-bats. Those modest numbers hid her progress in practices. Lucas kept working – hitting with Economon after practice, sweating in the weight room – even though the reward of playing time wasn't likely.
"The biggest thing is she worked hard last year," Wichita State coach
Kristi Bredbenner said. "She took advantage of getting better and learning from the people around her. She was motivated to be an everyday player."
Lucas used her freshman season to get stronger and improve her swing so she could stay behind balls and push them up and over a fence. She considers video work studying pitchers essential to her success.
"My swing is more designed to give it a little more power," she said. "When I got here, they were like 'You're done slapping, because you hit the ball well.' A lot of the weight room and a little bit tweaking of my swing has made all the difference."
Lucas started four games in left field early in the season in 2021 before experienced Shockers
Wylie Glover and
Bailey Urban grabbed most of the playing time. Lucas stayed sharp by trying to push them in practices.
"If I had a good round (of batting practice), that would put a little bit of pressure on them to have a better round," she said. "That hard work has really pushed me into this year."
Last summer, she played for the Anna Maria Aquanauts in the Florida Gulf Coast League. That set her up for fall practices at Wichita State and her first steps toward more playing time.
"She looked pretty good in the fall and then worked on the things that she struggled with a little bit and gets the process now," Bredbenner said. "You're not going to flip a switch and say 'Ok, today I'm going to learn how to hit the changeup and really master it in one day. It's picking one or two things to really develop your game and focusing on those for a time period until you're really getting the hang of it."
After two years at Wichita State, Lucas has the hang of hitting with power and it is no longer a surprise.
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
