Softball: HR binge rewards Corbello’s patience

Kevin Foote, The Advertiser, April 6, 2016

 

UL’s Sara Corbello, center, celebrates a fifth inning home run during the Cajuns’ Sun Belt weekend sweep at Lamson Park on Saturday.(Photo: LEE CELANO/THE ADVERTISER)

 

 

 

When former Barbe High pitcher/slugger Sara Corbello joined the UL Ragin’ Cajuns softball program as a freshman back in 2013, her current scorching hot home run tear wouldn’t have surprised many.

As a freshman, Corbello delivered more than enough hope that she’d be a consistent power hitter for years to come for coach Michael Lotief by hitting .291 with six doubles, eight homers and 35 RBIs.

Between the end of her freshman season, though, and two weekends ago, very little went as expected in Corbello’s career.

First, she suffered through the proverbial sophomore jinx in 2014, batting just .180 with one double, eight home runs and 27 RBIs.

By her junior season, Corbello’s starts had dwindled from 62 as a freshman to 50 all the way down to three a year ago.

Through it all, however, Lotief never gave up on Corbello. He always saw that light at the end of the tunnel when it came to the Lake Charles native’s power potential.

"There aren’t Sara Corbellos with that kind of power just standing on street corners," Lotief said. "When she squares up with the ball, it goes. She’s got some unique skills."

So it had to be especially satisfying for Lotief to witness Corbello’s recent rampage.

The senior slugger has now hit a home run in each of her last six Sun Belt games. That’s two straight weekends with a homer in every game, which was good enough to earn Corbello the LSWA’s Hitter of the Week award.

"I have the advantage of being with these kids every day," Lotief said. "I know how hard they work. I know their character. It’s too easy for someone who may show up once a week and put a label on a player if the results aren’t there."

In Monday’s press luncheon, Corbello said it was special that Lotief "stuck with her for four years."

We can only imagine how many times Lotief has been asked why he continued to give Corbello opportunities.

For Lotief, he doesn’t even like the phrasing, much less the message behind the actual question.

"People say, ‘I stuck with her,’" he said. "I don’t even like that quote, but I did that because I know who she is and what she’s meant to this program."

While so many have focused on Corbello’s struggles at the plate during the middle of her career, Lotief said he prefers to focus on such words as cheerful, funny, energetic, passionate and loving to describe Corbello.

"I was going to say it (last two weekends) must have been a huge sigh of relief for her, but I really think it’s more, ‘OK, y’all can be proud of me now,’" he said. "Sara’s a people pleaser. I don’t think it was ever about her. It was about her not wanting to feel like she was disappointing her teammates. I think she wanted it too badly."

Corbello’s ability to maintain her confidence through prolonged slumps and now emerge with a successful run begins with the program’s now-infamous mental approach.

"Nothing has really changed," she said. "My swing hasn’t changed. I’m working hard and preparing like I always have. It’s never been about my results. It’s about being around my sisters, working hard together and loving one another. It’s about the team, Our motto is ‘us.’"

Really Sara? No troubling bouts with loss of confidence? No worrying if it ever was going to happen again for you?

"It might sound hard to believe, but that really is the way it is," said Corbello, who said that "put-your-head-down, next-pitch" mentality is instilled in each player from the first meeting as freshmen and that message never changes.

Perhaps the real secret is not allowing cracks in the "sisterhood" that each player leans on.

That certainly helped Corbello, who said she never felt like her teammates gave up on her when the hits weren’t coming.

"I’ve always felt like they were 100 percent behind me," she said. "I’ve never doubted that. No matter what happened, I knew they always had my back."

With the pleasant demeanor Corbello’s displayed for four years here, it’s no surprise that she’s not displaying a vengeful, chip-on-her-shoulder reaction after her recent success.

In addition to being a not-so-nice gesture, it would also contradict her insistence that her confidence comes from preparation, not results.

"I always felt like it was going to happen," Lotief said. "I guess there weren’t any guarantees that it would, but that kid is so strong, so talented."

And there were other signs.

Even when Corbello hit .180 as a sophomore, she had 27 RBIs and a .324 on-base percentage. As a junior, she only hit .231 with 26 at-bats in 32 games, but somehow drove in 16 runs on just six base hits with a .432 on-base percentage.

So far this season, Corbello is batting .299 in 62 at-bats with eight homers, 18 RBIs, a .657 slugging and a .447 on-base percentage.

"Coach has always told us that if you work hard and do the right things the game is going to reward you eventually," Corbello said. "It may not be right now, but at some point in your life, it’s going to reward you."

For those of us paying attention, we know the team comes first. We understand it’s about preparation, not the results – good or bad.

Still, it’s pretty easy to smile about these results after the patience, faith and persistence it required to obtain.

UL at Georgia State

Series: noon doubleheader Saturday; 11 a.m. single game Sunday.

Site: Robert E. Heck Softball Complex, Atlanta, Ga.

Records: UL 29-3, 10-1; Ga. St. 19-18, 4-5.

Rankings: UL No. 5.

RPI: UL No. 3; Ga. St. No. 56.