Progress remains slow for NC State softball
NC State softball's season ends with a loss to Louisville in the ACC tournament.
Corey Seager is showing signs of improvement after a slow start to the season, which the Texas Rangers desperately need. His productivity is crucial for the team's success.
The Texas Rangers are seeing signs that Corey Seager is about to bust out of his season-opening funk, and it couldn't happen any sooner (Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images).
Corey Seager said heâs feeling better at the plate, and Skip Schumaker believes a breakthrough is imminent. The Texas Rangers need their best player to be more productive.
ARLINGTON â The player who rarely shows emotion when things are going well for him and the Texas Rangers also doesnât flip out when heâs not hitting.
No punching walls or turning over tables or kicking the dog, figuratively or literally. No animals have been harmed during this Corey Seager season-opening slump.
âI love them too much,â he said.
Seager also loves to swing the bat, and that hasnât slowed during the Rangersâ first quarter of the season. Making contact has slowed, as his .209 average with 42 strikeouts entering Friday suggested.
Heâs been around long enough to know that he has to work his way out of his slump, that the solution isnât in reinventing the wheel but in working toward what has made him so good in the past.
A more productive Seager is the main ingredient missing from a Rangers offense that again ranks among the worst in baseball and is the worst in baseball at home. A dose of a healthy Wyatt Langford is also needed, but Seager is capable of carrying the load on his own.
âYou just keep working through it,â he said. âI feel better. Not as many hits as youâd like, but Iâm starting to feel better.â
Manager Skip Schumaker saw progress on the Rangersâ road trip, even though Seager went only 5 for 23 (.217). Schumaker saw a lot of loud outs and walks, which indicates to him that Seager is seeing the ball and improving his timing.
The Texas Rangers need increased productivity from their star player, Corey Seager, to enhance their overall performance.
Corey Seager has struggled at the start of the season but is reportedly feeling better at the plate, indicating a potential breakthrough.
Skip Schumaker believes that a breakthrough for Corey Seager is imminent, which is essential for the Rangers' success.
Corey Seager remains calm and composed during his hitting slump, showing no extreme emotional reactions.
NC State softball's season ends with a loss to Louisville in the ACC tournament.
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Seager leads the team with seven home runs, but his average, on-base percentage (.316) and slugging percentage (.410) are all down.
Schumaker also knows that the first two months of the season historically have been the worst of Seagerâs career, though not this unproductive. The road trip, which included hits in four of the six games, could be a sign of better things to come.
âThe swings were real,â Schumaker said. âA couple of times he got robbed to fear Seager the most. Opposing teams bring in their best left-hander to face him or their base reliever. The Yankees brought in closer David Bendar on Tuesday with one out in the eighth inning to face Seager, who batted as the potential game-tying run.
Bendar won that battle, and the Yankees won the game. Seager homered in his next at-bat, in the first inning Wednesday night. Heâs getting there, even if itâs more slowly than heâd like.
âYouâre always trying to get back to what you did, whether itâs sticking to or making the adjustments to get back there,â Seager said. âItâs always trying to get back to the same spot.â
Langford continues to rest the strain in his right forearm after he felt more discomfort there last week in an extended spring game in Arizona. He could get an additional week to let the strain heal before restarting his swing progression.
The Rangers felt as if Langford was finding his footing before being slowed by a minor quad strain and then the forearm strain. His absence and Seagerâs sluggish start have contributed to the Rangers having the 28th-fewest runs in the 30-team major leagues.
The lack of production led to Schumaker playing Joc Pederson in right field Thursday, knowing full well that he was a risk defensively. Brandon Nimmo was limited to designated hitter as he managed hamstring tightness.
He was back in right field Friday.
âYouâre just trying to find different ways,â Schumaker said. âGuys are going to be playing out of position just because of some injuries and some guys nursing some injuries. When youâre still trying to find offense and trying to find ways to win, youâre going to sacrifice something to get something.â
A hot Seager and healthy Langford would help. One is closer than the other. Based on the last road trip, Seagerâs hot stretch could be imminent.
âThis version is, in my opinion, what youâre going to see the next five months,â Schumaker said.
Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com