Success is often measured by championships and the number of team victories.The No. 14 LSU softball team has enjoyed plenty of success so far this season, earning three tournament championships and 16 consecutive victories.After all that success, the Tigers (21-4, 3-0) welcome Southeastern Conference rivals Ole Miss into Tiger Park tonight for a midweek doubleheader.LSU sits atop the SEC West and is the only SEC school still undefeated in conference play after the Tigers swept South Carolina last weekend in a three-game series — 5-0, 9-0 and 10-0, respectively. “W’s are extremely important, and the fact that we took advantage and won all three is important for our confidence,” said senior center fielder Kirsten Shortridge. “We didn’t win 2-1 or 2-0, we annihilated what we needed to annihilate.” The Tigers have rolled past opponents during their 16-game winning streak and have outscored them, 109-11. Ole Miss (16-10, 3-2) has had plenty of experience with ranked teams this season, playing No. 8 Arizona State, No. 11 Georgia Tech and No. 4 Florida.But the Rebels only managed a 1-4 record against their ranked opponents with their sole win being a 6-4 victory against the Gators on Saturday.”Ole Miss is a very dangerous team,” said LSU coach Yvette Girouard. “I’m sure they’re going to come in here with confidence after taking a game from Florida in Florida.”Shortridge has been hot for the Tigers and has earned USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week honors after going 8-for-11 from the plate, scoring seven runs and stealing three bases last weekend against the Gamecocks.The Keller, Texas, native is in the top 10 in the SEC in multiple offensive statistics.She ranks No. 10 in batting average (.420), No. 3 in hits (37), No. 5 in runs scored (25) and No. 2 in stolen bases (23).”The lineup is so strong right now,” Shortridge said. “And if it wasn’t for them, then I wouldn’t be where I was at.” Ole Miss has been led offensively by senior infielder Lauren Grill, who also ranks in the top 10 in the SEC in many offensive categories.The former first team All-American ranks No. 3 with a .473 batting average, No. 1 with three triples and is just below Shortridge at No. 4 with 35 hits.”She’s been solid as a rock for them for the last four years,” Girouard said. “Everyone in the conference has respect for her.” Grill will face a Tiger pitching staff that owns the lowest ERA in the SEC (0.81).LSU’s three starting pitchers have dominated the circle, allowing only 15 earned runs in 23 games.Senior pitcher Cody Trahan leads the pack with a league-best 0.17 ERA. Freshman pitcher Rachele Fico and sophomore pitcher Brittany Mack have recorded ERAs of 0.91 and 0.96, respectively. “Our pitching staff’s greatest strength is we have so much depth,” Fico said. “We all complement each other really well because we bring something different to the table.” The Tigers have pitched 10 shutouts this season and have run-ruled opponents in eight games. LSU’s pitchers have also not given up more than four runs in a game, while LSU’s hitters have scored five runs or more in 16 of the team’s 25 games. “It really gives the pitchers a whole different mindset, being able to go out on the field knowing we have so much run support,” Fico said.—-Contact Jarred LeBlanc at [email protected]