The LSU softball team is getting back into the swing of things.A 15-2 win Wednesday against Nicholls State gave LSU its fourth straight victory. The Tigers dominated all facets of the game against an undermanned Colonels squad.A winnning streak is nothing new to this team. The Tigers embarked on a 24-game winning streak earlier this season, only to be stymied during spring break by Florida and Alabama. LSU lost five straight games against the two opponents.”Sometimes you’re going to take your bumps, and you can’t be perfect 100 percent of the time,” said LSU infielder Heidi Pizer. “But you can always work hard. I think after that tough week it made obvious what was wrong and what we needed to work on, and we really smoothed out those things.”However smoothed out things truly are will be determined this weekend. Arkansas (24-18, 8-8), who is suffering through a five-game losing streak of its own, travels to Baton Rouge to play a three-game set with the No. 15 Tigers (33-9, 11-5).The two teams will play a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. and another game Sunday at 1 p.m.LSU softball coach Yvette Girouard knows not to underestimate the Razorbacks. Senior outfielder Jessica Bachkora swings Arkansas’ big bat, smashing 13 home runs and driving in 27 runs en route to a .393 batting average.Razorback freshman right-hander Hope McLemore claims the role of pitching staff ace, as she has compiled a 12-8 record with a 2.76 ERA.”Arkansas took two from Georgia in Athens, and that’s something we haven’t been able to do in years, so we have a lot of respect for Arkansas,” Girouard said.But Girouard is encouraged by the Tigers’ play of late.  LSU has outpaced opponents 31-7 in its last four games. Girouard also labeled the series with Arkansas as “must sweep” after what happened to LSU against Florida and Alabama.”After what we did on the road, everything becomes a must-sweep for us if we’re going to win any titles,” Girouard said. “We’re swinging the bat a little bit better. It’ll be nice to have everyone healthy. We were pretty banged up right now. We have to play well, though.”The Tigers are indeed just getting back to full strength. Sophomore outfielder Ashley Langoni has made a marked impact after missing significant time with a frayed abdominal muscle.The Pueblo West, Colo., native hit 2-for-4 against the Colonels with four RBIs.Langoni, along with the rest of the Tiger hitters, will be needed to keep pace with Alabama and Florida in the Southeastern Conference standings. LSU sits at 11-5 in conference play, one game behind the Crimson Tide. Florida leads the league overall with a 12-2 conference tally.LSU senior pitcher/center fielder Kirsten Shortridge said the team isn’t paying much attention to the standings at this point. Shortridge has been a staple for the Tigers this season in both the circle and center field. Shortridge leads LSU with a .411 batting average, while accruing a 3-1 record and a 2.33 ERA.Senior righty Cody Trahan tops the Tiger pitching staff with a 9-2 record and a stifling 0.96 ERA. Fellow right hander and sophomore Brittany Mack runs a close second with an 8-2 record coupled with a 1.17 ERA. Freshman right hander Rachele Fico sits not too far behind with a 13-4 record and a 1.26 ERA.”We have a motto, and it’s ‘Passing the Bat,'” Shortridge said. “We’re just working on that overall. We work hard day in and day out and try to represent the name across our chest.”—————Contact Chris Branch at [email protected]