Many softball teams throughout the nation used the offseason to improve their teams in various ways. The No. 17 LSU softball team used the summer and fall practice to work on the fundamentals of base running and stealing bases and has become one of the best teams in the nation on the base paths.The Tigers have stolen a total of 104 bases this season, which ranks No. 3 in the Southeastern Conference behind Alabama (109) and Georgia (106).LSU’s current stolen base total is more than double the team’s total of 46 from last season.LSU coach Yvette Girouard said assistant strength and conditioning coach Melissa Moore worked with the team during the offseason and focused on getting the Tigers in shape.”A lot of credit has to go to Melissa Moore and her training staff,” Girouard said. “We challenged her this summer and said we wanted them in better shape.”Senior center fielder Kirsten Shortridge leads the team with 38 stolen bases this season, but senior right fielder Rachel Mitchell and junior utility player Tiffany Shaw also have double-digit stolen bases with 17 and 16, respectively.Shortridge is seven stolen bases away from tying Dee Douglas’ LSU record for stolen bases in a season (45).Shortridge’s 0.78 stolen bases per game rank second in the SEC and No. 6 in the nation. The Keller, Texas, native is second on the team with a .437 on-base percentage.”I try to get good reads, and my foot speed does a lot for me,” Shortridge said.Being able to steal bases and move into scoring position help teams score runs more easily.The Tigers have used base-running techniques to move players into scoring position throughout the season, and during the team’s 24-game winning streak from Feb. 20 to March 31, LSU averaged 6.58 runs per game.LSU’s numbers have dropped since its winning streak was snapped on April 3 against No. 6 Florida, but the Tigers still use base-running to average more than five runs per game, which ranks No. 5 in the SEC.Girouard said one of the advantages of stealing bases is not having to give up an out by bunting to advance the runner. She said it puts pressure on the other team when LSU has runners in scoring position with no outs.”It’s always constant pressure that way,” Girouard said. “Anytime you get someone in scoring position and put pressure on the other team, it’s always in the back of their mind.”Most players who are successful at stealing bases have quick feet and tend to be among the fastest players on the diamond.But some players like Mitchell have used other strategies to steal bases.”I get lucky sometimes,” Mitchell said. “I’ll knock the ball out of their glove, or I’ll slide into them really hard on purpose.”Shaw, along with freshman Jackie Victoriano, sophomore Katie Guillory and freshman Lindsay Price, often come into the game to pinch run for one of the slower runners on the team.The group has gone a combined 19-for-23 when stealing bases this season.”They stay focused in the dugout,” said junior third baseman Jessica Mouse. “They do stretches and high knees in there. They know that when they get on base and come in to run for somebody, they are going to score.”—-Contact Jarred LeBlanc at [email protected]