Streakers
With the Tigers three-game sweep of the Ole Miss Rebels this weekend, they extended their winning streak to 15 games. During the streak the Tigers have outscored their opponents (111-20, this number does not include their Sunday win against Ole Miss).
Despite the length of the streak, it is not the longest the Tigers have had this season. During the stretch of Feb. 12 to March 7 the Tigers won 17 consecutive games, including the championship at the NFCA Leadoff Classic.
The Tigers will have to win five more games to break their all-time record of 19 consecutive games won in the 2000 season. If the Tigers are to win their next five games, they would break the consecutive games won record on May 1 against Florida at Tiger Park.
Gorilla Ball 2?
The next home run the Tigers hit will make history as it will be the 53rd home run of the season — which will be a new team-high for LSU.
Prior to the start of the 2004 softball season, much of the talk around the NCAA revolved around the reduction in the core size of the ball and restrictions placed on bats.
“We shattered every LSU home run record last year,” Girouard said at the Jan. 29 softball media day. “Now we are back to a ball with a smaller core and the bats have been altered with also. I think you are going to go back to seeing a game that we kind of saw before where defense and pitching were a premium.”
The regulations were thought to put a hamper on the number of home runs hit. But the Tigers have yet to show any signs of slowing down as they tied the LSU single-season home run mark with 52 home runs this past weekend at Oxford.
The Tigers hit 52 home runs last season and have already knocked 52 home runs with seven games remaining this season.
LSU has a long way to go before they can claim the NCAA record for most home runs in a season as the Arizona Wildcats hit 126 round trippers in 2001.
LSU is 30-4 on the season when hitting a home run.
Home run leaders
Sophomore Stephanie Hill and freshman Leslie Klein are tied for the team lead in home runs with 12 apiece. It marks just the second time in school history that two players have recorded double-figure home run totals.
As it stands now, both are tied with Julie Wiese (2001) and Tara Asbill (2000) for the LSU season-high home run record.
Sophomore Lauren Delahoussaye is just behind Klein and Hill with nine home runs.
Earlier this season Wiese broke the LSU career home run record with her 28th home run of her four-year career. She passed Asbill for first all-time. Asbill hit 27 home runs from 1997-2000.
Schmidt a leading act
Senior right-hander Kristin Schmidt picked up her 1,000th career strikeout this weekend in game two of the series against Ole Miss. Schmidt ended the three game series with 1,023 career strikeouts. She became the 23rd player in NCAA history to record 1,000 strikeouts in a career.
Also Schmidt is one of just 35 players in NCAA history to record 100 victories. Schmidt won three games this past weekend against Ole Miss to give her 104 career wins. Her 25 wins this season has placed her second all-time at LSU in career wins with 76. Brittany Sneed holds the LSU lead for career wins with 120 from 1999-2002.