OXFORD, Miss. — Riding their longest winning streak of the season, the third-ranked Tiger softball team returns to Southeastern Conference action against Ole Miss in a three-game series in Oxford, Miss., this weekend.
The series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday at 5 p.m. and concludes with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games of the series will be broadcast on the radio in Baton Rouge on 107.3-FM.
LSU (42-8, 20-3) has won 12 straight and 22 of their last 23 games after a doubleheader sweep of Southern Miss on Wednesday, 1-0 and 8-1. Ole Miss (25-23, 7-17 SEC) defeated Georgia in its last game, but has lost 10 of its last 12.
“This is an important series for us because there are only six SEC games remaining,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “We have put ourselves in a position to win our fourth straight SEC title and every game counts. We can not let down for even a minute because just one loss and we could lose the title.
“Ole Miss is a good team, they took a game from nationally ranked Georgia last week in Athens, so we know that we will have to play our best to beat them.”
The Tigers currently stand a half game ahead of Alabama in the SEC standings with six games remaining. While LSU is at Ole Miss, Alabama will be hosting SEC Eastern Division leader South Carolina in a three-game series in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
LSU has won 10 straight over the Rebels, with its last loss coming in the series opener during the 1999 season. The Tigers lead the all-time series 17-2 and are 7-1 all-time in Oxford, Miss. The last time LSU lost in Oxford was the second game of the 1998 series.
In the first game of the doubleheader against Southern Miss in the Tigers’ last outing, NFCA/Louisville Slugger Division I Player of the Week Britni Sneed threw her fourth complete-game no-hitter of the season. It was her second straight no-hitter in as many outings against the Lady Eagles.
In the second game, pitcher Kristin Schmidt took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before giving up three hits and one run in the 8-1 victory.
With the win in the first game, Girouard also picked up her 100th win at LSU against the Lady Eagles. In just her second season as a Tiger, Girouard became the third LSU coach to reach 100 wins, joining former LSU coaches Cathy Compton and Glen Moore.
Girouard hit the century mark in just 119 games, the fastest to the century mark in school history. Moore accomplished the feat in 120 games, while Compton reached the 100-win mark in 126 games.
With the win in game two, Girouard picked up her 101st win, passing Compton to become the second winningest head coach in LSU softball history. Compton closed out her two-year stint as head coach with a 100-26.
With Sneed and Schmidt in the circle this season, LSU can lay claim to one of the top pitching duos in the nation. In games played through April 25, LSU has the pitching combination to be ranked in the top 20 in the nation in ERA and strikeouts per seven innings.
As a team, the Tigers currently rank fourth nationally in ERA. Schmidt and Sneed are tied for 19th in ERA, while Sneed ranks second and Schmidt ranks 19th in strikeouts per seven innings. Sneed is also tied for seventh nationally in wins.
The pair also dominates the SEC statistics. Tied for the league’s best overall ERA, they also stand one-two in ERA in league games. Sneed leads the league in wins, strikeouts and opponents batting average, while Schmidt ranks third in opponents’ batting average and in the top 10 in wins and strikeouts.
The Tigers return home to close out the SEC schedule against Auburn in a three-game series next week. The pair will play a doubleheader on Wednesday beginning at 6 p.m. and conclude the series with a single game on Thursday at 3 p.m.