BATON ROUGE — The 2004 Southeastern Conference champion LSU softball team finished ranked No. 3 in the nation in the Ratings Percentage Index compiled by the NCAA, while the SEC was rated the second-best conference in the nation.
Ranked behind only national champion UCLA and national power Arizona, the Tigers tied for their best final ranking in the RPI in school history, after finishing ranked third in 2002.
As a league, the 11-member SEC ranked second in the nation in conferences behind only the eight-team Pac-10 Conference. The SEC led all conferences with eight teams selected to the NCAA Tournament this season, a league record. Sis SEC schools finished ranked in the top 20 and eight were placed in the top 30.
LSU finished the season with a 57-12 record and won its fifth conference title. The Tigers went on to win the SEC Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Region 3 Tournament as the top seed. LSU swept through regional play and advanced to the Women’s College World Series for the second time in school history.
In the WCWS, the Tigers finished third after defeating Michigan, Florida State and California with losses to Cal and UCLA. LSU became the first school west of the Mississippi River since 1984 to advance within a game of the national championship game.
Seniors Kristin Schmidt and LaDonia Hughes were both named second-team All-Americans, while freshman Leslie Klein earned third-team All-America honors. Schmidt was also named the WCWS Most Outstanding Player and Hughes was named the Louisiana Hitter of the Year.
Top 10 Schools
1. UCLA
2. Arizona
3. LSU
4. California
5. Florida State
6. Washington
7. Stanford
8. Michigan
9. Georgia
10. Nebraska
Top Five Conferences
1. Pac-10
2. SEC
3. ACC
4. Big Ten
5. Big 12