While her team struggled in its second tournament of the season, Terrapins softball infielder Lindsey Schmeiser reached a major milestone.
The senior launched her 31st career long ball on Sunday in a 10-5 loss to No. 5 Alabama to pass former catcher Shannon Bustillos for the all-time Terps home-run record.
Schmeiser’s record-breaking blast came off last season’s SEC Freshman of the Year Alexis Osorio, who got her to pop out with the bases loaded and two outs Friday to end a 1-0 Alabama win.
She wasn’t fooled again.
“Osorio is probably one of the top softball pitchers in the country, so when you break the record against her that adds to how special that record really is,” coach Julie Wright said.
Schmeiser played down the accomplishment, though, and seemed more comfortable talking about her team’s play than the individual feat.
“I mean, I guess it’s exciting,” Schmeiser said.
The Dunkirk native said she didn’t even realize she had broken the record until it was announced over the PA system.
“We were still in the game at that point and we had a rally going, we’d been hitting their pitchers pretty well, so I was more focused on that,” she said.
Wright, however, emphasized how important Schmeiser has been to the program and said the home run, which came with two strikes, exemplified the great hitting approach the shortstop possesses. The blast Sunday marked her fourth home run through the first 10 games.
“When you talk about Lindsey Schmeiser, you think Maryland softball,” Wright said. “It was really cool that she was able to own that record.”
In her career, Schmeiser has been named ACC Freshman of the Year, first-team All-ACC, first-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Player of the Week.
Plus, she holds the program’s single-season record for doubles (21) and RBIs (59), in addition to the career record for home runs. And last year, she recorded a 23-game hitting streak.
On Monday, Schmeiser was named to the 2016 Senior CLASS award shortlist, which recognizes players for notable achievements in their community and classroom as well as their displays of character and excellence in competition. She’s been named to the ACC and Big Ten academic teams in her career.
“No one is more deserving of this award than Lindsey,” Wright said in a statement.
It’s been a difficult start to the season for the Terps, who went 1-4 this past weekend and are 3-7 overall. But with Schmeiser in the lineup, the offense is hoping to see improvement moving forward.
And during the tough start to the campaign, it’s her humble work ethic that stands out. Despite breaking one of the softball program’s most vaunted records in Atlanta, she wasn’t content with her performance.
“I’m definitely going to work on the pitches I was struggling with hitting this past weekend. That was my biggest fault,” Schmeiser said. “You just got to make adjustments and practice it this week.”
