Keeli Milligan still has the piece of paper — a simple sheet of statistics that helped convinced her to complete a record-breaking softball career with the University of Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.
After three successful seasons as a starter at Texas A&M, Milligan decided to transfer for her senior season. Milligan found the UL program to be an attractive possible destination for numerous reasons — it’s history of success which Milligan saw up close as she was on the A&M team that lost to UL in the 2016 Lafayette Regional, the proximity to her hometown of Vidor, Texas (two hour drive on I-10), and the chance to be reunited with UL head coach Gerry Glasco who had served as Milligan’s hitting coach for two seasons at A&M.
But what sealed the deal was a piece of paper that Glasco gave her when she visited Lafayette.
“Coach Glasco already had set the standard for me when I made my visit here,” Milligan said. “He had these stats printed out and everything. He had figured out what I would need to do to accomplish 60 steals in a season. What my batting average needed to be, how many stolen bases I needed per game. Coach had it all laid out for me.
“He challenged me that day and that’s when I knew that I was going to be a Ragin’ Cajun,” Milligan added. “And I still have that piece of paper.”
The UL senior enters Wednesday’s game at Louisiana Tech closing in on that lofty goal.
In addition to hitting .348 with 36 runs scored, Milligan has stolen 54 bases in 59 attempts which is a new Ragin’ Cajuns single-season record and the slap hitter is only two shy of breaking Western Kentucky’s Olivia Watkins’ Sun Belt Conference record of 55.
“Breaking the stolen base record means everything to me because that’s always the type of player I have been,” Milligan said. “I came here just trying to be Keeli and being Keeli means getting on base, stealing bases for this team and putting yourself in a position to help this team win.”
“She is such a great kid and leader,” Glasco said. “She is kind of a freak in the weight room. One of the things I noticed was that the kids were not working out in an SEC type of environment in the weight room. I think Keeli has been a great leadership tool in our weight room.”
Milligan, who was a volleyball and softball star at Vidor High School, has been one of the best base runners in the nation. In her three seasons with the Aggies, Milligan batted .339, scored 130 runs, stole 105 bases (second most in program history) in 117 attempts and set a single-season record of 54 as a freshman when she earned All-SEC second-team honors.
So what is the secret to her base stealing prowess? Simple. Get on the base.
“It takes getting on base,” Milligan said. “That’s what I always tell everyone. That is the secret.
“Once you get on base you can put the pressure on the pitcher and the defense,” Milligan added. “She has to make a great pitch, the catcher has to catch it just right and then make a perfect throw and defense has to get there at just the right time and catch it. There is a lot of moving parts with the defense when someone is trying to steal a base. The only thing you have to do is run to the base and slide right. I like to challenge them to do all that right.”
Milligan has challenged a lot of opposing pitchers this season on her way to breaking Dorsey Steamer’s 27-year-old program record this past weekend during a three-game home series against Georgia State.
Setting the new high-water mark for stolen bases at UL is something that means the world to Milligan, especially after Steamer was on hand for the historic moment.
“It means a lot because of how much alumni means to this program,” Milligan said. “UL is a program that has always cared a lot about their alumni. So for her to come her and take time out of her week to be in front of the crowd and with me means a lot.”
The record-setting performance over this past weekend hasn’t been the only highlight for Milligan in recent weeks. Back on April 15, Milligan was selected with the 25th-overall pick by the USSSA Pride in the National Pro Fastpitch league’s college draft.
“I felt a little bit of every emotion,” Milligan said. “I was so nervous I couldn’t even watch the draft. The team started to scream when I got drafted. All I said was “where to?” And they said “Pride.”
“To be drafted is amazing,” Milligan said. “To be drafted to the Pride is even greater. That’s the best team in the league and one of the best teams in the world. That’s something really special.”
With seven games left in the regular season, and then the SBC Tournament and at least an NCAA Regional, Milligan has a legit chance of catching the NCAA record of 80 set back in 1994 by East Carolina’s Michelle Ward.
“I know what I bring to a team,” said Milligan, who is one stolen base shy of setting a new single-season career best. “I bring a lot of steals and a lot of RBIs for other people so I was planning on doing the exact same thing here.”