LSU opened its season this past weekend by hosting the LSU Invitational from Feb. 10-12, playing five games over the three days.
The Tigers came into the tournament looking to start the season off on a good note after a disappointing year that saw them notch the fewest wins of any LSU team since head coach Beth Torina’s arrival, excluding the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.
New Mexico, Oregon State and Nicholls State attended the LSU Invitational, and LSU went undefeated against the three teams to start the year off with a 5-0 record.
The Tigers had three of their wins by mercy rule, ending when LSU went up by more than eight runs after the fifth inning. The Tigers scored 41 runs and allowed only nine across the weekend; they showed a combination of reliable hitting and dominant pitching that could take them far this season.
LSU had two significant wins over a nationally ranked Oregon State team with scores of 12-0 and 3-0 respectively.
The entire team played at a high level, but there were a few players whose performances stood out.
Taylor Pleasants
Pleasants opened her season with a gem of a weekend. She hit for an average of .533 with four home runs and 13 RBIs across five games. Pleasants is currently on a 10-game hitting streak that dates back to last season.
Pleasants hit a home run in each of the last four games of the weekend; she is now tied for this season’s NCAA lead in home runs. Pleasants’ eight hits are also tied for the team lead.
For her efforts, Pleasants was announced as the SEC Co-Player of the Week, the first such honoree of the season. Pleasants’ focus, though, will be on preparing for the next opponent, not on dwelling on her accomplishment.
“It happened. It’s over. Now do it again. Nothing needs to change for me. The things that made me get there aren’t going to change, so I try not to think about it once it happens,” said Pleasants.
Sydney Berzon
Berzon was perhaps the most surprising contributor of the weekend. The freshman pitcher showed unexpected poise and effectiveness from the mound. Berzon’s first college start came against the nationally ranked Beavers, a show of confidence from the coaching staff that didn’t go unnoticed.
“Coach was here to put me into a strong challenge, see what I could do, and I think I was able to prove myself. I think it just shows her that I’m here to compete, and I’m here for the team,” said Berzon.
Berzon pitched all five innings of that game; she allowed only one hit and zero runs while notching five strikeouts. She made two other appearances on the weekend, including in the last inning of a 4-3 game against Nicholls State; Berzon recorded a save in each instance and allowed no runs.
Berzon has the potential to emerge as the No. 2 pitcher behind Ali Kilponen this season, a development that would be big for LSU. However, her teammates say this impressive debut was no surprise.
“She went out there and dominated. She did exactly what she did to us in the fall. It didn’t seem like a bigger moment than it was to her, like it was the same game she’s been playing, the same thing she’s always done,” said Pleasants.
Georgia Clark
Clark led the team with a .600 batting average in the opening weekend and served as an important defensive cog at first base.
“Georgia is really the field general,” said Torina on Clark’s defensive abilities at the team’s media day. “Even when she’s not supposed to be, she tells everyone where to go and what to do. But we love it, and she’s right 99.9% of the time, so we go with it.”
In the opening weekend, Clark had six hits, including a double and a home run, and drew eight walks. That mark is tied for NCAA lead in most walks drawn.
That added up to an on-base percentage of .778 for Clark, good for 12th in the nation and first at LSU. Clark’s ability to consistently get on base and keep the offense moving will be important for LSU, especially with her batting cleanup in front of a group of capable hitters.
