LSU Head Softball Coach Beth Torina spoke to the media at the teams 2025 Media Day.
Torina began Tuesday’s media day by addressing potential concerns fans may have over holes in the roster left by key 2024 players like Taylor Pleasants and Ciara Briggs.
“We all know we have big shoes to fill, but I think we are ready to do that with the group we have assembled this year,” Torina said.
Torina noted stand-outs on her team, offensively and defensively. She discussed key players like Sydney Berzon and Danieca Coffey and the impact they have on the team.
“She [Berzon] has been on everybody’s list and she deserves to be. She is extremely special. She can do things with a softball that I’ve never seen before,” Torina said of the two-time All-American Junior.
“Coffey comes back, which is incredible. She is a great leader for us. I think we all felt terrible when we lost her last year, but the silver lining is that we get her with us one more year to help lead this group,” Torina said of Coffey who is coming off of a season-ending ACL injury.
One of this season’s newcomers for the Tigers is Jayden Heavener. The freshman out of Pace, Florida highly recruited out of highschool where she claimed the 2024 Florida Gatorade Player of the Year as well as the 2024 Max Prep National Player of the Year.
Heavener will be the first left-handed pitcher for the Tigers since 1997. Coach Torina spoke about this addition to the roster.
“It’s only rare at LSU. It’s not rare anywhere else and I’m not sure why. I know we got a great one in Jayden Heavener and we are lucky to have her,” Torina said.
Tiger fans can look forward to a new style of gameplay from the team. Torina talked about new approaches both offensively and defensively she hopes will give her team an edge.
“We’re really trying to be innovative. Find some new ways to do things, new ideas, be forward thinkers,” Torina said.
“We are going to play a little different brand of LSU Softball but we’re still going to play a great brand of softball, it just may look a little bit different,”.
Overall, Torina is optimistic about what her 14th season with the LSU Tigers will bring.
“There’s an element of surprise in this. There is something to that excitement. We are all extremely hopeful of what this team is capable of,”.
The Tigers will kickoff their 2025 season in Tiger Park on Friday, February 7th against Charlotte in the Tiger Classic.
