Jayden Heavener, LSU softball’s sophomore left-handed pitcher, has a season ahead of her filled with constant spotlight.
With the loss of ace Sydney Berzon, who transferred to Oklahoma for her final year of eligibility, Heavener is projected to fill her spot.
Tiger fans think Heavener will be the ace, since she’s looking to continue her efforts from last season when she was the No. 2 behind Berzon. But head coach Beth Torina hasn’t given a specific answer yet.
Only time will tell when LSU opens up its season at home on Thursday.
In the meantime, one thing is abundantly clear: Heavener is prepared to take that responsibility if her name is called.
Reflecting on her first year at LSU, Heavener took in a lot from the game and her time pitching for the Tigers. Being able to learn from the older girls in the bullpen last season helped Heavener understand the game and herself as a pitcher, she said.
Pitching in the SEC was a huge adjustment that Heavener had to learn when she stepped on the mound for the first time at Tiger Park her freshman year.
“I got away with a lot of things in high school and in travel ball, I kind of just threw and hoped for the best,” Heavener said at the team’s media day. “Here it’s a lot different. [The ball] has to be able to hit my spots and [I have to] throw the right pitches at the right time. That aspect of the game is really different.”
While Heavener began to find herself on the mound, she gave props to senior catcher Maci Bergeron for being an anchor behind the plate.
“If you go back and watch film, [you’ll] see all the pitches that she’s saved for me, or pitches where I’ve missed my spots and she made it look like I was supposed to throw it there,” Heavener said. “I can’t say thank you enough to her. Catchers don’t get a lot of recognition, but I feel like she needs to because she does an amazing job back there.”
Heavener’s personal motivation to get through games, and the entirety of LSU’s season in general, is to remind herself not to take things too seriously.
“The second I take things too seriously or stress myself out about something, that’s when everything [doesn’t] work out very well,” Heavener said.
To fight this mentality, Heavener reminds herself that every practice will still be the same, no matter the outcome of a game the night before. Whether a win or loss for the Tigers, she knows she must move forward and prepare for the next game ahead on the schedule.
“You’re still gonna go to practice tomorrow [and] practice the same way you would have, had it been that different outcome,” Heavener said. “As long as I tell myself not to stress myself out or not to worry about it too much, and just go out there and trust my work that I’ve put in, it’ll be a good game.”
When tough games come down to small pitching mistakes, Heavener recognizes that fans may view the game outcome to be predicated on the performance of the pitcher alone. In terms of taking that towering responsibility, she’s prepared to face that criticism.
“There are some days where I’m a little stressed out about it, but I do want that role, I do want that target on my back,” Heavener said. “I still want all the pressure on my shoulders that everybody can give me.”
All throughout fall, Heavener threw to power hitters on her team every day at practice. Her teammates have been hard outs to get all off-season, which has prepared her for any surprise that may come in the regular season. For Heavener, she will continue to pitch her game every day and step on the mound prepared.
“Last year, I pitched one game a series,” Heavener said. “This year, it might be two, it might be one, it might be none. I’m still gonna play it just as I would have if I was playing one game or no games. I’m still gonna be myself.”
