After LSU softball lost Sydney Berzon to the transfer portal, many have wondered how its less-experienced bullpen will fare against top SEC opponents.
With the Tigers facing No.1 Tennessee this weekend, that question will soon be answered.
Through non-conference play, it’s been clear that the Tigers have a strong rotation of pitchers, but still lack an ace who can control games against the best teams in the nation.
The struggles on the mound were clear in LSU’s toughest games, like in the Clearwater Invitational, where the Tigers let up 47 hits across their five games. Although LSU has forced other low-scoring and shutout games, most of these performances have come against much weaker teams than the average SEC program.
While LSU pitching has had disappointing moments, there are still bright spots that give it hope against top SEC teams.
LSU’s bullpen’s most experienced pitchers are Jayden Heavner and Paytn Monticelli, both with big SEC games under their belt from last season. Although neither was the first-choice starter in contests, both have some impressive wins to their name.
Last season, Heavner earned wins against strong teams like Alabama and Arkansas. She ranked the 19th-best pitcher in the SEC last season, allowing only 2.7 hits per game and posting the lowest opponent batting average in the conference. Heavner also finished seventh in strikeouts while playing significantly fewer games than the other pitchers of the SEC top 10.
Monticelli may not have seen the field as much last year, but she was still tested against some top teams while with reigning SEC co-champions Oklahoma.
Monticelli recorded big wins against other ranked teams, including South Carolina and the NCAA champion, Texas. In her time on the mound, Monticelli impressed, allowing only 15 hits in 16 games played.
Tatum Clopton, another strong member of LSU’s bullpen, has looked good this year while taking on a bigger role. Last year in her cameos against SEC schools, the senior struggled, losing all but one conference game.
With more opportunity this season, hopeful Clopton will help relieve the rest of the bullpen in big contests.
Despite the solid 2025 season for LSU pitching, this year has not been the same, with the Tigers dropping from the No. 4 pitching team to No. 8
LSU allows opponents a .237 batting average, while top teams like Tennessee and Texas A&M have a .330 and .364 batting average. When facing exceptional hitting teams, like the ones at the top of the SEC, LSU will have to improve its pitching performances or be prepared to keep up in a high-scoring game.
Other SEC teams like Florida, Arkansas and Oklahoma have also recorded double the amount of hits that LSU has let up this season, showing how tough it can be to pitch against an SEC school compared to other non-ranked programs.
Although no one can be sure of how well LSU will do against SEC teams this year, as of now, it looks like the powerful hitting of many SEC programs beats out this year’s weaker Tiger pitching.
As we saw last year, LSU has the pitchers to come up big in the moment and hold off great SEC batters, but it just depends on whether they’re in good form. As of now, many SEC teams would put up big hits on LSU’s defense, but the Tiger pitching also may outperform themselves with the extra pressure of facing a top-ranked opponent.
