The LSU Softball team kicked off their season with a 5-0 record with the Tiger Classic in Tiger Park going up against Charlotte, Central Arkansas and Southeastern Louisiana.
The Tigers went up against Charlotte and Central Arkansas Friday afternoon where freshmen pitcher Jayden Heavener threw the first perfect game in a collegiate debut in program history against the Charlotte 49ers.
Another standout pitcher was Junior Sydeny Berzon who would come in against Central Arkansas which would result in a two-hit shutout. The Tigers would freeze out Charlotte and Central Arkansas, beating them 8-0 and 10-0.
“I think a game like this is super special for us this early in the season to be in those moments and those situations have to fight for something. I think it’s going to benefit us as we keep going for the season.”
The Tigers would go up against those same teams Saturday afternoon where Redshirt Freshmen Utility Tori Edwards would hit a Grand Slam against Charlotte and two home runs against Central Arkansas. Edwards would go 3 for 3 at the plate and have an unstoppable game and great start for the 2025 season.
“That was so surreal. I had no idea I hit a palm tree until after we were done playing. I just went up there and told myself to keep the moment as small as possible, don’t make it any bigger than it has to be and basically I’ll say it’s my favorite pitch and I was ready to go. It was just the best moment, first home run, collegiate debut, so it was awesome.
The Tigers would conclude the Tiger Classic going up against Southeastern Louisiana Sunday afternoon, where both teams would have a slow start until Southeastern scored in the 5th inning. The Tigers would tie the score in the 6th inning and Avery Hodge would score the game winning run at the bottom of the 7th inning thanks to Edwards batting resulting in a 3-2 final score. Although the Tigers remain undefeated Coach Beth Torina knows the team has some things to work on.
“I mean of course there’s a couple of things. Defensive mistakes miscue there. I think we’re still learning each other out there defensively and I think a stretch of it bats that we would like to have back. We call them CPA competitive plate appearances. We had a long stretch where we didn’t have one so it’s okay if we don’t get a couple since we hit six or seven in a row and we’ll like to be more competitive throughout.”
Coach Torina is happy to have the game footage to improve on the Tigers perThe Tigers will be back Friday in Tiger Park where they will take on UT Arlington to kick off the Purple and Gold Challenge.
