The LSU softball team gelled throughout the 2025 Purple and Gold Challenge sweep, staying undefeated.
This new team wants to write a new narrative for the 2025 season. The now 10-0 Tigers beat Texas at Arlington, Northwestern twice and Virginia Tech twice across the weekend.
Building continuity
Through the second weekend of the season, LSU has started playing together more. Everything is starting to come together more for the Tigers. LSU head coach Beth Torina has liked what she has seen so far through his first couple of lineup shuffles.
Sierra Daniel saw more time at second base than not, and Maddox McKee was the designated player when she wasn’t playing defense at second base. Even when McKee played second base, Daniel closed both games.
Freshman Jada Phillips started catching on Friday against UT Arlington, but Maci Bergeron was still in the lineup as a designated player. Bergeron started in the other four games of the series.
The only position that appears to be a revolving door is left field.
McKaela Walker started both games Friday night, and the first game on Saturday in left field, and Jadyn Laneaux was the only other defender out there. Laneaux came in to finish all three games. Walker started in left field and held down the position by herself for the weekend’s final two games.
Contact over power
This Tigers team might not hit home runs like a typical SEC team. Despite this, however, LSU will get people on base and get them around to score.
On 51 hits, only 11 of them were for extra bases. Despite this, LSU outscored their opponents 35-7, getting the job done with their speed.
“I feel like how we are running the bases and being aggressive is stifling,” Torina said. “At times, other teams feel that pressure and create mistakes that may be out of character for them. It’s fun to see our team play like that.”
While the past teams did a great job at scoring runs, they tended to get bested by the best pitchers. This Tigers team will be more challenging to get out.
LSU is fast and knows how to use the ground to its advantage; even the power in the middle of the lineup could bunt for a base hit if they couldn’t figure out an opposing pitcher. Sunday versus Virginia Tech, clean-up batter Tori Edwards reached first base on an infield single.
When playing in Tiger Park with unpredictable wind patterns, hitting the ball in the air can be handy. Still, during a long season that hopefully ends in Oklahoma City, the ground will be this team’s best friend.
Youth movement
The new era of Tigers softball could be LSU’s most formidable lineup in several years. There is no one person the opposing team can circle to be their most competitive batter. Everyone in the lineup can be a leadoff or clean-up batter when it comes down to it.
This young team is showing their age in the best possible ways. Despite being a college softball team, these young Tigers show viewers how elite travel softball players play.
Getting the job done by large margins or in fewer innings, LSU has shown its age over the weekend.
The Tigers bested UT Arlington 6-0 and Northwestern 7-1 on Friday, with Tatum Clopton and Jayden Heavener starting each game, respectively.
Saturday, LSU defeated Northwestern again 8-0 and Virginia Tech 7-2, Sydney Berzon starting the first and Heavener the latter. Virginia Tech went down again on Sunday, 7-4, with Berzon in the circle.
The Tigers will look to keep the ball rolling at the LSU Invitational, which will begin next Friday afternoon against Penn State.
