From the location of the field to the history of its strengths, LSU softball has been known for being a “pitchers’ park”.
In addition to being located right off of the Mississippi River with unpredictable wind patterns, the dominant pitching for LSU has given their stadium the nickname. The Tigers have been known for having great pitchers that make a combined 1-2 punch.
Historically, LSU has had deadly pitching combinations, dating as far back as 1999 with Brittani Sneed and Ashley Lewis until 2001. LSU softball icons Carley Hoover and Allie Walljasper added to this name in 2015-2018, and it continued after they graduated with the four-headed monster in 2019-2022 with Shelbi Sunseri, Shelby Wickersham, Meribeth Gorsuch and Ali Kilponen.
The 2025 duo of Jayden Heavener and Sydney Berzon is no exception to this trend.
Heavener, a freshman, has been the biggest recruit since shortstop Taylor Pleasants in 2020. Heavener threw the first perfect game in LSU history for a player’s first appearance, and has pitched two complete games only giving up three runs across them.
In addition to Heavener, junior Berzon has been getting it done in the circle as well. After being named a NCFA All American for the second consecutive season, Berzon hasn’t let up in the 2025 season. In four appearances in 2025, she has only allowed six runs.
With the big things these pitchers are doing, this could be the next 1-2 punch in the LSU softball history books. Head coach Beth Torina thinks highly of her 2025 pitching staff, comparing Heavener and Berzon to Hoover and Walljasper.
“It’s like Hoover-Walljasper-esque,” Torina said. “I think we used to call them the fire and the ice. They were so different in what they did, right? But these two are so different. Syd is so calculated, everything is about different speeds and different spots and being crafty. And then Jayden is really just powering it by people.”
The greatness of the 1-2 punch of past Tiger pitchers is that neither one of them fits a specific mold. With Hoover and Walljasper, they were both great in completely opposite ways. Hoover was a flamethrower and Walljasper was spinny with a great offspeed.
Heavener’s strength so far this season appears to be a rise-curve combo coming from the left side, and touching 68 to 70 mph consistently. Despite being left handed, her strengths are similar to Hoover’s. Torina said Heavener isn’t afraid to spot the ball where she wants it to get the job done depending on the batter.
Berzon is a Torina-type pitcher through and through. She has a multi-level drop ball and isn’t afraid to change the hitters’ eye level when needed, and she can pull the string with great accuracy. Berzon does this while hitting the upper 60s consistently as well. All of these traits mirror Walljasper’s strengths during her time at LSU.
As Torina said, Hoover and Walljasper went to the Women’s College World Series three times in consecutive seasons. The similarities between them and Berzon and Heavener respectively give high hopes for the 2025 season.
“I don’t know if you can find two different styles any more than Heavener and Berzon,” Torina said. “They’re about as different as you can be. And just the way they pitch, the way they go about their business, everything.”
In a rewatch of game three of the LSU versus Florida State 2017 Super Regional, Hoover said that neither one of them was a starter or a closer. She said they complimented each other so well that whichever one got the start would be backed up by the one that had to come in and close.
With how much the game of college softball has changed in the seven years since Hoover and Walljasper graduated, they might need someone to come in and help when Heavener and Berzon find themselves in hot water.
In addition to Heavener and Berzon, Torina has spoken highly of the whole 2025 Tiger staff.
“Match [Heavener and Berzon] up with the rest of our staff, with Ashley [Vallejo], Tatum [Clopton], Emilee [Casanova], I think they bring a lot of different looks too,” Torina said. “This is a deep staff, a strong staff.”
Berzon and Heavener are going to make great waves together throughout the 2025 season. The addition of the staff is only gonna help the Tigers in the long run.
It is to be seen if Heavener and Berzon have the stuff to be the next duo of Hoover-Walljasper caliber, but the future is bright for these athletes.
