LSU softball’s biggest in-state rivalry will return when they face University of Louisiana-Lafayette on Tuesday.
Historically, LSU and ULL have played 42 times since the first matchup in 2008. It has always been a back-and-forth contest for both teams.
This in-state rivalry has a deep history because each program sees each other several times each year between the regular season and postseason. For several years, ULL has been sent to LSU for regional play, despite being contenders to host in recent years.
The importance of the games adds to the strength of this in-state rivalry, and what fairweather fans see as a money-grab for LSU is actually a competitive series.
LSU leads the all-time series 26-16, but ULL has won three of the last four matchups, including the two that eliminated the Tigers from the postseason in 2023. In the 2024 season, the Tigers and Cajuns split the two game series, each winning on their home field. In Baton Rouge, LSU leads the series 17-12.
The plot thickens in the 2025 season with all of the changes made to the LSU and ULL programs.
The Tigers look completely different in the 2025 season, with only four starters returning. This has allowed LSU to play differently than the teams of the past, and so far it has worked in their favor, tallying a 23-1 record.
The Cajuns softball team also looks different, with ace pitcher Sam Landry transferring to the University of Oklahoma after her dominant 2024 season. Landry was the winning pitcher versus LSU at Lamson Park in 2024.
ULL has also changed its coaching staff entirely prior to the 2025 season. The only returning coach is Shellie Landry, who remains the assistant coach.
What makes this change so crucial to the Tigers is that former LSU softball utility player Shelbi Sunseri is now on the coaching staff at ULL.
Sunseri is the pitching coach and an assistant coach for the Cajuns, but as a Tiger, she was an all-American pitcher in 2019 while dominating in the SEC.
At LSU, Sunseri pitched and hit, and did it well. She was a well-versed Tiger, and could know things about LSU the ULL staff never did. Sunseri could show some insight to the way LSU plays softball, even when all the faces have changed since her days as a player.
The face of LSU softball has changed from the field, and the forces behind ULL softball have changed from the dugout. This new brand of the Interstate 10 crossover is going to be interesting to watch.
For several years, the matchup was referred to as the I-10 matchup because over the course of the weekend, one game will be hosted in Baton Rouge at Tiger Park and the other will be in Lafayette at Lamson Park.
The matchup will take a break in the 2025 softball season as LSU and ULL will be played as midweek games. In 2025, the series will be referred to as the midweek home-and-home series.
Despite the changes, the Tigers still have hot-wheeled third baseman, Danieca Coffey in the 2025 season. She is currently on a 34 game reached-base streak that dates back to before her season ending injury in 2024. She has wasted no time getting back in the lineup and getting it done for the Tigers in 2025.
Two-time All-American pitcher Sydney Berzon is still getting it done in the circle for LSU. Her ability to change speeds and hit spots with pin-point accuracy has allowed her to be a force to be reckoned with in the circle, but now she is backed up in the form of freshman Jayden Heavener.
Lefty freshman Heavener is showing why she was the 2024 Florida Gatorade Player of the Year and the 2024 Max Preps National Player of the Year. She is the first left handed pitcher at LSU in nearly thirty years and her abilities to spin the ball with speed has made her the perfect balance for Berzon.
Oklahoma transfer Avery Hodge is a two-time national champion and has shown why in recent games. She has settled in at shortstop for the Tigers, with a hot bat and outstanding glove work in the field.
Coffey and Hodge need to stay strong defensively and offensively to help Berzon and Heavener get through the tough Cajuns lineup.
Leadoff batter for the Cajuns, Maddie Hayden, has been electric this season. Hayden has consistently been a starter for the Cajuns since her freshman season. Along with being a veteran to the team, she has also seen Berzon a handful of times, including the game ULL won to go to regionals in 2023.
Senior outfielder, Kayla Falterman has been a force to be reckoned with at the plate, batting .411 in 56 at bats. Against Alabama on March 7, Falterman scored the insurance run with an infield single to second base.
All four pitchers in the Cajuns’ staff have been consistent shovers, but pitchers Mallory Wheeler and Sam Ryan lead the team with 2.57 and 2.58 ERA respectively. Wheeler has recorded 11 more innings pitched than Ryan, while still having a lower ERA.
ULL will have to do all they can to make it through the scrappy 2025 LSU team.
LSU has been undefeated at home this season, and last season each team won their home game. There could be serious upsets on either field in the next two weeks.
The first game of the midweek home-and-home series is Tuesday, March 11, in Baton Rouge at 6 p.m. The Tigers will take on the Cajuns in Lafayette Tuesday, March 25 to complete the two game series.
