It’s almost the end of the Fall 2025 semester, and spring sports are gearing up for battle.
LSU softball is known for its rigorous schedules, boasting several high RPI rankings in recent seasons, and 2026 will be no exception. Several matchups will be revisited when it’s time for the selection show.
Opening weekend
The Tigers will open the 2026 season with the Tiger Classic, facing NC State and Nevada. NC State will be the true test of battle early in the season.
LSU has a history of playing the team in a non-conference series, but in 2026, it will be in the round-robin format. The biggest challenge of the opening weekend comes from sets of eyes that know head coach Beth Torina and her program extremely well.
Former LSU assistant coach Lindsay Leftwich and program graduate Ali Newland are now a part of the Wolfpack coaching staff. If anyone knows the strategy Torina and her Tigers will take, it would be two minds that have worked so closely with her throughout the years.
In 2025, the Wolfpack finished just under .500 and defeated big names such as Boston College and North Carolina. Despite the unfortunate end to the 2025 season, this staff knows how Torina’s teams play, which bodes well for promising competition early in the season.
The Tigers have a target on their backs with this opening weekend schedule.
Nonconference play
The second weekend of softball brings even more competition for the purple and gold. The second weekend of the softball season will be in Florida for the Clearwater Invitational.
The Bayou Bengals will face Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Duke, UCF and UCLA over four days. The three biggest matchups of the weekend for the Tigers will be Nebraska, OSU and UCLA, especially after how the 2025 season ended.
Many expected the Baton Rouge Regional Finals to be between LSU and Nebraska. This was not the case, but it was only the beginning for big players on both staffs.
In her final season, Husker two-way player Jordy Bahl will be the ace once again as LSU takes on Nebraska. Bahl faced LSU in the 2023 season while at Oklahoma.
In her last appearance versus the purple and gold, she allowed no runs in seven innings pitched, striking out 13 Tigers.
LSU also has a heated history against OSU, having competed in the Clearwater Invitational several times over the years. In 2022, the Tigers took the matchup 10-2 in a huge offensive inning led by first baseman Georgia Clark. In 2024, the Tigers won 7-6 after a back-and-forth battle.
In 2025, the purple and gold will have to face a team that topped Kentucky, Texas A&M and Nebraska. The Tigers have a lot to prove for the rest of the season with that matchup.
One of the biggest wins of the 2025 season was against UCLA, and LSU has another chance to top the Bruins early in the season.
In 2025, UCLA had several players bat over .400, and the team finished the season with an .809 win percentage. Of the six nonconference losses the Bruins suffered in 2025, LSU was one of them, so the Bayou Bengals have a lot to prove in this nonconference matchup.
SEC play
It’s the hottest part of the season, full of ups and downs, and it teaches players to handle adversity as the postseason nears. Conference play brings big teams into Tiger Park for big moments, and 2026 is no exception.
LSU’s conference schedule is filled to the brim with talent each weekend, but three opponents bring the most drama. The Tigers will take on Tennessee, Texas A&M and Oklahoma all at home.
Tennessee and LSU have a deep history of SEC matchups. The Vols have always been a tough match for the Tigers on the diamond, and this season will be no exception.
They have Karlyn Pickins for one more season, and she’s getting better each year. She is reaching for her third consecutive title of SEC Pitcher of the Year, and she finished the 2025 season with a 1.17 ERA and a 25-11 record in the circle.
Many on this younger LSU team have yet to face her, so this matchup between the LSU Tigers and the Tennessee Vols is a can’t-miss.
The next biggest challenge will take place the following weekend at Tiger Park. LSU will face the Texas A&M Aggies, and this series has produced drama before.
In 2024, the purple and gold took on the maroon and white in Baton Rouge. The Tigers put together three crazy wins to pull off a sweep of the Aggies, and in 2025, Texas A&M returned the favor with three-straight dominant wins.
LSU is looking for revenge in the 2026 season, and the only thing to make it more fitting would be another sweep of the Aggies.
The last intense SEC series to note in the 2026 season is Oklahoma, which is coming off a hugely disappointing season in which it could’ve won five national championships in a row.
To thicken the plot of SEC play, the Sooners have picked up the Tigers’ ace pitcher.
Former LSU star Sydney Berzon hit the transfer portal almost as soon as the Tigers’ season ended. Not long after, she announced her commitment to OU.
Berzon goes into the season looking to be a key factor in the Sooners’ pitching staff. In 2024, she had a 2.46 earned run average while injured. In the seasons prior, both of her ERAs were sub-2.00.
As early as her freshman season at LSU, Torina turned to her in big moments, including the final game of the season.
Torina is known for creating high-RPI teams, and the 2026 season is no exception. With a plethora of tough contests early, this roster of Tigers is going to be battle-tested early.
Time will tell how tough this team really is. It all begins on Feb. 5, 2026, at Tiger Park.
