A first look at LSU softball ahead of weekend series against South Carolina

South Carolina’s and LSU’s sports teams have engaged in multiple engaging battles over the 2024-25 academic year. ESPN’s College GameDay came to Columbia ahead of the Tigers’ 33-30 win on the gridiron on Sept. 14. Four months later, the Gamecocks emerged victorious by a 66-56 score in women’s basketball.

Now, the two teams are set to extend their budding rivalry to the diamond.

South Carolina will hit the road this weekend for its second SEC series away from Beckham Field this season. The Gamecocks and the Tigers, two of the conference’s top squads, are set for a heavyweight battle in a three-game set.

Before the series begins, here’s what LSU brings to the table.

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How they got here

The Tigers head into this weekend with one of the best records in the conference and the nation as a whole. LSU has a 30-2 overall record in 2025, including a 5-1 mark against SEC opponents through six games.

The Tigers cruised through non-conference play, with undefeated showings at the Tiger Classic, Purple & Gold Challenge and LSU Invitational – all regular-season tournaments hosted in Baton Rouge – helping them to a season-opening 14-game win streak. The team’s only miscue before conference play began was a 6-5 upset loss to CSU Fullerton at the Judi Garman Classic on Feb. 27. LSU rebounded quickly from that defeat, though, winning its last nine non-conference games.

The Tigers began conference play with a three-game sweep at home against Kentucky. That positive momentum carried over into their next SEC series against Georgia, as it went 2-1 in Athens. LSU had its final tuneup before facing South Carolina on Tuesday, when it picked up an 11-4 win over Louisiana-Lafayette.

Last time out

The Tigers have dominated the two teams’ all-time series, carrying a 53-20 record into this season. The two teams most recently engaged in a three-game slate in 2023, when a South Carolina win in game two was bookended by defeats.

In that victory, South Carolina scored all the runs it needed in the fourth inning. Zoe Laneaux and Marissa Gonzalez drove in two runs apiece on a double and home run, respectively. In the circle, Bailey Betenbaugh pitched two innings of one-run ball before making way for Donnie Gobourne, who struck out 10 batters across five innings and allowed just four hits and one run. The Gamecocks went on to win 4-2.

The opening game of the series, which South Carolina lost 9-1, also served as an important moment in program history. That day, the team celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Carolina Softball Stadium’s opening.

Where they sit in the rankings

There are four major polls in NCAA softball: D1Softball, Softball America, ESPN.com/USA Softball and NFCA Coaches. LSU ranked in all of them.

Three of the polls – Softball America, ESPN.com/USA Softball and NFCA Coaches – list the Tigers as the No. 3 team in the country. Only Texas and Oklahoma have higher rankings than LSU in these polls.

The D1 Softball poll, however, has the Tigers one spot lower at No. 4. Florida took the No. 3 spot in this set of rankings.

Players to watch

Danieca Coffey (Redshirt senior, infielder) – Coffey is back and better than ever after suffering a season-ending injury that cut her 2024 season short. She is amongst the nation’s leaders in batting average, where she sits 16th with a .483 mark in that metric. What she lacks in power – she has just two home runs on the season – she has in spades when it comes to plate discipline. Coffey draws at least one walk per game on average (34 in 32 games) and possesses the team’s highest on-base percentage (.616).

Sydney Berzon (Junior, pitcher) – Should Berzon continue pitching at her current pace, she will log her third straight season with a sub-2.00 earned run average. She has pitched to a 13-1 record and 1.78 ERA through 14 appearances (including 13 starts) in 2025. Berzon has also struck out nearly one batter per frame (70 total punchouts) and walked just 15 total across 78 2/3 innings pitched. She is coming off a 2024 season in which she earned First Team All-SEC and Second Team All-America honors.

Tori Edwards (Redshirt freshman, utility player) – Edwards, like Coffey, suffered a season-ending injury last year. In her brief time on the field, she has quickly emerged as one of the Tigers’ most dangerous power threats. Edwards currently leads the team with 11 home runs and 44 RBI, in addition to an .860 slugging percentage. She has found a way to reach base frequently, too – her .419 batting average is third amongst all LSU players this season, and she has a .505 on-base percentage.

Series details

South Carolina’s full schedule for the weekend series is below:

Game 1: Friday, March 28 (6 p.m.)

Game 2: Saturday, March 29 (7 p.m.)

Game 3: Sunday, March 30 (2 p.m.)

All three contests will be held at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge. The first two games of the series will be broadcast on the SEC Network, while the third will air on ESPN2.

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