The college experience can be an exciting yet overwhelming journey, filled with challenges and opportunities for personal growth. For freshman pitcher Jayden Heavener, her transition to LSU has been remarkable. From her stunning performances to her reflections on adjusting to college life, Jayden is setting the stage for a successful athletic career. I recently had the chance to sit down with Jayden and learn more about her experiences, adjustments, and impressive start to the season.
Adjusting to College Life
For many students, the leap to college can feel daunting, particularly for student-athletes who must juggle academics, training, travel and games. I was curious how Jayden was managing this transition. "I would say during the fall, it was a little bit harder to adjust. But now that we're in season, it's kind of easy now. I think I've gotten used to it," she explained. "Once SEC play starts, I might feel a bit nervous, but overall, I think I’m doing pretty good."
Her perspective showcases the typical ups and downs of this new chapter. With an impressive adjustment period, as evidenced by her growing confidence, Jayden is finding her rhythm at LSU.
The Role of Family Support
One key factor that has eased Jayden’s transition is the unwavering support of her family. She shared how important it is to have her parents close by during this pivotal phase.
"I'm really grateful that I have parents who can come and see me on the weekends and watch me play," she noted. "but just being able to have them here and supporting me and just being able to see them after the game and being able to talk to me as if I was playing another high school game or travel ball game."
The Memorable Opening Game
As the season began, Jayden delivered a breathtaking debut. She faced 18 batters, striking out 13 without issuing a single walk, a perfect game. This performance caught the attention of coaches and fans, raising expectations for the season ahead.
Reflecting on her response to being named the starter on opening night, Jayden remembered the moment with a mix of surprise and excitement. "Coach Beth Torina doesn't tell us if we're starting until we're doing our hitting rotations. I didn’t expect to start the first game of our season." On her reaction to the news, she said, "It shocked me a little, but I was ready to show up for my team," she stated confidently. This unexpected opportunity likely fueled her to go out there and earn herself SEC Freshman of the Week.
On if she was ever aware that she had a perfect game on the line, she stated, "Maybe once I did. I've been in a couple of situations where I think that and then I don't. I really try to remember what I'm doing. I just go out there every inning. My mind is blank, worrying about this next batter. So I'm not really worried about anything, and I know if I walk somebody or if I get hit off in the end, my defense always has my back, so I wasn't worried about my play at all. I was just out there playing LSU softball."
She commented on what it was like to throw the perfect game in her first collegiate outing, "It was really good, just being able to do that at the college level. I didn't have any doubt in myself that I could because I'm just going out there with confidence. I was really just proud of my work that I put in through the fall. I came in during the fall a little rough, I mean it is college and it's a little different atmosphere." She added, "It wasn't anything like I expected. It was just amazing to have these girls by my side, these coaches on my side when I'm out there, calming me down, letting me know that it's OK and just breathe and just be out there and play my pitch, do what I'm supposed to be doing. So it was really fun."
Building on Success
Heavener came out last weekend and continued to live up to the hype of being Max Preps National Player of the Year and proved that performance was no fluke. She followed up the opening weekend's perfect game with two complete games against two teams ranked in the Top 25 nationally in No. 17 Virginia Tech and No. 22 Northwestern. She would pitch 14.0 innings, striking out 17 batters and allowing only 3 runs total. On the season, she is (3-0) with a 1.05 ERA and 30 strikeouts. She would go on to earn Back to Back SEC Freshman of the Week, the first time any player in program history has done so.
On how she stays grounded with such immediate success, "I think it's just another game. I'm not trying to think too much of it. I am very grateful, for everybody who has the confidence in me and these coaches and just very grateful to have accepted those awards back to back. I really wasn't expecting it .Coming to college I really didn't know what exactly to expect with accolades and everything. I got to keep working and keep playing LSU softball and just being out there and showing up for my team."
She relies on the number one rule her parents gave her growing up, "I just know what I'm capable of and just knowing that I am another human being, like all these other players, staying humble has always been my parents' number one rule throughout my entire athletic career. So that's something that I always strive for, staying humble and staying within myself, and this is a team sport. Always being there for my teammates as they are there for me and just staying confident in myself as a pitcher because pitching is kind of hard sometimes, but just knowing that I always have something to work on and just constantly putting in the work and knowing what I need to work on from the previous games."
While one would expect she has always been the best player on her teams growing up, Heavener says otherwise, and she reflects on what it is like sharing the circle with Sydney Berzon, "I'm having a lot of fun. I think it's really good to be next to Sid and all these other pitchers that have been here for a while. They're all upperclassmen, so being able to follow them and look and see what were also committed to SEC, ACC, and big
schools like that. So, it really wasn't that much of a shock to me to come to LSU and play with these other pitchers. So I think it's just really fun and I'm really excited to see what this season brings."
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