BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The preseason accolades continue to roll in as LSU softball is picked to finish third in the 2024 SEC Softball Preseason Coaches’ Poll and has four players listed on the 2024 Preseason All-SEC Softball team, including pitcher Sydney Berzon, outfielder Ciara Briggs, and infielders Danieca Coffey and Taylor Pleasants.
LSU totaled 106 points in the Coaches’ Poll. Tennessee and Georgia sit atop the league with 137 and 136 total points, respectively, each having six first-place votes. Florida, who ranked No. 7 with 77 points, claimed the final first-place vote. Points were compiled on a descending basis. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their team.
Ten schools were represented on the preseason All-SEC Team. Tennessee led all schools with five selections, followed by Georgia and LSU, who had four. Auburn, Florida, Kentucky and Missouri had two honorees, and Arkansas, South Carolina and Texas A&M each had one. The league’s head coaches vote on the Preseason All-SEC Softball Team, which consists of at least 21 players with no ties broken.
Berzon is one of two All-Americans on the 2024 LSU roster. She was named an All-American last season after posting a 14-8 record in the circle with a 1.91 ERA behind 127 strikeouts and held opposing batters to a .209 average. Berzon’s 127 strikeouts ranked No. 10 among SEC pitchers, and the Buffalo, N.Y. native threw 11 complete games and had four shutouts in her collegiate debut. Berzon became the program’s first NFCA All-American freshman pitcher since 2015 (Carley Hoover). She was also a 2023 All-SEC Second Team honoree.
Briggs is the first back-to-back Gold Glove winner in softball history – collegiate or professional (2022, 2023)- and has no errors in 176 chances over the last two seasons. In 2023, Briggs had 83 putouts and four assists, and at the plate, she logged a .347 batting average, 68 hits, 24 RBI, 46 runs, two home runs (both grand slams) and 11 stolen bases. Briggs graced the 2023 NFCA South All-Region First Team, the All-SEC Second Team, and the SEC All-Defensive Team. In LSU history, Briggs joins LSU baseball’s Zach Watson (2018, 2019) as the only two-time back-to-back Gold Glove winner. Briggs will enter the 2024 season ranked No. 7 in the program’s record book with a career .356 batting average and .990 fielding percentage.
Coffey was placed on the 2023 NFCA South All-Region First Team as she led the Tigers with a .392 batting average and 74 hits. She also had a team-best .482 on-base percentage and 12 stolen bases. Coffey drove in 24 runs, scored 44 of her own, and had 11 extra-base hits, including two home runs last season. Coffey enters the 2024 season ranked No. 6 all-time in program history with a .430 career on-base percentage and No. 9 all-time with a .354 career batting average.
Pleasants, a 2021 NFCA All-American, earned a spot on the NFCA South All-Region First Team for the second consecutive year, became a three-time All-SEC selection, and was on the SEC All-Defensive Team in 2023. In 55 starts last season, Pleasants batted .346 and led the team with a .562 slugging percentage thanks to 56 hits and eight home runs. She also boasted a team-high 53 RBIs. Defensively, she paced the team with 118 assists, had 61 putouts, and was part of turning 15 double plays. Pleasants will enter the 2024 season ranked No. 5 in the LSU record book with 37 career home runs and a .597 career slugging percentage, No. 6 with 171 career RBIs, and No. 7 with 389 career assists.
No. 15 LSU will open the 2024 season at Tiger Park with a 6 p.m. CT game on Thursday, Feb. 8, versus Nicholls before hosting the annual LSU Invitational Feb. 9-11, welcoming Memphis and Pittsburgh to Baton Rouge, La.
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2024 SEC Softball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
(First-Place Votes in Parentheses)
| Place | School | Points |
| 1. | Tennessee (6) | 137 |
| 2. | Georgia (6) | 136 |
| 3. | LSU | 106 |
| 4. | Arkansas | 103 |
| 5. | Auburn | 100 |
| 6. | Alabama | 88 |
| 7. | Florida (1) | 77 |
| 8. | Texas A&M | 75 |
| 9. | South Carolina | 68 |
| 10. | Kentucky | 53 |
| 11. | Missouri | 28 |
| 12. | Ole Miss | 24 |
| 13. | Mississippi State | 19 |
2024 Preseason All-SEC Softball Team
| Name, School | Class | Hometown |
| Rylin Hedgecock, Arkansas | R-Sr. | Valdosta, Ga. |
| Maddie Penta, Auburn | Sr. | Chesapeake City, Md. |
| Nelia Peralta, Auburn | Jr. | Wellington, Fla. |
| Kendra Falby, Florida | Jr. | Odessa, Fla. |
| Skylar Wallace, Florida | R-Sr. | Woodstock, Ga. |
| Jayda Kearney, Georgia | Sr. | Columbus, N.J. |
| Sydney Kuma, Georgia | Gr. | Fresno, Calif. |
| Sara Mosley, Georgia | Fifth Year | Ellijay, Ga. |
| Shelby Walters, Georgia | Gr. | Cohutta, Ga. |
| Erin Coffel, Kentucky | Sr. | Bremen, Ind. |
| Stephanie Schnoover, Kentucky | Sr. | Dothan, Ala. |
| Sydney Berzon, LSU | So. | Buffalo, N.Y. |
| Ciara Briggs, LSU | Gr. | Yorba Linda, Calif. |
| Danieca Coffey, LSU | Sr. | Richwood, Texas |
| Taylor Pleasants, LSU | Gr. | Houston, Texas |
| Alex Honnold, Missouri | Sr. | West Des Moines, Iowa |
| Jenna Laird, Missouri | Sr. | East Meadow, N.Y. |
| Alana Vawter, South Carolina | Fifth Year | Kansas City, Mo. |
| McKenna Gibson, Tennessee | Jr. | Santa Clarita, Calif. |
| Payton Gottshall, Tennessee | Gr. | Massillon, Ohio |
| Kiki Milloy, Tennessee | Gr. | Woodinville, Wash. |
| Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee | So. | Weaverville, N.C. |