Heavener Honored as SEC Freshman of the Week
Pitcher Jayden Heavener wins her first career SEC accolade after throwing the program's sixth perfect game in her collegiate debut.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After tossing the program’s sixth perfect game, left-handed pitcher Jayden Heavener earned SEC Freshman of the Week, announced Monday afternoon by the league office.
Heavener, who wins her first SEC weekly accolade, shares the honor with Florida’s Taylor Shumaker.
Heavener opened her career and the 2025 season by tossing a perfect game in six innings against Charlotte that resulted in an 8-0 victory for LSU. The Florida native struck out 13 batters and surrendered no hits or walks, becoming the first LSU pitcher to record a perfect game in a collegiate debut in program history. Heavener’s 13 strikeouts rank No. 10 in the SEC.
Heavener is the third pitcher to pitch a perfect game under Head Coach Beth Torina and threw the first perfect game for LSU since Maribeth Gorsuch’s seven-inning, 4-0 gem against Belmont on Feb. 22, 2020.
Heavener is the second freshman under Torina to throw a complete perfect game. Sydney Smith put together a five-inning, 8-0 win against Tennessee Tech on March 4, 2016, and in 2001, Sarah Meadors became the program’s first freshman to be part of a perfect game as she combined with All-American Britni Sneed in a 9-0 victory over Tennessee on March 18, 2021 (five innings).
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