BATON ROUGE, La. – First pitch for the 2026 softball season is right around the corner, and LSU opens the year ranked among the nation’s elite in every major preseason poll.
LSU enters the 2026 campaign ranked No. 13 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason Top 25 Poll, No. 16 in the NFCA/GoRoute Division I Top 25 Preseason Poll, and No. 12 in both the D1Softball Preseason Top 25 Poll and the Softball America Division I Preseason Top 25 Poll.
Last season, LSU advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 19th consecutive year, marking the program’s 26th appearance overall. The Tigers finished the 2025 season with a 42-16 record, posting the program’s third straight 40-win season and the eighth such campaign in the last 11 years.
The 2026 LSU roster features a blend of proven experience and new talent. The Tigers return 12 players from the 2025 squad, including seven starters, while adding 11 newcomers, five of whom arrived via the transfer portal. The incoming transfer group represents the deepest transfer class of Head Coach Beth Torina’s tenure.
Leading the returning group are 2025 NFCA All-Americans Maci Bergeron (catcher) and Tori Edwards (infielder), along with 2025 NFCA All-Region selections Jalia Lassiter (outfield) and Jayden Heavener (pitcher). Bergeron, Edwards and Heavener have all been named to USA Softball’s Top 50 Watch List for the 2026 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. Edwards also enters the season as a Preseason All-American according to both D1Softball and Softball America.
LSU’s transfer class adds depth and experience throughout the roster. Infielders Kylee Edwards (Mississippi State) and Ally Hutchins (Kentucky), along with pitcher Paytn Monticelli (Oklahoma), bring SEC experience, while pitcher Cece Cellura (San Diego State) and utility player Char Lorenz (Louisville) arrive after productive careers at their previous programs.
The Tigers also welcome a talented freshman class that includes utility players Gradie Appling (Juliette, Ga.), Ashlin Mowery (Lancaster, Ohio) and Ci’ella Pickett (Mentone, Calif.), pitchers Cali Deal (Quitman, La.) and Lauryn Soeken (Katy, Texas), and outfielder Rylie Johnson (Spotsylvania, Va.).
LSU opens the 2026 season at home with the Tiger Classic, hosted at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge from Feb. 5–8. The Tigers will welcome Illinois, Lamar, Nevada and NC State. The Tiger Classic tournament schedule can be found here.
For the latest news and information on Tiger softball, visit www.lsusports.net/softball. Fans can follow the team on its social media outlets, such as www.facebook.com/lsusoftball and @lsusoftball, as well as on Instagram and X.