Perspective on LSU Softball’s Early-Season Struggles

There’s no sugarcoating it — some of LSU’s losses early this season haven’t looked good. LSU went into Clearwater (6-0) and people say well they could be (3-3) or (4-2). Well, that is not how sports work. We don't judge by what could have been.

Fast forward to this weekend. If it could go wrong for LSU, it did. From walks, hit batters, wild pitches, defensive blunders, missed opportunities at the plate and not being able to convert with runners in scoring position — all of it has shown up at times. And when you’re playing teams that are on fire offensively, like Duke and UCLA, those issues get exposed quickly. LSU was able to hit the ball just not able to convert, and when they did get hard hit balls, it was typically right to someone. That part is real. LSU now sits at (7-4)

But context matters.

Look at who LSU losses have lost to so far:

UCLA — a 2025 WCWS team

Nebraska — 43 wins last season, one win from the WCWS

Duke — 41 wins, NCAA Tournament team

UCF — five wins last season against Top-25 RPI teams

Those aren’t “bad losses.” That’s a brutal early schedule.

LSU Did get a great win in clearwater against Oklahoma State who has wins over UCLA, Georgia, Texas A&M and Cal this season.

Now compare that to 2017 — a season that ended in the Women’s College World Series. And I am not telling you they are more talented than that team or will even accomplish what they did in the post season. What I will do is show you that team was not perfect and it looked different then the other WCWS teams we had.

That LSU team started 9–1, went 4–2 at the Mary Nutter Classic, and finished that stretch 13–3. They even had two big wins over an Oklahoma State team that won 49 games the previous season. But here’s what gets forgotten: that 2017 team still finished with 22 losses. They weren’t perfect early. They weren’t perfect in March. They just kept improving.

This 2026 team is different — and that matters.

There are a lot of new pieces in new roles. New pitchers being asked to carry innings. New hitters learning how they’ll be pitched. New defensive combinations still developing chemistry. That process is never smooth in February. And yes — some of the mistakes have been costly. That’s fair criticism. But it’s also important to remember who these hitters are. Good hitters don’t stay down long.

Kylee Edwards hit around .300 at Mississippi State and nearly reached double-digit home runs. Char Lorenz was a freshman All-American at Louisville, hit close to double-digit home runs, and broke the program’s RBI record for a freshman. We’ve all seen what Maci Bergeron can do at LSU who was a Third Team All- American and add in a player like Alix Franklin who looks poised for a breakout season as a sophomore.

These aren’t unproven players. They’ve produced at a high level before — and history says they’ll do it again. This is a team that was a program record breaking offense the year prior, and I have no reason to believe they will not be on pace for a similar season this year. The philosophy has not changed.

That’s why I’m not ready to panic.

Why it looks different

In recent seasons, many LSU teams have started fast, rolled through early tournaments, and then struggled once SEC play and postseason pressure arrived. Fans have pointed that out — and fairly so. People always say they do the same thing every year and nothing changes. This year feels different.

Instead of peaking early, this team is experimenting, learning, and trying to grow in real time. It’s messy. It’s uncomfortable. And it takes patience. But sometimes that’s exactly what builds a tougher team in April and May.

In baseball and softball, failure is part of the game. Even elite players fail most of the time. The key is whether those failures turn into growth. From what I’ve seen in the fall and in practices, this team’s ceiling is much higher than what we’ve seen during the last two weeks. That doesn’t guarantee anything. But it does matter.

Now the focus turns back to Tiger Park — where LSU has a chance to respond, settle in, and start turning lessons into results. This stretch will tell us a lot about who this team really is.

One thing I do know: giving up on players in February doesn’t help anyone in May.

This group has the talent.

They have the work ethic.

They have the leadership.

The next two weeks will tell us whether this is a temporary stumble or something deeper.

Let’s give it a chance. And let’s support them while they do. There is still a lot of season left to play.