High school softball star Jayden Heavener has entered her senior year on the back of a dominant and busy summer. Sporting Her’s Jeff Cheshire caught up with the Louisiana State University commit.
The numbers really are mind-boggling. Of course, statistics never tell the full story. In the case of Jayden Heavener, though, they very clearly show the left-hand pitcher’s dominance. Take a snapshot of her most recent high school and summer travel seasons – between February and August of this year. In those six months she tallied 601 strikeouts, at an average of 2.21 per inning and an ERA of just 0.75. That includes 18 no-hitters and three perfect games.
They are numbers so big, so easily written and read, they are almost difficult to comprehend. Imagine lining up 601 girls, many of whom are among the best hitters of their age, and watching the same pitcher sit them down one by one. Or consider that per inning average – extrapolate it to a full seven-inning game of 21 outs, and it equates to 14.5 strikeouts. That is a lot of Ks. Yet it still only tells you so much. The results are plain to see. How she gets them, well, that is what really separates Heavener from her peers.
”I think my movement has been what has worked the best for me,” the Pace High School senior said of why she is so hard to hit off. ”Speed is important, but you have to move the ball, as well. . . [in the circle] I am really just trying to focus on one pitch at a time and hitting my spots. I am also ready to play my position if they do put the ball in play.”
It is that which has the Louisiana State University commit from Pace, Florida, universally considered among the best high school players on the planet. She finished in a tie for second in the final Extra Innings Elite 100 rankings for the class of 2024, a list she has previously topped. Legacy and Legends has ranked her the top prospect in the class for the past two years, while she has been selected for the PGF All American Futures team each of the past two years. But, if possible, there is still more to add. Alongside her dominance in the circle, Heavener is also an imposing figure with the bat. Over that same six month period, she finished with an average of .459, including 10 home runs and 66 RBIs. It is something she puts as much work into as her pitching, and the opportunity to continue with it was a big lure to LSU.
I’m so excited to announce that l have decided to further my academic and athletic career at Louisiana State University.
I want to say thank you to my family, coaches and everyone who has ever pushed me to be the best!!
đź’śGeaux Tigersđź’› @BethTorina @LLefty18 @LSUQuinlanDuhon pic.twitter.com/niMoXb7YOp— Jayden Heavener (@JaydenHeavener) September 2, 2022
”I made a list of the top things I wanted to do in college,” she said of her recruitment. ”I wanted to have an opportunity to pitch and hit. My parents and I spent a lot of time researching programs, especially how they used their pitchers. I loved LSU from the first time I went to a camp, when I was 14. The facilities were awesome. The coaches were amazing. I went to camps at multiple colleges over the last 3 years. They all had a lot to offer but LSU was it for me. I knew that’s where I wanted to play. I just have such a strong connection with all the coaches. LSU puts a lot of focus on women’s sports and I love that.”
It has been a year since she made that commitment. Since then she has only become more excited, and more convinced she made the right decision. With it has come a new dynamic. The pressure of being scouted and earning an offer from her college of choice has disappeared.
”It is a different kind of pressure now. Now I have to make sure I am ready and continue to get better. I want to make an impact in my freshman year.”
You could certainly not accuse her of not putting in the work for that, either. She gets up at 6am four mornings a week to do CrossFit training, which helps keep her whole body strong – especially the muscles she does not use while pitching. She will pitch and hit with her father, who she refers to as her “bucket man”, for an hour after school. Once a week they drive two and a half hours to Enterprise, Alabama, for pitching lessons with Coach Sharon O’Mara. Once a month they drive an hour and a half for pitching lessons with Coach Jody Hodo, in Orange Beach, Alabama. Alongside all of that, she has recently started a stretching programme.
That does not even touch on games. She played several years for the Unity club, based in Virginia, on a team boasting players from nine surrounding states. For those not familiar with United States geography, take a look at a map and notice how far that is from Pace. This season she has moved closer to home, joining Georgia Impact Caymol 18U. During the summer season she travels to California, Colorado, Nevada, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee for games. Last year they were on the road for 24 days in a row, at one point. Anything within a six-hour drive, her parents consider local.
Heavener said:
“Chasing my dreams meant that I had to make a commitment. I had to give up my summer every year. That was really hard, but it was a commitment that was worth it for me. My parents would always tell me that any of my friends could travel with me any time, because they knew it was hard. Even going to lessons is a commitment, because pitching lessons takes five hours of traveling in one day. I have gotten used to the car rides. I love flying, so that part doesn’t bother me. It is all worth it.”
And you cannot underestimate the role her parents have played in all of this. Heavener’s mother and sister both played softball, which made it a natural sport for her to gravitate to, at just four years old. She began as a catcher, where she played for four years, before deciding she wanted to try pitching when she eight. Her parents signed her up for lessons, something that has stuck ever since. Catching no longer features, although she does play first base as her secondary position.
It is not the only thing that has changed. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Heavener moved to South Florida with her family, when a job opportunity came up for her mother. As Heavener began blossoming on the diamond, they made the decision to move to Pace, putting her in a better position to have access to top coaching. That is not an insignificant decision, something not lost on Heavener.
”I am so thankful for my parents. I would not be where I am now without them. My Dad has always been my Bucket Man. They are so supportive and have allowed me to chase my dream.” she said. ”I am so excited about softball being back in the Olympics. It should have always been there. It would be a dream come true to play on the USA team.”
That dream continues growing ever-stronger. Jayden Heavener has big goals for her final year at Pace High School. Individually she has 852 strikeouts to her name, and breaking the 1000 mark is very much in her sights. But ultimately, having finished second a year ago, and made the final four the two years prior to that, a state championship is her biggest ambition. There is also the added incentive of competing for a spot on the biggest sporting state of them all, when softball returns to the Olympics for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
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