High School

Pace (Florida) graduate Jayden Heavener pitches perfect game in collegiate debut for LSU

Former Florida high school star strikes out 13 batters, leading the Tigers to 8-0 victory over Charlotte 49ers

Maren Angus-Coombs

Pace High School's ace pitcher, Jayden Heavener (No. 00), delivered the heat during Tuesday's semifinal game against Niceville.
Pace High School's ace pitcher, Jayden Heavener (No. 00), delivered the heat during Tuesday's semifinal game against Niceville. / Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Not even a year ago, Jayden Heavener was graduating from Florida's Pace High School and getting ready to move to Baton Rouge, La., to play softball at Louisiana State University.

The journey to LSU, which was years in the making, became a reality when Heavener took the mound to make her collegiate debut for the Tigers against the Charlotte 49ers.

What happened over the next six innings was magical.

Heavener carved up the Charlotte offense striking out 13 and not allowing a single base runner to reach for the first perfect game in a collegiate debut in program history. It was just the sixth perfect game in LSU history

She faced 18 batters in the team's 8-0 win that ended after six innings due to the NCAA mercy rule.

Top-ranked recruit Heavener dominated from the outset, striking out 10 of the first 12 batters and finishing with 13 strikeouts. She recorded seven consecutive strikeouts at one point and fanned at least one batter in all but one inning. Charlotte managed to put just five balls in play.

The freshman came into LSU with high expectations. Not only was she the top-ranked recruit in the nation but she was ranked No. 97 in Softball America's preseason Top 100.

The Pace, Florida native was named the 2024 Florida Gatorade Player of the Year and the 2024 MaxPreps National Player of the Year, capitalizing on her senior season by leading Pace High School to a 2024 Florida 6A State Championship Title.

During the 2024 season, Heavener dominated in the circle with 322 strikeouts and a 0.44 ERA. She also made an impact at the plate, hitting .434 with 12 home runs and 35 RBIs.

Capping off a stellar four-year career at Pace, she led her team to four state final four appearances and a state championship. Over 502.1 innings, she amassed 1,174 strikeouts with a remarkable 0.67 career ERA.

Her only season with an ERA above 1.00 was as a freshman, finishing at an impressive 1.59. She also recorded 27 no-hitters and four perfect games during her high school career.

Heavener is a left-handed pitcher who played club for the Birmingham Thunderbolts (2016-2020), Virginia Unity (2020-2023) and Impact Caymol (2023-2024).  

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. In addition to High School on SI, she contributes to Huskers on SI, Dodgers on SI, Padres on SI, and Angels on SI.

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