'An expectation and a standard' ... Lonni Alameda, FSU Softball reload for '24

So many of the names are familiar.

Harding. Mudge. Flaherty. Edenfield. Kerr. Reid. Wacaser. Royalty.

But that doesn’t mean this will be the same Florida State softball team in 2024. Of course, the Seminoles are expected to be good. Great, even. They’re ranked No. 3 in the preseason national polls. What else is new?

Still, this team is going to be different.

Florida State coach Lonni Alameda signed arguably the best recruiting class in her tenure last year, and those freshmen aren’t expecting to just sit and watch. Five of the six were ranked in the Top 15 in the country by various recruiting services, and one — Ashtyn Danley — was ranked as high as the No. 2 high school player in the United States.

“There is an expectation and a standard here in the program,” Alameda said during a lengthy interview with Warchant.com. “And we want that. These kids want that when they come into it. But you have to work on the execution daily and not let the expectation outweigh being present in the moment.”

Because at Florida State, playing time is obviously earned, not given. And culture is learned.

That’s one of Alameda’s main messages this preseason as she tries to lead the Seminoles back to Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City after a remarkable season in which her squad went 58-11 and advanced to the Championship Series against eventual national champ Oklahoma.

“I feel like every year is different,” Alameda said. “I’m 100 percent relying on people’s experience. They know where they’re going, they know what they’re getting into. Danley has no idea. She’s excited about it. … Super excited about what’s ahead of her. No idea where she’s going. Next year, you come back as a sophomore and you say, ‘Oh, I now know why offseason training is really important. I now know why drinking water is really important.’

“They have never lived a full 60-game season or maybe a 70-game season. So, those little nuggets start to come in when you get to your returning players. But we are a different team. We’re going to rely on some freshmen this year. I’m really excited. They will be different. Those freshmen will be different February and then March and April. And a lot of that is because the upperclassmen put their arms around them and say, ‘Man, I know what you’re feeling. I’ve been there. Let me help you through it.'”

Alameda knows the underclassmen will have to develop and contribute if the Seminoles are going to reach their ultimate goal. But she also knows — and she stresses to them individually — that the veterans have to lead the way.

And it’s not just with words. Although those absolutely matter.

It’s with action. It’s with trying to take every practice rep, every midweek game, every ACC series as seriously as possible. And not looking ahead to the postseason, even though these veterans have all been to the biggest stage in the sport. Multiple times.

“I’ll tell you, last season it was week to week,” Alameda said. “We always have a goal of being in Oklahoma City, but there is a process to get there. And our kids last year had to earn that process. So, now they have respect for that process. To turn around and say it’s a new team, we’re earning the process to hopefully give us an opportunity to make a run.

“So, I think we’re really grounded in that. It’s not, ‘Come in, we’re going to the World Series.’ It’s, ‘Come in, let’s earn it daily, let’s go through this. And then if we get the chance, we can make a run.’ It’s very grounded in that sense.”

The Florida State softball team’s Fan Day will take place on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and will include a team scrimmage.

The season officially kicks off the following week when the Seminoles take on Charlotte at JoAnne Graf Field on Thursday and Friday and then play a doubleheader against Texas Tech and FAMU on Saturday.

Talk about this story with other die-hard Florida State football fans on the Tribal Council.