No. 4 Florida State Softball reloading for start of 2024 season
The Florida State softball team’s regular season won’t officially begin until Feb. 8, and the Seminoles’ annual Fan Day is still more than a week away.
But after a strong fall semester and a quick jump on preseason practice, Lonni Alameda’s team is gearing up for another campaign with big expectations.
Florida State is ranked No. 4 in the country, and the ‘Noles were picked by league coaches Thursday to win the 2024 ACC Championship
“We’re super excited to be into team practice again,” senior second baseman Devyn Flaherty said. “It was a good fall, long fall. The kind of fall you like to have as a team. … Super excited now to see what everyone did over break, and Coach has said she was super happy with the way we practiced.”
In 2023, Florida State finished as the national runner-up after falling to Oklahoma in the finals of the Women’s College World Series.
This year’s team will have some questions, particularly in the circle following the graduation of star pitcher Kathryn Sandercock, who will go down as one of the greatest players in program history.
Replacing Sandercock will be a monumental challenge, but Alameda expressed confidence in sophomore Makenna Reid and the other arms on her pitching staff.
“We’ve got some good ones,” Alameda said. “Of course Makenna is someone that everyone saw last year.”
Indeed, Reid is the Seminoles’ top returning pitcher. As a freshman in 2023, she posted a 13-0 record on 79.1 innings pitched. She also had the best ERA on the team at 0.97. The only person to throw more innings was Sandercock.
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While Reid is the best known of the group, Alameda also expressed confidence in Florida State veterans Emma Wilson and Allison Royalty, and freshmen Ashtyn Danley and Mimi Gooden.
Flaherty echoed that sentiment.
“They’re ready for it,” the senior infielder said. “They know the innings they need to make up. I think they’re super excited to get their opportunities to get out there and compete. They know we’re working very hard to be behind them defensively and offensively, so I just think they’re really excited to get out there and kind of create their own identity as a pitching staff.”
It certainly helps to bring back stars like Flaherty, outfielder Kaley Mudge and several other veterans from last year’s WCWS team. Five Seminoles were named Thursday to the preseason All-ACC team: Flaherty, Mudge, Kalei Harding, Jahni Kerr and Michaela Edenfield.
Florida State also will lean on a very talented freshman class — one that Flaherty said is already making a big impression.
“I would say just pure talent,” she said. “I mean the talent that these freshmen have coming in, I’ve kind of said it to the coaches: ‘They just get better and better every year.'”
Florida State will host its annual Garnet and Gold Scrimmage and Fan Day on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 2 p.m.
Talk about this story with other die-hard Florida State football fans on the Tribal Council.
