11/23/2023 other sports Edit

FSU softball: Fall wrap-up Q&A with Lonni Alameda

Bob Ferrante • TheOsceola

Editor

The Florida State softball team wrapped up fall ball last week. Coach Lonni Alameda sat down with the Osceola to answer questions and discuss a few storylines:

What do you want to accomplish in a fall season and what do you feel like you did achieve?

Alameda: "I think every fall you go into a couple different modes. One, development of the freshmen. Just to get them on to how things are run in the program whether it's skill sets on the field to time management, expectations of weight room and recovery and balancing your academics and all the things. So I think it's a really awesome opportunity for us to get a trial run of a season. You get 12 weeks of a trial run, so the freshman acclimation is big for us.

"Two, I think addressing the areas that you've graduated, so every year is going to be a little bit different. This year, we have new faces at the shortstop position and a lot of new faces or less experienced in the circle. But then with Allison (Royalty) and Emma (Wilson), Makenna (Reid) was there a little bit last year, but it's a different role now as a pitcher, to get after what that leadership role looks like in the circle and getting from there.

"And then the third is always just that it's a different team. When you graduate people, it's an opportunity for someone else to step up and the leadership roles become, I wouldn’t say defined as that usually happens midseason, but definitely something that you did find out what this team is all about out and where we’re at with the team."

What are the pitchers working on? Is it mechanics, adding a new pitch?

Alameda: "Every year we want to add something. I would say maybe a different pitch, even though you try to expand their abilities to throw different parts of the zone. The technology pieces have jumped into baseball and softball. Pitch mapping has been something that's been fun for a lot of coaches to jump into. And I think that when you get knowledge on your pitchers and then you know what kind of zone, down and away from righties, up and in to righties or up and down to lefties. You try to figure out what you don't have within your pitching staff or maybe what you do have with your pitching staff. And so I think it's developmental of that, of being able to throw to certain parts of the zone.

"Makenna, I think, velocity was a big part of her game last year and we were able to protect her a little bit in a lot of moments, with Mack (Leonard), Ali (Dubois) and Kat (Sandercock) being able to contribute along with Allison (Royalty), now you take those 200-plus innings away and you're like, ‘Ok, how are we going to fill the 200-plus innings?’ I think our two freshmen (Mimi Gooden and Ashtyn Danley) are going to be outstanding, but they're unknown and unproven. So no one really knows where you got Emma, Allison and McKenna, the ability to come in and do some things and grow and so we just had a pitcher's meeting last night, just talking about that exact point. Really important for us to make sure that we are in each other's hip pocket, we continue to grow, and then get ready for the challenges that it takes to create a pitching staff in the month of February.

You said last year that to get where you wanted to go it would take everyone on the pitching staff. Do you go in thinking a pitcher could redshirt or is the plan to use Gooden And Danley?

Alameda: "With the 200-plus innings I think we're going to have a lot of opportunity for our two freshmen to grow. And as incredible as they are, I think the opportunity for them to grow in-game for us in season is going to benefit them and us down the line. I always think of redshirting as it's not just a coach's decision, it's a player's decision too. Because you only get four years to play and so that's truly important for them to be in on the big picture of it also. I think we're all hands on deck with all six pitchers right now and see how they can really get after the season for us."

You're evaluating options at first base and shortstop. Who are some of the candidates?

Alameda: "Amaya Ross has always been someone that everyone enjoys being around, enjoy the work ethic. She's anchored down some good swings for us this fall and played some good first base for us. It's maybe not a storyline but in today's day and age of transfers coming in and already being experienced vs. kids that are in a program and developing, she's been in the program, she keeps continuing to develop. She loves the program. She's starting to come into her junior year of confidence and being able to do some things. I think we're really excited about her.

"Isa Torres is a freshman out of Texas that has come in and she has been nothing but lights out for us (at shortstop). I'm really excited for her. She comes from a coaching family. Her dad coached her and her sister plays at McNeese.

"And then Annie Potter, transfer from Mercer, as more of a middle infielder, not so much just a shortstop. She’s been great."

FSU again has a tough schedule between the Clearwater tournament (Stanford, UCLA, Georgia and Tennessee), some games out west with Oregon and Washington as well as Alabama in Tallahassee and the ACC schedule. Why was it important to make the trip out west?

Alameda: "We've tried to get a very competitive RPI schedule. I would say the ACC has gotten so much better. We don't really have to go too much outside of our conference to continue to grow our strength of schedule. But last year we did face Clemson and so this year may be a little bit different on the schedule side of it. And so being able to play out of region, RPI team in Oregon is really beneficial to us. So we've tried to do quite a bit of those games. Alabama, we've been off and on going there. Arizona has been out this way. I think we've done a good job of sprinkling in every year, every other year, some good out-of-region RPI teams, and then we get that Clearwater tournament, too.