2/7/2024 other sports Edit

Three Florida State softball questions entering the 2024 season

Curt Weiler • TheOsceola

Senior Writer

Expectations have become something of a regular occurrence for the Florida State softball program.

The Seminoles have made five Women's College World Series appearances in the last nine seasons and their last three trips to Oklahoma City have ended in the WCWS Championship Series.

After winning the program's first NCAA Championship in 2018, FSU lost to Oklahoma both in 2021 and last season, finishing as the national runner-ups.

Even in those recent defeats, head coach Lonni Alameda's program has established itself as one of the most consistent in the country.

That consistency is certainly reflected in where the Seminoles are ranked entering their 2024 season, which begins Thursday night with five games this weekend in the JoAnne Graf Classic.

Even with a few key pieces off last year's team being replaced, FSU begins the 2024 season ranked No. 3 nationally by Softball America, tied for third in the USA Today/NFCA poll and No. 4 according to D1Softball and USA Softball.

Before the 2024 season begins this weekend, let's take a look at some lingering questions FSU will need to resolve over the first few weeks of the season before conference play gets underway in mid-March.

Makenna Reid had a 0.97 ERA over 79.1 innings as a freshman in 2023. (FSU sports information)

Who steps up in the circle?

FSU's pitching staff enters the upcoming season with a sizable vacancy left by the departure of program legend Kathryn Sandercock.

Over four seasons with the Seminoles, Sandercock threw 626.2 innings with a program-record 184 career appearances, 107 wins (tied for third) and 18 saves, also a program record.

As a senior in 2023, Sandercock was certainly the workhorse of a relatively young FSU staff, throwing 193.3 of the team's 446 innings in the circle (43.3%). Add in what FSU is losing from fellow graduated seniors Ali DuBois (49.1 innings) and Mack Leonard (40.1 innings) and the Seminoles return just 36.6% of their pitching innings from last year's team in 2024.

While FSU explored the possibility of adding a transfer pitcher this offseason, it did not wind up adding through the portal. Instead, Alameda will be relying on the returning pieces to the staff along with a few incoming freshmen to rise to the occasion.

Makenna Reid is back after an impressive freshman season where she had a 0.97 ERA over 79.1 innings across 43 appearances. However, she only started four games across the entire season. Now, she becomes FSU's top returning arm entering his sophomore season and will have to adapt to a new role while doing so.

FSU also returns Allison Royalty for her second season with the Seminoles after transferring from Arizona State. She threw the third-most innings on the team last season (69.0) and posted a 2.23 ERA.

The two other returning pitchers, Emma Wilson and Madi Balk, combined to throw 14 innings last season.

As such, it seems quite likely that FSU will have to rely on its two true freshman pitchers in Ashtyn Danley and Mimi Gooden this season.

Danley, a two-way player, was ranked by Extra Innings Softball as the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2023 class and was Tennessee's Gatorade Softball Player of the Year, putting up a 0.36 ERA and a .682 batting average her senior season at Winchester (Tenn.) Huntland High.

In Saturday's Garnet and Gold intrasquad scrimmage, Danley started for the Garnet team and threw four innings, allowing one run against a lineup with quite a few projected lineup starters. It seems likely she'll be a major pitching option for the Seminoles this season.

Gooden, who hails from Milton, Fla., also allowed one run over three innings in relief in Saturday's scrimmage and will likely get a chance to show she's ready for an instant impact.

This weekend in the JoAnne Graf Classic, and especially next weekend in the Clearwater Invitational against some of the best teams in the country, Alameda is likely to test the mettle of these freshmen and see if they are indeed ready to pitch real innings for the Seminoles right away.

Who fills the few vacant lineup spots?

While FSU has some major production in the circle to replace, it brings much more back from last year's team offensively.

FSU returns its top four players from the 2023 squad in terms of at-bats, with seven of the nine hitters who amassed over 100 at-bats last season back for the 2024 season.

That means much of FSU's defensive positions are locked in with the season ahead. Michaela Edenfield is back behind the plate while FSU has seniors expected to start at second base (Devyn Flaherty), left field (Kaley Mudge) and third base (Kalei Harding).

FSU also brings back experienced upperclassmen in center field (Jahni Kerr), right field (Hallie Wacaser) and at catcher/designated player (Katie Dack).

As such, FSU only has to find new starters at shortstop, replacing Josie Muffley, and first base, replacing Mack Leonard.

At short, FSU brought in Mercer transfer Annie Potter this offseason, but freshman Isa Torres (No. 9 overall recruit in the 2023 class) has pushed for the starting job as well.

At first base, junior Amaya Ross appears poised to take over a starting spot for the first time after being a pinch-runner and occasional position player over the last two seasons.

A wild card in the mix could be freshman infielder Jaysoni Beachum, the No. 14 overall player in the 2024 class. She played third base during last weekend's scrimmage and appears behind Harding there at the moment. However, maybe there is some shuffling to find a way to get another freshman phenom on the field sooner rather than later.

The first few weeks of the season will be critical to see who emerges at those vacant spots. It's the perfect time for Alameda and her staff to tinker with the lineup/positioning and see who the best nine will be for the stretch run.

Does this team break the WCWS appearances in alternating seasons trend?

The FSU softball team has been frustratingly consistent since its 2014 WCWS appearance, making it to Oklahoma City exactly every other season.

The Seminoles were one of the final eight teams in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021 (no 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic) and 2023. In 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2022, FSU's season ended in either a home regional or super regional.

As successful as this program has been, FSU softball hasn't made the Women's College World Series in consecutive seasons since making four straight trips from 1990-93.

This team certainly has the talent to break that streak. The Seminoles are loaded with offensive talent and it's likely the pitching staff that will determine exactly how high this team's ceiling can be.

The national love for the Seminoles is varying entering the 2024 season. In D1Softball's preseason bracketology update, Eric Lopez has FSU at No. 7 and as one of his top eight teams in the hosting conversation grouped together as "The Locked."

Softball America, on the other hand, had only one of its three writers pick the Seminoles to make the WCWS this season in the publication's preseason roundtable.