2/8/2023 other sports Edit

With veterans and depth, FSU softball opens 2023 with championship goals

Kathyrn Sandercock had a 1.44 ERA, 159 strikeouts and 30 walks in 2022. (FSU sports information)

Bob Ferrante • TheOsceola

Editor

Florida State has a lineup that will assuredly score runs. And led by ace Kat Sandercock, a pitching staff that should be able to compete with the nation’s best.

The FSU softball team was picked to win the ACC championship for a 10th straight season. While the Seminoles have often been dominant in league play, FSU is again seeking an opportunity to make an ACC title among the first steps en route to a lengthy stay at the Women’s College World Series.

“Long-term outlook, obviously our goal is to be the last team standing in Oklahoma City,” said Mack Leonard, who led the Seminoles in a number of offensive categories in 2022. “It’s been our goal from day 1. This is our standard. This is what we want. And now it’s just how do we attain it?”

The 2023 season begins on Thursday with a doubleheader against Lipscomb (starting at 4 p.m.) in the JoAnne Graf Classic. FSU won’t be tested as much the next three days, but there are definite challenges to come with a four-day stretch in Clearwater the following weekend that includes ranked teams like Arizona, Arkansas, UCLA and Alabama.

FSU will miss the leadership, production and defense from All-American third baseman Sydney Sherrill as well as No. 2 pitcher Danielle Watson. But they are the most notable losses as FSU returns veterans in the infield and outfield as well as adds Arizona State transfer right-hander Allison Royalty.

Sandercock was a consistent presence on the mound for the majority of 2022, going 30-3 with a 1.44 ERA as well as 159 strikeouts and 30 walks. The mix of Sandercock, Royalty and Ali DuBois, who pitched at Boston University and took a redshirt in 2022, give the Seminoles a pitching staff that coach Lonni Alameda thinks will be seven deep.

“Kat can go a full seven,” said Alameda, who begins her 15th season at FSU. “She can go back-to-back (games). We all know that. I’m sure Allison could probably squeak seven in there if we wanted to. But when you have arms like that you can get some relief moments, you can do some matchups, you can close games, you can open games. I think that’s just really where we’re diving into, and I think softball is diving into that quite a bit, too. You (often) see more than just two pitchers on the roster.”

FSU fans have come to expect talented rosters after seeing the team win the 2018 WCWS title and finishing as the national runner-up in 2021. There is already confidence that this team has the capability of making a run to OKC.

“I think the fans can expect to see a lot of excitement on the field,” said Kalei Harding, who is in the mix at third base along with Krystina Hartley. “We love each other. Team 40 definitely has a lot of fun. I feel like we’re really going to put up some runs this year. Our pitchers, you can always count on them, too. Especially since we can go so deep.”

FSU will also make a trip to face Oklahoma State in a three-game series beginning March 10 and follow it up with a game on March 14 at Oklahoma. Florida also visits FSU on April 26, while the Seminoles play in Gainesville on May 3.

The Seminoles are like many teams this time of year, tired of facing each other in intra-squad scrimmages and ready to face another team. That time is now here with games in the coming days against Lipscomb, Longwood and Purdue.

“This is the time of year you could put a practice play out there and they could care less,” Alameda said. “They’re just so over it and want to play. I get that. We’re at the point right now where we need the game to teach us some things to work on. So that’s the next step for us.”

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A closer look at 2023 Seminoles

Top returning players: 1B/DH Mack Leonard (.375 BA, .467 OBP, 8 HR, 15 doubles, 49 RBI, 31 runs), OF Kaley Mudge (.358 BA, .415 OBP, 4 HR, 9 doubles, 26 RBI, 44 runs), 2B Devyn Flaherty (.355 BA, .406 OBP, 6 HR, 12 doubles, 31 RBI, 45 runs), 3B/OF Kalei Harding (.304 BA, .371 OBP, 15 HR, 11 doubles, 53 RBI, 46 runs), C Michaela Edenfield (.293 BA, .435 OBP, 16 HR, 50 RBI, 36 runs), OF Jahni Kerr (.261 BA, .297 OBP, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 25 runs), SS Josie Muffley (.267 BA, .356 OBP, 16 runs, 8 RBI).

Top returning pitchers: Kathryn Sandercock (30-3, 1.44 ERA, 159 strikeouts and 30 walks in 194.1 innings), Mack Leonard (3-0, 3.36 ERA, 24 strikeouts and 14 walks in 33.1 innings).

More Seminoles to watch: Arizona State transfer Allison Royalty pitched in 15 games in 2022 with a 4.86 ERA. But her freshman season was impressive with a 3.20 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 32 games (19 starts). Krystina Hartley had just 10 at-bats but is in the mix at 3B, as is freshman Avery Weisbrook. Texas A&M transfer Katie Dack will give Edenfield some days off at catcher and could get some time in the infield, too.

Coach: Lonni Alameda begins her 15th season as FSU’s head coach. Alameda is 659-25-2 in 15 years at FSU and 815-345-3 in 19 years (including a stint at UNLV before arriving in Tallahassee.

FSU tradition: NCAA title in 2018, 11 Women’s CWS appearances, 18 ACC titles. Two AIAW national titles (1981 and ’82).

Last year: FSU went 54-7 and won the ACC title but lost to Mississippi State in the regional.

Recent improvements at JoAnne Graf Field: A shade structure was added in 2020 to cover the majority of the chair-back seats ahead of the 2020 season (cost: $1.8 million). A new video board was added ahead of the 2023 season (cost: $1 million) as well as premium seating down the right-field line above the bullpen. Down the left-field line, the berm has been replaced by multi-level decks where fans can bring their own chairs to sit.

Graf field dimensions: 200 feet down the lines and 220 feet to center field.

On TV/streaming: A large number of FSU’s games will be streamed on ACC Network Extra. The Seminoles will also play 16 games on national TV. A full schedule is available on Seminoles.com.