FSU softball: Four players returning for 2023 season

FSU softball announced some great news Monday, with four players returning.

The cat was out of the bag a bit as these players were not recognized during Senior Day at the end of the season.

However, the FSU softball account officially announced the return of four upperclassmen Monday.

They posted the graphic below on their Twitter account:

These four players played a critical part toward the ‘Nole’s record 54 wins and ACC Tournament Title in 2022. All-American pitcher Katheryn Sandercock was the ace, posting a 1.44 ERA, 30-3 record, with 159 strikeouts and 30 walks in 194.1 innings.

Mack Leonard transferred from Illinois State and became an immediate contributor. Leonard led the team with a .375 batting average and tied for the most hits (66). She contributed eight home runs, 49 RBI, and had a .467 on-base percentage.

Jose Muffley started 38 of 47 games she played in, with a .267 batting average, along with some solid glove work in the infield.

Bethaney Keen played 13 games, starting 10, and finishing the season with a .278 batting average. Keen had a .985 fielding percentage with only one error in 67 chances.

Thoughts

That’s a lot of production and experience returning on both sides of the ball, which will be important for a team that loses quite a bit with the exit of Danielle Watson, Sydney Sherill, and others.

The Noles were six outs away from their second national championship in 2021 and were the No. 2 overall seed going into the 2022 NCAA Regionals. The return of these players, the development of others, and some possible additions from the transfer portal mean this team will likely reload to make another run deep into the postseason.

FSU softball coach Lonni Alameda got a huge extension for all of her hard work recently, so FSU softball looks to be here to stay for the long run.