FSU softball: Noles host Georgia Tech in ACC action

FSU softball (26-7, 5-1 ACC) has won four of its last five games after dropping three straight on its Oklahoma road trip.

The Noles will host Georgia Tech (17-15, 2-7 ACC) for a three-game series. The Yellow Jackets were swept by No. 5 Clemson last weekend, losing two of three via the run rule in five innings.

They bounced back against Kennesaw State in mid-week action. Georgia Tech comes into the game, batting .269 with a .346 on-base percentage. They strike out in 20 percent of their at-bats.

However, they are active on the basepaths, successful on 45 of 54 stolen base attempts. Georgia Tech pitchers bring a 3.97 ERA into the contest, striking out 214 batters in 208 innings.

They have also walked 124 batters and allowed 40 home runs. Georgia Tech’s defense is solid with a .979 fielding percentage. FSU batters come into the game hitting .306 with a .417 on-base percentage. The Noles are 71 of 78 on stolen base attempts.

FSU pitchers bring a 1.99 ERA into the contest, striking out 190 batters in 204.1 innings. They have only allowed 10 home runs and 61 walks (which is still too many).

FSU’s defense needs improvement with a .967 fielding percentage.

Thoughts

Georgia Tech isn’t a great hitting team, and their pitchers walk a lot of batters while giving up a ton of home runs. FSU needs their trio of Devyn Flaherty, Mack Leonard, and Michaela Edenfield to start heating up at the plate, especially the last two.

I expect FSU pitchers to be fine against the Yellow Jackets, but they need to avoid issuing so many walks, and the defense needs to be solid. The Noles still haven’t clicked on offense at optimal levels yet. Here’s to hoping they start rounding into shape sooner than later. The game will start at 6 p.m. on the ACCNX channel.