FSU softball moves to No. 4 with series sweep over Clemson Tigers

FSU softball (31-7, 11-1 ACC) improved its national ranking to No. 4 with the series sweep over previously No. 4 ranked Clemson last week.

The Noles went into the road series against Clemson, ranked No. 6 but played like a team on a mission against a team that had won 29 straight games at home and only had one loss this season.

FSU pitchers allowed one earned run in the series, struck out 14, and had a .123 opposing batting average allowed.

That was a big-time performance because Clemson came into the game batting .357 with an on-base percentage of .452 and 53 home runs. However, it was the FSU offense that left the park with home runs twice, compared to Clemson’s one in the series.

The Noles also went 10 of 12 in the stolen base department, compared to two of three for the Tigers. FSU ranked behind Clemson(No. 4) and Tennessee (No. 5) going into last week. Tennessee was the lone team to beat Clemson this year before last week, but the Volunteers lost two games at home against No. 21 Baylor. Of course, FSU lost two of three games on the road against Oklahoma State, which makes sense to have the Noles at No. 4

FSU has more losses than Tennessee and Clemson, but Lonnie Alameda’s decision to play a tough schedule seems to have started paying dividends. Plus, four of their seven losses are by one run to teams ranked in the top 15 or higher.

FSU softball has sole possession of first place in the ACC, with one ranked ACC team(Virginia Tech) remaining on the schedule.

In my takeaways piece, I wrote how Lonnie Alameda might have found the formula she wanted after tinkering with the pitching staff most of the season.

If the pitching staff continues to perform as they did against Clemson, they’ll have a shot against any team out there because they can manufacture runs without relying solely on the long ball.