FSU softball will face No. 7 seed Washington in WCWS winner’s bracket

No. 3 seed FSU softball (56-9) will face No. 7 seed Washington (44-13) in the winner’s bracket of the Women’s College World Series.

The Noles shutout No. 6 seed Oklahoma State Friday night, and Washington defeated No. 15 seed Utah 4-1 in a weather delayed contest Friday afternoon for Thursday night.

I like how FSU matches up with the Washington Huskies. They are similar in some regards.

Washington batter are hiting .303 with 65 home runs, 72 doubles, 13 triples, and an on-base percentage of .390.

They strike out (235) more than they walk (193), unlike FSU, and their batters only strike out 15.6 percent of their at-bats. Defensively, they have a .982 fielding percentage, which is outstanding, and their pitchers have a 2.54 ERA.

They allow opposing batters to hit .223 and have 405 strikeouts and 124 walks in 371.2 innings, allowing 22 home runs.

FSU softball hitters bring a .307 batting average and a .404 on-base percentage into the contest.
They have hit 59 home runs, 120 doubles, and 13 triples. They walk (245) more than they strike out (214). FSU’s pitching staff brings a 1.61 ERA while allowing a .189 batting average.

They have allowed 23 home runs and 343 strikeouts, and 121 walks in 418.1 innings. Defensively, FSU has 56 errors for a .968 fielding percentage.

Washington doesn’t have a deep pitching staff and used two of their three pitchers in the Utah game. Much like Oklahoma State pitchers, Washington will issue walks if you’re patient at the plate.

Oklahoma pitchers had bigger strikeout totals than Washington, and FSU batters didn’t have many problems with that once they got out of the first inning. I’m curious to see what pitcher Coach Alameda will use to start the game.

Kathryn Sandercock only threw 88 pitches Thursday night and had a day to rest Friday. FSU softball has the better pitching staff and more potent offense. They also have much more team speed and aggression on the bases. As long as they play solid defense and show patience at the plate, I think they’ll come out victorious.