FSU softball: Go after Stanford pitcher Alana Vawter in transfer portal?

FSU softball coach Lonni Alameda has the task of replacing FSU pitching great Kathryn Sandercock after an illustrious career.

I wrote about needs and who’s coming for the FSU softball team in 2024 shortly after the final out got recorded against Oklahoma in the WCWS.

An experienced pitcher was at the top of the list, but you can only pursue what becomes available in the portal.

Well, a big-time arm entered the portal Monday afternoon. Stanford’s Alana Vawter entered the portal as a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining, thanks to the 2020 COVID season.

Is she someone the Noles should pursue? I would think so. I would think so. She’s originally from Missouri and went out west to Stanford, so distance from home shouldn’t be a problem. I suppose whatever she wanted to study in graduate school would matter, and her undergraduate degree listed as Management Science and Engineering.

FSU has some graduate programs with engineering concentrations. Vawter is a three-time All-Pac 12 honoree and 2023 All-American with numbers similar to Sandercock. She’s not as dominant with a higher ERA and batting average allowed, but she’s an inning eater, with 72 complete games in four seasons, against 30 for Sandercock in five.

FSU has Makenna Reid returning with some young freshmen on the way, and an experienced pitcher like Vawter would be a great option for one season while the young pitchers find their bearings.

Obviously, she has to fit into the team culture and all of that. Vawter has been a part of Stanford teams that have played in the postseason every season she’s been there(except the COVID year), and made the Super Regionals in 2022 and Women’s College World Series this year. She’s familiar with the expectations to play in the postseason at a high level. It’ll be interesting to see if FSU softball pursues.