![Florida State has a mound conference during a NCAA softball game at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_2484,h_1397/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/270/01kqdd4zt732k0rdh024.jpg "Florida State has a mound conference during a NCAA softball game at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
Florida State softball is in the sole position of first place in the ACC, and several freshmen have played huge parts in the success of this year’s team. One of those freshmen suffered an injury on the final out in the first game of the Georgia Tech series secure the second no-hitter for Jazzy Francik this season.
Florida State second baseman Marin Heller was transported back to Tallahassee after that game, and Coach Lonni Alameda provided an update last week. However, Heller finally provides an update on her own, and it tells you how much of a competitor she is:
— Marin Heller (@marin_heller) April 29, 2026
Heller has had a much better season than folks realize. She is among the top in several categories.
Heller isn’t flashy, but more of a throwback, gritty type of player who’s third on the team with a .353 batting average. She has more walks than strikeouts, with an on-base percentage of .451, and is fourth on the team in slugging percentage.  More impressively, her defense at second base. Her fielding percentage is .983, with only three errors in 92 chances. She also leads the team with 13 steals.
Related Story: Little things cost the Noles against the rival Florida Gators
There isn’t much she can’t do, and she has been missing from the lineup the last few games. It still isn’t clear exactly what she injured, but whatever it was apparently required surgery. It’s not clear when she’ll return to the team. Neither her statement nor Coach Alameda’s indicates she’ll be out the rest of the year.
I assume it’s possible she could rejoin the team in the postseason? The ACC Tournament starts in about 10 days, and the Regionals begin on May 15th. If Florida State advances to the Super Regionals, that would provide over three weeks of recovery time. Florida State could use her presence at second base and in the lineup. Freshman Makenna Sturgis has been a solid replacement in her absence. We wish Marin well in her recovery and hope she can return as soon as possible.
Add us as a preferred source on Google