Florida State softball officially makes transfer splash fans should be excited about

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the Florida State softball program, with Isa Torres and Jaysoni Beachum entering the transfer portal. A question of how serious Florida State was about maintaining its status among the top programs nationally was fair, but the first move they made in the transfer portal should excite Noles fans everywhere.

One of the biggest needs for the Seminoles, even if Torres and Beachum remained, was another big-time hitter. FSU added one on Friday with the commitment of ASUN Player of the Year, Nicole Edmiaston. She was ASUN Offensive Player of the Year, ASUN All-Tournament Team, and First-Team All-ASUN.

Nicole Edmiaston is exactly what the Florida State offense needs in 2027

The Stetson first baseman is a massive get for Florida State, and should help answer the question of whether Lonni Alameda and Co. were going to settle for becoming a second-tier program. Edmiaston batted an eye-popping .453 and had an even better .561 on-base percentage. She had 77 hits, 23 home runs, 70 RBI, and 41 walks. She only struck out 12 times in 170 at-bats. Her home run total nearly equals the combined total from Torres and Beachum last year.

She is also solid defensively, with a .988 fielding percentage. Florida State didn’t have much consistent production from the first base position last year. Obviously, one player can’t replace the caliber of Torres and Beachum, but this is a nice step in the right direction.

The ASUN isn’t on par with the ACC, but Edmiaston had no issues jumping from Florida Southwestern State after two seasons to break several records at Stetson. Florida State has enough room to add at least three or four more players from the transfer portal, and at least we have an answer on whether FSU will use the portal again after refusing to do so last year. If they can add at least two more offensive players, such as Edmiaston, and a power pitcher? It would drastically improve their ability to compete with the top teams.

It’s an angle I mentioned after Torres and Beachum left the program. They could probably get more bang for their buck by letting those two players go, and adding several quality players from the transfer portal for the same price or less. Obviously, FSU couldn’t reach the WCWS with two players leading the way over the past three seasons. There was no guarantee they would do it if they retained them for their final year. Florida State retaining them would also make it difficult to add the needed portal pieces mentioned earlier.

I’m excited about this move and what’s to come for Alameda. It looks like Florida State might be serious about softball after all. Stay tuned to Chopchat as we await to see who else joins the program from the transfer portal.  

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