Francik fires a no-hitter, freshmen shine in 'Noles season opening win over Samford

Florida State softball (1-0) is back with a 2-0 win over Samford to open the 2026 season. Sophomore pitcher Jazzy Francik picked up from her freshman campaign, firing a no-hitter in the win. She had seven strikeouts and two walks on 98 pitches.

Francik used a cutter and changeup to keep the Bulldogs off balance all night. The two walks were instances of the umpire squeezing the zone, but he was consistent with those calls all night. The FSU offense only had six hits and two runs. However, they had several extremely hard-hit balls that went for outs in the game.

The Noles did all of its damage in the third inning with two outs. Ashtyn Danley singled to centerfield, scoring Jaysoni Beachum in a play at the plate that had to be reviewed. She was called safe initially, although the throw beat her to the plate, and the call was upheld.

Freshman Anna Hinde delivered a two-out single to score Shelby McKenzie to make it 2-0. Hinde had some great swings and looks like a future star. Freshman Marin Heller and Haley Griggs had their first career hits.

Francik looks to have taken the next step in year two with more velocity and exceptional control

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The FSU defense was outstanding, with Jaysoni Beachum making several outstanding plays on some softly hit balls. Heller made a couple of nice plays at second to prevent a couple of hits. It was a solid game all around, with Samford making some nice defensive plays.

The Noles will play the University of Iowa on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and play a doubleheader against Marshall on Saturday, starting at 3 p.m. All three games will air on the ACCNX channel.