How much will the freshmen class contribute?
FSU softball signed one of the top recruiting classes last November. FSU added one of the top pitchers nationally, with Bella Dimitrijevic. Jasmine "Jazzy" Francik, Marlee Gaskell and Averi Dockery will help with pitching depth.
They signed some offensive firepower with the additions of Anna Hinde, Haley Griggs, and Makenna Sturgis.
I don't expect them to contribute every year at the level of Jaysoni Beachum, Isa Torres, and Ashtyn Danley, but there will be opportunities for these young players to get their feet wet early in the season.
FSU doesn't play a tough schedule early in the year like the past few years, and Lonni Alameda likes to use the early part of the season to mold her team to find its strengths and weaknesses.
There are holes to fill with veterans Devyn Flaherty, Kaley Mudge, and Kalei Harding exhausting eligibility. Those three players exhibited a rare combination of defense, speed, and power among the trio.
If Bella Dimitrijevic can find a role similar to Makenna Reid's freshman season or better? If Anna Hinde, Haley Griggs, and Makenna Sturgis provide anything close to what the freshmen did a year ago? FSU will be a major problem for every team on its schedule.