![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/270/01krj1yh90y0wgr0mfw7.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 got snubbed for a top-eight national seed but got a favorable draw as they host the Tallahassee Regional. The Noles will kick off postseason play at noon on Thursday against the Stetson Hatters.
Stetson is a solid team all the way around, with its offense as the strongest facet. They hit .314 overall, with 77 home runs, and 22 are by Nicole Edmiaston. She also bats .465 and has 69 RBI, with only 11 strikeouts. She is by far the most dangerous bat in the lineup, followed by Irianis Garcia, who bats .385 with 11 home runs and 44 RBI.
Stetson isn’t a huge threat on the basepaths, with only 33 steals in 44 attempts this season. Defensively, they have a team fielding percentage of .968. They aren’t terrible, but not elite like Florida State.
Florida State should take care of business agaisnt Stetson and send a message to everyone.
This weekend's schedule is here‼️‼️
— Florida State Softball 🥎 (@FSU_Softball) May 11, 2026
Tickets for the entire weekend are currently on sale at https://t.co/Omw7VmTkl2. Available single-day tickets will go on sale on Friday at 9 a.m.🍢#Team43 pic.twitter.com/tvtEdG763X
Related Story: The NCAA Selection Committee did FSU a solid with the competition in this regional.
Stetson is similar to Florida State in that they rely heavily on two pitchers, and both have an ERA just over 3.00. Neither has huge strikeouts per innings pitched, and both have nearly as many walks as strikeouts. That will likely be where Florida State takes advantage and separates. Florida State doesn’t strike out much at all, especially against teams without power pitchers. Stetson’s two best pitchers have allowed 30 home runs, and that’s against weaker competition in the ASUN Conference.
I expect Florida State to put the ball in play and cause some havoc on the basepaths. Teams have stolen 47 of 56 attempts against the Hatters. Florida State could leave the yard a few times, depending on the weather conditions.
I’m curious to see who Lonni Alameda will start inside the circle. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bella Dimitrijevic get the start. However, it’ll likely evolve into a pitcher-by-committee approach, which has been what Alameda has done much of the year. Whoever pitches will need to be careful with Edmiaston and Garcia, but should be fine against the rest of the lineup.
The game will air on ESPNU at noon. Florida State will play the winner of the UCF/Jacksonville State contest if they defeat Stetson.
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