One FSU softball player will get her wish against Texas Tech

Florida State softball (6-0) will put its unbeaten record on the line when it faces the No. 1 Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-0) on Thursday at 1 p.m. on ESPN2. The Red Raiders knocked the Noles out of the postseason in Super Regionals last year, led by NiJaree Canady.

FSU pitcher Jazzy Francik mentioned FSU had a new attitude in the preseason and wanted to take on all comers, specifically mentioning facing Texas Tech and Canady again. FSU lost 3-0 and 2-1 last year, only getting five hits against Canady, who pitched both games. She didn’t strike out a ton of FSU batters, but they struggled to make solid contact.

Will FSU softball rise to the challenge and exact some revenge on Texas Tech?

Texas Tech also has Florida transfer pitcher Mia Williams, who’s leading Texas Tech in several categories. Texas Tech is hitting .451 overall, with 12 home runs and a .528 on-base percentage. They have only made two errors defensively, and they have another pitcher, Samantha Lincoln, who’s also solid.  

FSU will likely face Canady or Williams, and it’ll be a great litmus test to see how all of the young FSU hitters fare. They have been playing well through the first six games, but the level of competition will increase significantly on Tuesday and throughout the Clearwater Invitational.

However, it’s by design, as Coach Lonni Alameda likes to play in this annual tournament to prepare her teams for what they’ll see in the postseason. They’ll face three top 10 teams over the next few days. They’ll also face Florida Atlantic, No. 7 UCLA, No. 3 Tennessee, and the University of Louisiana. If they can escape with a 3-2 record or better, that’ll be a great sign for this young team.