FSU softball: 4 things that must happen to return to elite status in 2025
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU softball (46-16) saw its season end in a 4-2 loss Friday night in the Super Regionals against the same opponent who ended their season a year ago in the national title game. Oklahoma swept the two-game series and will move on to the Women's College World Series to attempt an unprecedented fourth consecutive National Title. They are the standard and largely responsible for FSU not winning multiple national titles over the past decade. It's a lesson Coach Lonni Alameda must continue to learn from and adapt. I wrote about team needs after their season ended last year here. Alameda hit on some and missed on some. FSU added more power, which came from freshmen Jaysoni Beachum and Isa Torres to go along with Michaela Edenfield, Kalei Harding, and Jahni Kerr.
However, FSU failed to add the pitching needed after losing Kathryn Sandercock. Injuries to Makenna Reid and Allison Royalty impacted the season and forced freshman Ashtyn Danley to shoulder much of the load down the stretch. Alameda not adding a quality transfer portal pitcher cost them a shot to be elite in 2024. Danley and Reid showed improvement over the season and can be bright spots in 2025. FSU will lose a lot of leadership, with Kaley Mudge, Devyn Flaherty, and Kalei Harding exhausting eligibility. There's enough talent returning, and another outstanding freshman class will arrive to help FSU be good again in 2025. However, here are five things FSU softball must do to return to elite status in 2025.