FSU softball: Can Noles take advantage of talent entering transfer portal?

FSU softball saw its 2024 season end in the Super Regionals against Oklahoma. It's the second consecutive season the Sooners have ended the 'Noles season. The 2023 season ended in the WCWS, so obviously, FSU is doing a lot of things right to go deep into the postseason nearly every year. However, the inability to get over the hump since the 2018 season(National Champions) is apparent. I wrote about four things FSU softball needed to return to elite status in 2025 a few days ago. A big part was trimming the dead weight off the roster to make room for more talented players. The question was if Coach Lonni Alameda was willing to have those difficult conversations. It appears she had at least one with reports of Maddi Balk opting to enter the transfer portal on Wednesday. FSU needs an influx of power and at least one elite pitcher from the transfer portal to mix with the outstanding 2024 class that produced two freshmen, All-Americans, and the talented 2025 incoming class. The good news? There's a ton of talent entering the transfer portal daily. Here's a running list from the past day or so:

That's only a handful of the players that have entered the transfer portal recently. Some players playing in the WCWS will likely enter the portal after the season is over. Those will likely be some of the best players available. FSU has had success in the transfer portal in recent years. Most notably, the addition of Mack Leonard before the 2022 season helped propel FSU to back-to-back ACC Tournament Championships in 2022 and 2023 and an ACC Regular-Season Title in 2023. Leonard transferred from Illinois State, so don't ignore players, who come from smaller schools in the transfer portal. I'm excited to see what Coach Alameda does in the transfer portal. What she does or doesn't do will tell us a lot about where FSU softball can go in 2025.