FSU softball: Three major takeaways from JoAnne Graf Classic

FSU pitching is a work in progress

Allison Royalty has been the surprise through the first few games. Royalty has a ton of experience but struggled with consistency last season. However, she's consistently been in the strike zone so far and hasn't issued a walk in 6.1 innings. Emma Wilson has been solid, and has already surpassed her innings pitched total from last season. She should have value eating up innings in midweek games and whenever needed elsewhere. I already mentioned Mimi Gooden, but the bulk of this conversation revolves around Makenna Reid and Ashtyn Danley. Reid has been pressing the first few games. She indicated she felt the pressure of her position in an interview last week. Reid didn't have that last year with Kathryn Sandercock on the team.

She has struggled to consistently get ahead in counts and has issued four walks in seven innings. She struggled to throw a secondary pitch for a strike, which allowed opposing batters to sit on the fastball. It's a confidence thing, and I thought it was smart for Coach Alameda to put her in the game against FAMU to work on some things. Reid looked a little better than in earlier outings, we'll see if that progress continues against some heavy hitters this week. Danley is in the same boat, feeling the pressure of being the No. 2 overall player out of high school. I wasn't the No. 2 player nationally, but I can relate to trying to find the confidence to let you know you belong in college. She'll be fine, but she's just going through the process of finding that confidence.

Overall Thoughts

It's about what I expected, aside from Reid struggling more than I anticipated and Royalty performing better than anticipated. The next few games will provide a great barometer for this team and what they need to improve.