FSU softball travels to Louisville seeking ninth consecutive win

FSU softball (26-9, 7-2 ACC) has won eight consecutive games and looks to continue their hot streak when they travel to take on the Louisville Cardinals (22-14, 3-6 ACC) in ACC play this weekend. The Noles rolled McNeese State in two midweek games after sweeping NC State in ACC play last weekend. The Cardinals had their midweek game against Northern Kentucky canceled and defeated lowly Pittsburgh in two of three ACC games last weekend. The Cardinals played the Duke Blue Devils tough, winning one of three, but got swept by the Virginia Tech Hokies in their conference opener. Louisville hits .288 as a team with a .396 on-base percentage. They don't hit for a lot of power(29 home runs) but strike out in nearly 20 percent of their at-bats. They have stolen 41 of 51 attempts. Louisville pitchers bring a 3.42 ERA into the series, and opposing hitters have a .269 batting average. They have 187 strikeouts and 110 walks in 243.2 innings. They have allowed 23 home runs and are not overpowering. Defensively, they have a .964 fielding percentage, so they might kick it around some if you put the ball in play consistently.

This is another ACC series FSU softball should sweep, or win at the very least. Louisville is 6-7 at home and isn't better than FSU in any phase of the game. Like always, FSU's success will come down to its pitching. Makenna Reid and Ashtyn Danley have started pitching much better than earlier in the season. The walks are down, and FSU defenders have been solid behind them. I think FSU hitters should have success against Louisville pitchers, and they've been productive over their past few games. I'm curious to see if FSU pitcher Allison Royalty will appear in the series. She hasn't pitched since March 24 against Pittsburgh. Friday's game will begin at 6 p.m. and will air on the ACCNX channel.