FSU softball: Will Noles host a regional after sub-par finish to season?

FSU softball (43-14) couldn't hold on to a lead late in the ACC Softball Championship Final Saturday afternoon, losing 6-3 to the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils. An unexpected series loss against Syracuse in the final ACC series gave Duke the ACC Regular-Season Title. The Noles haven't finished the final couple of weeks strong and will find out Sunday night when the NCAA announces the tournament bids. Did the Noles do enough to host a regional, or will they have to get on the road and travel? The NCAA selection show will air on ESPN2 Sunday at 7 pm ET. FSU had the No. 13 RPI nationally going into the ACC Tournament. FSU softball had a rough start to the season, losing to Charlotte and going 2-6 against ranked teams throughout the regular season. The Noles put together a nice winning streak midway through the season, winning 21 of 22 games before losing three of the last four. An important note to consider, FSU played the final few weeks of the season without one of its best pitchers, Makenna Reid, and it's unclear if Reid will be available in the postseason. If Reid isn't available, that will diminish FSU's chances of making a deep NCAA Tournament run. However, if FSU can be a host team, they are 26-6 at home this season.  

I hope I'm wrong, but I'd be surprised if the Noles were a host team this year. They had an impressive win over No. 4 Stanford in the Clearwater Classic, but the lopsided losses against UCLA and Georgia immediately afterward took some of that shine away. The run-rule win over Florida was impressive, but they lost the rematch. They lost three of four against Duke. The most impressive part of their schedule was beating mostly mediocre teams in the ACC. That factor and possibly not having Reid available will have enough influence on the committee to put the Noles on the road. Unfortunately, we saw how not having a player available affects committees with FSU football in December.