Florida State softball got swept on the road against Stanford a week ago, but responded by sweeping the North Carolina Tar Heels over the weekend. It was an important series for the Noles, as they look to keep pace with the Duke Blue Devils for the ACC regular-season title.
One of the biggest issues for Florida State pitchers has been the number of walks allowed this season. They were getting away with it mostly because of playing some inferior teams, but Stanford made them pay when they traveled out west. As bad as FSU pitched, they still had a chance to win two of three against the Cardinals.
A moment for the pitchers👏👏👏
— Florida State Softball 🥎 (@FSU_Softball) April 20, 2026
The Tar Heels came into the weekend averaging 8.5 runs per game, and the Noles held them to 7⃣ runs....total🔥#Team43 pic.twitter.com/BOQKHRW9E0
FSU has some great talent in the circle, but they have to limit the walks if they want to improve their chances of winning against good teams.
Here’s what FSU pitchers allowed against Stanford and UNC:
FSU pitchers allowed 28 hits, 21 walks, and 18 strikeouts against Stanford. FSU pitchers allowed 14 hits, 11 walks, and 20 strikeouts against North Carolina.
What’s the difference between Stanford and North Carolina offensively? Stanford hits .333 with 51 home runs and a .417 on-base percentage. They strike out in 12.9 percent of their at-bats and have scored 293 runs this season. North Carolina hits .355 with 92 home runs and a .441 on-base percentage. They strike out in 11.8 percent of their at-bats and have scored 367 runs this season.
FSU pitchers made an adjustment and challenged hitters more against North Carolina than against Stanford. FSU has a top-five defense, and it makes no sense to nibble around the plate. They needed to do a better job of getting ahead in the count, making batters put the ball in play, and putting them away when they got into pitcher counts.
That’s likely why North Carolina’s hit total was significantly less; they walked less and struck out more. It’s a formula that we need to see more of from FSU pitchers inside the circle.
FSU pitchers only walked 92 batters ALL last season (389 innings). They have already walked 132 in 287.1 innings this season. If they can limit the walks, they’ll have a much better shot of making a deep postseason run we’ve come to expect from Lonni Alameda’s program.
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