Florida State softball saw its season come to an end on Sunday in a 4-2 loss against UCF. The Noles staved off three elimination games before succumbing to its own demise with some mistakes, lack of execution, and a questionable decision from the head coach.
Nobody is perfect, and it was a good season with a team that counted on several freshmen to become major contributors. They won the ACC regular season and ACC Tournament, which is a feather in their cap. However, when it came to beating the best teams on the schedule, there was a clear gap between Florida State and those teams. Florida State winning the ACC and ACC Tournament, then getting bounced from the host regional, will not help what people perceive.
UCLA was the only top-10 team they beat all year until they beat the rival Florida Gators. Both of those teams advanced to Super Regionals. However, Florida State fell to Texas Tech, Tennessee, and Alabama. The combined score in those games was 25-4. The FSU offense failed to show up in nearly every one of those top matchups, and the lack of offense is what did the Noles in the postseason. They scored four runs in two games against an average UCF staff. How did they only score three runs against Stetson in the Tallahasssee Regional? Â
Related Story: Mistakes and Bad Decisions Cost Florida State Against UCF
This program can consistently beat the top 15-25 teams or worse. It’s been that way for the last few years, and their season ends in the regionals or Super Regionals after losing to Oklahoma in the 2023 WCWS. They will return nearly every important piece from this year's team and should make a legit run at a national title next year. They have one of the top recruiting classes coming, and some of those freshmen will be counted on to make an impact as freshmen from the past 2-3 seasons have. Â
What Needs To Change
Florida State will have a three-headed monster in the circle with Ashtyn Danley, Jazzy Francik, and Bella Dimitrijevic returning. We’ve seen steady progression from the first two, and the expectation is that Dimitrijevic has the goods to follow in their footsteps. The problem is that none of them has the stuff to mow batters down. They have to rely on deception and nibbling at the corners way too much. Luckily, FSU’s defense was elite this year, but that may not always be the case. Remember that Alabama freshman who mowed down Florida State earlier in the year? The name is Vic Moten, and she went on to have a 1.66 ERA, 163 strikeouts in 130 innings pitched. Her numbers are better than ACC Pitcher of the Year, Jazzy Francik. It’s a power game now, and Florida State hasn’t had a power pitcher in a long time. They need to get one.
FSU had a power surge from Isa Torres and Ashtyn Danley this year, but Jaysoni Beachum was the only other player with at least 10 home runs. FSU hit 73 home runs this year, but that’s well off the pace of elite teams near 100 or more. Florida State doesn’t cause chaos on the bases like in years past, with only 61 stolen bases this year. If they are not going to have speed, they have to get more power. I don’t know if it’s the type of player or the hitting coach that needs to change. I know when FSU faces a power pitcher, they have nothing for them, and that must change if they want to compete at an elite level.
Florida State made a concerted effort not to use the transfer portal after last year. I’m not sure it would have made a difference, because I’m not sure what resources they had to get a top transfer portal player. Either way, there are players on the roster who are a waste of a roster spot. I know that sounds cold, but it’s the truth. If a player never plays or doesn’t have a defined role, why are they on the team? If a freshman has already passed them on the depth chart, what’s the point in staying on the roster? Florida State isn’t too far off from closing the gap with the elite teams. The question is, will Lonni Alameda make the necessary changes to compete with those teams?
Otherwise, we’ll get the same 45-50 wins and then a regional or Super Regional exit that we’ve gotten over the past three years. As I said on social media, winning a bunch of games is cool, but it sucks knowing your team is fraudulent and struggles to beat elite teams with consistency.
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