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Throughout its history, the Florida State softball team has been renowned for its dominant pitching, impeccable defense, and formidable offense. As a result, it’s reasonable to say that those performances by the Lady Noles have spoiled their fans. Who wouldn’t be spoiled when their team has made it to the Women’s College World Series in two out of the last three seasons and three out of the previous five seasons, including a National Championship in 2018. They have won 33 ACC Championships (19 Tournament, 14 Regular Season), which is the most by any team in the country.
At the start of this season, everyone knew that the coaching staff would have to overcome various challenges to get back to their previous form. To prepare for this, Coach Alameda put the team through a tough schedule. In their first twenty-seven games, the Lady Noles faced six top 20 teams in eight games, which would be like any lazy-boy recliner coach going one-on-one against Mike Tyson in his prime. Unfortunately, the team lost six out of those eight games, but it was to talented teams like UCLA, Alabama, Duke, Georgia, and Texas. However, since then, the Seminoles have shown great improvement and won 10 of their last 11 games. They are now right in the mix of the ACC race.
Even after a sluggish start to the season, the Lady Noles offense has become one of the best in the country through the first 38 games of the season and currently ranks in the top 10 in five offensive categories. They are ninth in the country in batting average (.341), sixth in slugging percentage (.603), eighth in on-base percentage (.428), ninth in home runs (58), and fourth in scoring, averaging 7.76 runs per game which is fourth in the country and first in the ACC.
The Lady Noles have scored 295 runs through 38 games this season, which is on pace to be a top-five offense in school history and could break the school record of 459 runs scored by the 2016 team. For reference, that 2016 team scored 296 runs through 38 games. To show how much this team has improved, they have scored 8 or more runs in 24 games whereas in 69 games last season, the lady Noles scored eight or more runs just 22 times. And when it comes to scoring 10 or more runs, they have accomplished that in 10 games so far this season which happens to be two games better than the 8 times it happened last season.
So, how have the Lady Noles accomplished this? Well, one way is with an infusion of youth mixed with some veteran leadership. One of those key veteran players is Kalei Harding who continues to be a consistent force for the Florida State lineup and is solidifying herself as one of the top hitters in program history. Harding is currently hitting .355 with a team-high 45 RBI. In ACC play, Harding is hitting .425 with three home runs and 19 RBI. Her 19 RBI is tied for fifth in the conference.
Then you add in Tallahassee native Jaysoni Beachum who has continued to solidify herself as not only one of the best freshmen in the country but as one of the best players in the country. Beachum leads the team with a .447 batting average and has fifty-one hits, seven home runs, and driven in thirty-seven runs, which is second on the team. Beachum has recorded a hit in twenty-eight of the Seminoles’ 38 games this season and two or more hits in nineteen games. Beachum has the second-highest batting average in the county among freshmen and the 22nd-highest batting average in the country.
However, not just Beachum has been shining for the Lady Noles. They also have another future star in freshman shortstop Isa Torres, who is off to a great start both offensively and defensively. Torres is third on the team in batting average (.379) and has driven in twenty-seven runs this season. Torres has continued to make jaw-dropping plays at the shortstop position and holds a .972 fielding percentage.
Now, we all know that it isn’t just about the offensive side to be a complete team, you must have good pitching, too. It is no secret that Head Coach Lonni Alameda is one of the best pitching coaches in the game as she has helped the Seminoles to 11 consecutive seasons where they have finished top 20 nationally in team ERA. The Noles have finished in the top ten nationally in team ERA seven times. Alameda has guided seven Noles to ACC Pitcher of the Year awards under her reign in Tallahassee.
Coach Alameda knew going into this season that with the absence of Kat Sandercock and Mack Leonard in the circle, it would take a little time to find their groove and the right arms to replace two legends. It has taken some time, but Coach Lonnie has found two young arms in the circle to continue this trend in Sopmore Makenna Reid and Freshman Ashtyn Danley.
As one of the top freshman pitchers in 2023, Makenna Reid has begun to find her groove in the circle in 2024 after a tough start. Throughout her career, Reid holds a 24-1 record for the Seminoles and is 11-1 on the season. Reid has pitched the most innings for the Noles this season with 76 and leads the team with a 3.32 ERA. In one of the best performances of her young career, Reid stifled one of the top offenses in Duke as she pitched a career-high seven innings, allowing just three hits and no runs. In 2023, Reid was one of just three pitchers to not suffer a loss, joining Alex Storako and Nicole May from Oklahoma.
Then you have true freshman pitcher Ashtyn Danley, who came to Tallahassee as one of the top recruits in the country and has begun to find herself as a Seminole. Danley leads the team with 14 starts this season and holds an 8-3 record with an ERA of 4.05. Danley has allowed six earned runs in her last seven appearances while striking out 29 batters in 29 innings. Against one of the top offenses in the country, Texas, Danley threw three scoreless innings while striking out three.
The Lady Noles will look to continue their trek back to OKC as they kick off a three-game series against Notre Dame this weekend during which time they will also be hosting their annual Player’s Weekend. On Friday and Sunday, FSU will be wearing alternate uniforms with names that each player and staff member chose to be on their respective jersey. And on Saturday, FSU Softball will be hosting its Seminole Heritage Game. The team will be wearing visors with the turquoise Seminole Head.
In closing, we at Plant the Spear want to recognize and congratulate Head Coach Lonni Alameda for reaching 900 career wins against Louisville on Apr. 6. She became the 20th active coach to reach 900 career wins and holds the seventh-best winning percentage among active Division 1 head coaches who have won 900 games or more (.710). Congratulations Coach Lonnie and here is to 900 more! Go Noles!
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The Florida State Seminoles softball team had an impressive showing at the JoAnn Grafe Classic, finishing with a record of 4-1. However, Coach Alameda and Team 4One still have some questions to address, particularly in the pitching department. Looking forward, the Seminoles will be competing in the 2024 Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational from February 15th to 18th in Clearwater, Florida. The competition will feature some tough and familiar opponents for the Seminoles, including Stanford, UCLA, Georgia, and Tennessee, promising thrilling matchups for softball fans.
The Stanford Cardinal softball team ended last season with a 47-15 record and was eliminated by the would-be World Series Champion Oklahoma Sooners. It returns a ton of talent and is predicted to be the favorite to win the Pac-12. The Cardinal return three talented sophomores on their roster: pitcher NiJaree Canady, infielder Taryn Kern, and infielder River Mahler, who have all been named to the preseason All-Pac-12 Team. Their performance will undoubtedly be crucial to the team’s success in winning the Pac-12 and returning to the College World Series. Kern is a transfer from Indiana and is known for her powerful bat and ability to hit home runs, something that the team lacked last season.
#24 NiJaree Canady, Pitcher– NiJaree had an outstanding freshman season, and won the TUCCI/NFCA, D1 Softball, and Softball America Freshman of the Year honors. She was also selected for the All-Pac-12 First Team and WCWS All-Tournament Team. NiJaree led the nation in ERA (0.57) and strikeouts per seven innings (11.3) and was second in hits allowed per seven innings (3.32). She had a record of 17-3 in 33 appearances, including two no-hitters in 24 starts. Currently, as a sophomore, NiJaree leads the NCAA in strikeouts with 33 through three games. At the SDSU Season Kickoff, she went 1-1 in two starts and recorded a save in her relief appearance.
So far this season NiJaree has an impressive 0.43 ERA in 16.1 innings pitched so far, allowing only four hits and one earned run. She has also walked just two batters while striking out 33 and opposing batters have hit just .074 against her. Canady has been named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week for the fourth time in her career.
UCLA and Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez are known for assembling a formidable team every year to vie for the national championship. This year is no exception, as the UCLA Bruins possess a talented roster that is expected to advance to the Women’s College World Series. Over the weekend, the Bruins played against three teams, losing to No. 5 Texas (5-0) and No. 11 Oklahoma State (5-0) by a combined total of 23 runs, but defeating San Diego (0-5) at Easton Stadium. In both of their losses, the Bruins played all seven innings once, with the games ending in run-ruled fifth-inning finishes.
The Bruins are also facing the same challenge that the Seminoles are facing and that is with their pitching. Several of their top pitchers from last year are gone which accounted for 85% of its pitching production from last season, with only rising sophomore Taylor Tinsley returning for the Bruins., which means that they will need to rely on some new players.
# 7 Maya Brady Shortstop– Brady had an amazing 2023 season, as one of the top three contenders for the Player of the Year award, and was named Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year. Last season Brady had a batting average of .448, a slugging percentage of .866, and 33 extra-base hits, which was the best record in the conference. She started her season in center field but later moved to shortstop. Brady was second in the Pac-12 for runs batted in (59) and home runs (18), with four multi-homer games in a single season. She became the fourth Bruin ever to do this and the first since B.B. Bates in 2013. This season, she has struggled with a .385 batting average, a .462 slugging percentage, 1 extra-base hit, and in 13 plate appearances with only 3 RBIs to show.
#28 Alexis Rameriez C– Rameriez so far, this season has been the hot bat for the Bruins hitting .455, with a .818 slugging percentage, 1 extra-base hit, 1 home run, and 2 RBIs.
The UCLA game presents a great opportunity for the younger pitchers on the team to gain some valuable experience. The Bruins have struggled to get their offense going so far this season, and the Noles should take care of business in this one. However, for the Noles to win their first two games and start 2-0, it going to be an uphill battle.
In the first game, they will face NiJaree Canady, one of the toughest pitchers in the country. To be honest, even David would have loved to have NiJaree’s rise ball against Goliath, and Hector could have used her sidespin against Achilles at Troy. Last season, she faced the best team in the country and allowed only 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits while striking out 7 Sooners in 5 innings. She even struck out Jayda Coleman, Tiare Jennings, Kinzie Hansen, and Alyssa Brito, who were Oklahoma’s quartet of .400 hitters, at least once.
NiJaree is one of the hardest-throwing freshmen I’ve ever seen, and she can make even the best lineups look like they are struggling. If the Noles want to win game one, they’ll need to figure out a way to tire her out by forcing her to throw more pitches, pushing her deep into innings, and making her work harder.
The Clearwater Invitational is always a gauntlet of tough teams that will put each other to the test, but this is how you find out what you have for the stretch of the season. Thanks for reading and Go Noles!
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