February 4, 2025
For opponents of the Florida State softball team in 2024, the Seminoles didn’t just deploy a batting order.
More like a batting ordeal.
FSU punished pitchers, flummoxed fielders and wore out the “+1” button on scoreboard consoles all season, hitting .332 overall and plating 456 runs, marks that ranked 10th and sixth overall, respectively, in Division I softball. With a record of 46-16, the squad made a strong run in the postseason before coming up a bit short of the big goal as Oklahoma knocked Florida State out of the playoffs in the Super Regionals.
FSU head coach Lonni Alameda liked what she saw at the time and feels just as strongly today about her program’s capacities as the Seminoles prepare for a new campaign, one that begins Feb. 6 in Session 1 of the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, powered by Triple Crown Sports.
Three of the most significant hitters are back in the mix – sophomore Isa Torres (.356 and 57 RBI), senior Michaela Edenfield (.381 with 15 home runs, .509 OBP) and sophomore Jaysoni Beachum, who hit a scorching .417 with 16 homers, 66 RBI and an on-base percentage of .509 as well. That identity as a fearsome batch of bats helped FSU work through assorted hiccups with its pitching staff, and Alameda believes more balance will be seen in 2025.
“I knew we were a little bit young in the circle and that we would have to rely on the offense. And it’s a lot to ask of an offense to carry a season, along with the schedule we had,” said Alameda, in her 17th year at FSU and who guided the program to an NCAA championship in 2018. “As the offense did their business and didn’t really feel that weight of us growing as a pitching staff, and then finally the staff coming together and executing in some big moments to get us to Super Regionals … it was really cool to see.
“I get the expectations of being in the World Series, but sometimes you get dealt a tougher hand. But I was very proud of the team and the staff moving forward. We had some chances, and we will grow from that. We were lucky to play (Oklahoma) at the end, because we know the standards and will help us move forward.”
Beachum won multiple freshman of the year awards based on her crazy numbers, like the third-best batting average in school history and breaking the FSU freshman RBI record. At 5-foot-3, she might have been an unlikely power bat, but she defied those opinions and also played a solid third base, working diligently to solve questions about her range and her arm.
“It’s hard with freshmen; you recruit them for a reason and you also know when they step on campus, they don’t know what’s ahead of them. Not a lot of them know the intensity it takes over 60 games, four months,” Alameda said. “She came in with a very good work ethic; most freshman have to figure that out, the routine, how to keep it consistent. That’s one thing that separated her – she was in the cages every day, making herself consistent while always learning.
“A lot of people know about her now, so she’ll have to change her game a little bit, but she’s mentally and emotionally ready for that. We have a lot of offensive weapons and knowledge; she can do her thing and let the chips fall.”
As for the FSU pitching staff, Alameda enters 2025 with plenty of options and the confidence that comes when a young, untested group returns wiser for their experiences. Sophomore Ashtyn Danley went 18-6 with a 3.20 ERA and could easily put in more than the 140 innings she did last year; junior McKenna Reid went 12-1 with a 3.29 ERA and the transfer portal delivered senior Julia Apsel from Hofstra after she threw 201 innings for the Pride.
“It’s challenging sometimes (working with a large staff) but with my system, I already have the season kind of mapped out, based on the innings we need and who we are playing,” said Alameda, who may also see what’s in the tank with freshman Jasmine Francik, who dominated as a Florida high school senior (26-1, 399 strikeouts, 0.20 ERA). “As the season goes along, I will challenge certain matchups to see if what I thought was right. I may leave someone in a bit longer, do things to determine that yes, I like this, or we need to develop this further.
“And you have to make decisions in season to win games, win a series, get after it. There’s a Plan A, and a Plan B. We had injuries last year and had to turn to a Plan C. You’ve got to have tools coming out of that bullpen to neutralize teams.”
With some departures, other offensive stars have the runway to emerge – senior Amaya Ross hit .322 and led the Athletic Coast Conference with 28 stolen bases, and freshman catcher Isabella Ruggiero brings promise as she finished her senior season with a .617 batting average, 37 hits, 26 extra-base hits, 50 RBI and 16 home runs, the latter number which led all of Florida preps.
“When you really understand and elevate as a power hitter or contact hitter, and you run the bases well and can hit situationally … you have those areas, one might go down but the others can go up,” added Alameda. “We work a ton on how we work together as a team offensively – how you run the bases, and we develop the individual. If it’s a power kid, you strike out, keep swinging it … you’re an on-base kid, take those walks. Understand what you bring to the team.”
ON THE PUERTO VALLARTA COLLEGE CHALLENGE – “This (event) can bring about some more team cohesion when you go to a new environment together. This tournament always has quality teams, and that’s good experience to play them, to get better and play some (strong) RPI opponents. I know (tournament founder) Dave King has his heart in the right place trying to grow the game, and I’m all in for people who love it and want it to grow. If I can contribute somehow and someone wants help, I’ll be there.”