Softball FSU plays host to Ga. Tech for senior weekend

[Bob Ferrante]

FSU sports information:

The No. 8 Florida State softball team (40-6, 14-1) will host Georgia Tech (26-17, 10-8) this weekend in the regular season home finale. Friday's game will begin at 6 p.m. on ACCNX with Shawn Davison (Play by Play) and Meredith Grimm (Color) on the call. Fans can also listen to the game live on 96.5 FM The Spear, Seminoles.com and the FSU Gameday App as Jack Kavovit and Kyeli Brennan will be on the call on Friday night. Saturday's game is slated for 7 p.m. on ACC Network with the series finale beginning at noon on ESPNU on Sunday. Pam Ward (Play by Play) and Jenny Dalton-Hill (Color) will have the call for the final two games of the series.

Noles Face Yellow Jackets in Regular Season Home Finale

• Florida State returns home this weekend for the final time in the regular season as it faces Georgia Tech this weekend.
• This weekend will be senior weekend. FSU will honor nine seniors: Julia Apsel, Katie Dack, Michaela Edenfield, Krystina Hartley, Jahni Kerr, Annie Potter, Amaya Ross, Hallie Wacaser and Annabelle Widra.
• The Senior Day ceremony will be Sunday before the game at approximately 11:40 a.m.
• Georgia Tech enters the weekend 26-17 and 10-8 in ACC play.
• The Yellow Jackets are coming off a series loss to North Carolina. The Yellow Jackets have ranked wins over Stanford, Auburn and Oklahoma State.

Noles' History Against the Field

• FSU has dominated the Yellow Jackets in recent memory.
• FSU leads the all-time series 71-26 and have won the last 25 meetings.
• In the last four matchups, FSU has outscored Georgia Tech 33-7

Last Time Out

• FSU headed out west to California for four games in five days against Saint Mary's and Cal and came away with four wins.
• FSU outscored its opponents 38-7 in four games.
• Jahni Kerr led the way with three home runs and 11 RBI in the four games.
• Six different Noles hit 10 home runs, and the team posted a 1.38 team ERA in the four games.

Noles Getting Hot at the Right Time

• Florida State softball is beginning to look like Florida State softball once again as the Noles enter the final month of the regular season
• FSU is 40-6 and 14-1 in ACC play. FSU's 14-1 start is the program's best start since finishing 24-0 in ACC play in 2017.
• FSU won 14 consecutive games from Mar. 11-April 2 and have won 29 out of its last 32 games.
• FSU has won 40 games this season and 17 of them have come via the run rule.
• The Noles have seven wins over ranked foes this season and has 15 wins over teams ranked in the top 50 of the RPI (Oklahoma State, Missouri, Ohio State, UCF, North Florida, Alabama, Duke (3x), Florida, Virginia (2x) and Cal (3x)). FSU is currently ranked No. 4 in the RPI.
• FSU's run-rule win over No. 4 Oklahoma State was the second time FSU has run ruled a top-five opponent. The only other time FSU run ruled a top-five opponent was Feb. 8, 2020, against No. 1 Alabama.
• Four out of FSU's six losses are to teams ranked in the top 10 of the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25.
• FSU also run ruled No. 16 Missouri in the first game of the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational. FSU's run-rule wins over No. 4 Oklahoma State and No. 16 Missouri was the first time FSU has run ruled ranked opponents in back-to-back games.
• FSU has had two instances where they have had five-consecutive run-rule wins this season. FSU won five games via run rule from Feb. 8-15 and again from Feb. 27-Mar. 1. Both of those streaks are tied for the second-longest in school history and the longest since 2019.
• The Noles finished the Clearwater Invitational undefeated with a 4-0 record. FSU finished undefeated at the Clearwater Invitational for the third time which is a tournament record.

Built to Finish

• A Lonni Alameda team seems to always play its best ball in April and May and they look to be on the same path this year.
• Since the 2021 season, FSU is 100-16-1 in the months of April and May.

Starting Fast

• The recipe to success has been fairly simple for the Noles this season: start fast.
• FSU has outscored its opponents 77-19 in the first inning and holds a 26-1 record when they score in the first inning.
• FSU is 30-1 this season when they score first compared to 10-5 when the opponent scores first.
• FSU is 35-1 when they lead after four innings.

Home Field Advantage for the Noles

• JoAnne Graf Field has become one of the best home field advantages in college softball over recent memory.
• Under Head Coach Lonni Alameda, FSU is 148-28 against ACC opponents at home.
• Since 2019, FSU is 163-24 at JoAnne Graf Field.

Noles' Offense Proving to be One of Best in the Country

• After posting one of the top offenses in program history in 2024, FSU has picked up right where they left off and are off to a blistering start in 2025.
• No team has more hits than the Noles this year. FSU leads the country with 455 hits and is second in the country with 374 runs.
• FSU leads the ACC with 8.13 runs per game which also ranks fifth in the entire country
• The Noles are hitting .364 which is first in the ACC and fourth in the country.
• The Noles lead the ACC in hits (455), batting average (.364), RBI (345) and total runs (374).
• FSU ranks in the top 10 nationally in hits (1st), total runs (2nd), RBI (3rd), batting average (4th), runs per game (5th), triples 76th), on base percentage (10th) and slugging percentage (10th).
• In 2024, FSU scored 456 runs last season which was the second-most in FSU history and was just four runs short of breaking the school record, and they broke the 2019 team's batting average record as the Noles hit .332 last season. FSU is on pace to break both of those records this season.
• FSU also hit the second-most home runs in school history with 89, trailing the 2019 team that hit 105 home runs.

Noles Continuing Legacy of Great Pitching

• Under the guidance of Head Coach Lonni Alameda, the FSU pitching staff looks to be back to its regular self this season.
• After a 2024 season that saw the Noles post a 3.71 ERA which ranked 150th in the country, FSU has been phenomenal in the circle so far this year.
• FSU leads the ACC with a 2.17 ERA which ranks 11th in the country.
• The Noles have been pitching by committee this season as four pitchers have pitched more than 55 innings with no player pitching more than 72 innings. FSU has five players with a 2.70 ERA or lower.
• Jazzy Francik is second in the ACC with a 1.85 ERA, and Ashtyn Danley is third in the ACC with a 1.86 ERA. Annabelle Widra is fifth in the ACC with a 2.23 ERA.
• FSU has been terrific at pounding the zone as they lead the ACC and rank seventh in the entire country in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.90).
• FSU has surrendered just 61 walks this season which is the second-fewest in the entire country.

Torres Becoming One of Nation's Top Hitters

• Few have had as good of a season as Isa Torres this season as she has been money for FSU at the top of the lineup.
• Torres is hitting .448 with seven home runs and 37 RBI.
• Torres has recorded 74 hits this season which is second in the entire country and leads the ACC.
• Torres has recorded a hit in 39 out of FSU's 46 games this season and has reached base in 42 out of the 46 games this season.
• Torres has been FSU's leadoff hitter in 39 of the 42 games this season after being in the leadoff position just twice last season.
• Torres has struck out just three times this season in 165 at bats.
• Torres is also third on the team with nine stolen bases.
• Torres finished 2024 with a .356 batting average alone with nine home runs and 57 RBI. Her 57 RBI are tied for the second-most ever by a FSU freshman behind Beachum. Her nine home runs were the fourth-most by a FSU freshman and her .356 batting average was the sixth-highest average by a FSU freshman.
• Torres was rock solid at shortstop for the Noles as she started 61 games at the position where she had just seven errors in 191 attempts.
• Torres earned Second Team All-ACC honors in 2024 and was ranked the 19th overall player by Softball America and the 29th overall player by D1Sofball heading into the 2025 season.

Not Slowing down: Kennedy Harp Off to Blazing Start for the Noles

• Kennedy Harp has burst onto the scene for the Seminoles this season to become one of FSU's top hitters.
• Harp is hitting .420 with nine home runs, 47 RBI, seven doubles and nine triples.
• Her 46 RBI is seventh in the conference and 42nd in the country.
• Harp's nine triples leads the country and is tied for the third-most in school history. Harp needs just two triples to tie the school record and three triples to break the school record. Harp is nine triples away from breaking the 21-year old NCAA record.
• Harp has also shown her speed on the base paths as she is 14-for-17 on stolen bases which is second on the team.
• Harp recorded a RBI in each of her first 10 games. Her RBI streak of 10 games is the longest streak in program history.
• Harp also recorded a hit in her first 14 games.

Kerr Having one Of Her Best Seasons in Her Career

• Jahni Kerr has been a consistent staple in the Noles' lineup the last three seasons and 2025 has been no different.
• After somewhat of a slow start, Kerr has been on fire since conference play has started. In 15 ACC games, Kerr leads the team with a .511 batting average with three home runs and 18 RBI. Her .511 average is the second highest average of any player in ACC play.
• In total, Kerr is hitting .406 with seven home runs and 34 RBI.
• Kerr had a career game against No. 2 Florida last Wednesday. Kerr drove in all four runs against the Gators as she hit two two-run home runs to power FSU to the win. It was Kerr's first multi-home run game of her career and she tied her career high with four RBI.
• Kerr one-upped her performance against the Gators with a two-home run and six RBI performance against Cal on April 13.
• Kerr has recorded a hit in 19 out of her last 20 games.
• Kerr earned ACC Player of the Week on April 8 then was named a Softball America Star of the Week on April 15.
• Kerr is a two-time All-ACC performer as she earned First Team All-ACC honors in 2023 and Third Team honors in 2024.

Beachum Looks to Continue to be One of Top Hitters in the Country

• Jaysoni Beachum put up some of the best numbers in FSU history last season as a freshman and is putting together another great season for the Garnet and Gold.
• Beachum is hitting .343 with 11 home runs and 40 RBI.
• Beachum hit .417 last season which was the third-best mark in FSU history and was the highest batting average ever by a freshman in FSU history.
• Beachum drove in 66 runs which broke the FSU freshman record and was the most RBI in a season by a Seminole since Jessi Warren in 2018. Beachum also hit 16 home runs which was tied for the sixth-most ever in FSU history.
• Beachum was named the TUCCI/NFCA National Freshman of the Year and earned Second Team All-America honors. Beachum was the first Nole and ACC player to win the award and became the first FSU freshman since Sydney Sherrill to be named a NFCA All-American.
• Beachum was phenomenal at the hot corner for the Noles as she committed just five errors in 154 attempts at third base.

Edenfield Continues To Be Consistent in the Batter's Box for FSU

• After posting her most consistent season in 2024, Edenfield is coming up big for the Noles once again.
• Edenfield is hitting .351 with seven home runs and 42 RBI to go along with a team-high 30 walks.
• In 15 ACC games, Edenfield is hitting .400 with three home runs and 16 RBI along with 11 walks for a .545 on base percentage.
• Out of her 40 hits this season, 20 of them have resulted in a RBI.
• Edenfield recorded a hit in eight out of her first 10 at bats at the Clearwater Invitational including a great performance against Wichita State where she went 4-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. Her four hits were the most in a game in her career.
• Edenfield hit a career-best .381 last season, which was second on the team, to go along with her 15 home runs and 46 RBI.
• Edenfield has hit 51 career home runs which ranks third in FSU history. Edenfield needs three home runs to pass Maddie O'Brien for second. Jessi Warren holds the school record with 83 career home runs.
• Edenfield is fifth all-time in FSU history with 194 RBI.
• Edenfield posted a slugging percentage of .806 last year which was the fourth-best mark in school history. In her career, Edenfield is slugging .665 which is currently second in FSU history.
• Edenfield also ranks in the top 10 in school history for career walks.
• Edenfield earned Third Team NFCA All-America honors for the first time in her career and was also named First Team All-ACC for the first time in her career.
• In her first two seasons, Edenfield has recorded two 50+ RBI seasons. Edenfield is one of just seven Seminoles who have ever recorded two 50+ RBI seasons as a Seminole.
• Edenfield joined Jessi Warren and Sydney Sherrill as the only Seminoles to have 50+ RBI in their first two seasons in the Garnet and Gold.

Danley Coming On Strong for the Seminoles

• Ashtyn Danley came on strong for the Noles late in the 2024 season and took the role as the Noles' top pitcher as injuries decimated the FSU pitching staff. In 2025, Danley has taken another step in the circle in a very talented pitching room.
• Danley leads the team with 71.2 innings and is second on the team with 1.86 ERA.
• Danley holds a 10-1 record this season in 25 appearances.
• Danley had one of her best outings as a Seminole as she shut down No. 2 Florida on April 2 who had a top 10 offense going into the game. Danley threw four scoreless innings to help FSU win 4-0.
• Danley made a team-high 21 starts and pitched a team-high 142.1 innings for the Noles in 2024.

Francik Looking Good in the Garnet and Gold

• A true freshman and one of the best high school pitchers in Florida, Jazzy Francik has been as good as advertised so far this season.
• Francik has made four starts and pitched 58 innings.
• Francik has posted a 1.85 ERA with a 7-2 record.
• Francik has struck out 65 batters compared to 13 walks.
• Francik has come up in huge moments for FSU this season and has recorded six saves this season which is tied for the second-most in program history for a single season.
• Francik had the best game of her young career last week against Saint Mary's where she threw a complete game shutout with 12 strikeouts. Francik is the first Nole to pitch a complete game this season and her 12 strikeouts were the most by a Seminole since Meghan King in 2019.
• Francik earned ACC Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday for her performance last week. She joined Makenna Reid as the only true freshman at FSU to win the award since 2012.
• In her first two appearances of her collegiate career, Francik recorded a win and a save. She joined Bailey Schinella (2012) as the only freshmen in FSU history to record a win and a save in their first two college appearances.

Widra Pitching Well for the Noles

• After pitching just 41.2 innings last season, Widra has been phenomenal in her 59.2 innings she's pitched for FSU this season.
• In those 59.2 innings, Widra has posted a 2.23 ERA with 37 strikeouts.
• Widra has been phenomenal at throwing strikes this season as she has allowed just five walks compared to 37 strikeouts.
• Widra leads the country in walks allowed per seven innings (0.59) and fifth in the country in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.40). Both marks are first in the ACC.

Apsel Brings Valued Experience to Noles' Pitching Staff

• Apsel brings a lot of experience in the circle after three seasons at Hofstra.
• Apsel has been great for the Seminoles this season. She holds a 12-0 record with a 2.69 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 57.1 innings.
• Apsel is the fourth player since 2000 to win their first 10 decisions as a Seminole. Apsel joins Meghan King (2017), Kathryn Sandercock (2019) and Makenna Reid (2023).
• Apsel has pitched 471.1 innings in her collegiate career with a 2.57 career ERA and 357 strikeouts.
• Apsel had her best season last year as she posted a 1.39 ERA.
• Apsel pitched 20 complete games which ranked 15th in the country in 2024.
• Apsel performed phenomenally against Power Five opponents this season. Against the NCAA Tournament qualifying Penn State Nittany Lions, Apsel threw 6.1 innings and allowed just two earned runs on seven hits while striking out three. Against the National Runner-Up Texas Longhorns, Apsel pitched 6.0 innings and allowed just four runs to one of the nation's top offenses. Apsel and the Pride were one of just two non-Power Five teams to hold Texas to five runs or less this season and was one of three unranked teams to hold the Longhorns to under five runs this season. Maybe Apsel's most impressive performance of the 2024 season came against Missouri who entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 7 overall seed and was one win away from the Women's College world Series. Apsel shut down the Tigers as she pitched all nine innings of the thriller and allowed just two runs on four hits to the Tigers while striking out six.

Dack Giving the Noles Great Production

• Katie Dack has regained her power to become one of the most dangerous bats in the Seminole lineup.
• Dack leads the team with 12 home runs and is second on the team with 42 RBI. Dack's 42 RBI are a career high.
• Dack is hitting .336 which is also a career high.
• In ACC play, Dack leads the team with 20 in 15 conference games.
• Last season, Dack had just three home runs and 10 RBI.
• Dack was named to the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge All-Tournament Team.

 

[rkcnoles]

Sad day for the FSU family, will they try to have something for these special seniors at some point?

 

[waternole]

Just wondering if this series will be made up. With only a couple weeks to go I assume not.
How will the seeding work for the ACC Tournament for us and GT since we likely play 3 less conference games.
Winning percentage decide it?

 

[waternole]

Just wondering if this series will be made up. With only a couple weeks to go I assume not.
How will the seeding work for the ACC Tournament for us and GT since we likely play 3 less conference games.
Winning percentage decide it?

Sorry if this seems like I am just thinking about something I shouldn't at this point.
I live in Virginia and have been a huge FSU for almost 40 years. Yeah, I'm getting old. I routinely spend a week in Tally every year around September/October. I love it there.
Just feel kind of helpless being so far away and not being there with fellow Noles for support. It saddens and hurts me as well.

 

[Bob Ferrante]

Winning percentage is what has been used in the past. Although I can't immediately find anything more recent than 2018 on the ACC site that addresses it.

Link Jarrett and Lonni Alameda are scheduled to do a combined coaches' show on Monday at 7 at Bowden's in College Town. We should have clarity before then but will also see what the coaches say tomorrow night.

 

[waternole]

Winning percentage is what has been used in the past. Although I can't immediately find anything more recent than 2018 on the ACC site that addresses it.

Link Jarrett and Lonni Alameda are scheduled to do a combined coaches' show on Monday at 7 at Bowden's in College Town. We should have clarity before then but will also see what the coaches say tomorrow night.

Thanks for the info.