The Texas Tech Red Raiders are hitting the road and getting set to take on the Florida State Seminoles in what will be TTU’s first ever Super Regional appearance. And that’s pretty special. There’s a lot to celebrate there.
But, more than likely, Gerry Glasco and the rest of the Red Raiders would be much more interested in celebrating once they got past Florida State and on into the 2025 Women’s College World Series. If I had to bet on things, I’d bet that Glasco would love for his Red Raiders to have a shot at competing for a national title.
But before we can talk about all of that, Tech has to get through Florida State to head to Oklahoma City. And while that is certainly possible (at least in a theoretical sense), it remains to be seen how practically feasible all of that is.
The Seminoles, as a team, are pretty dang dangerous at the plate
I, for one, don’t exactly love how Florida State has a pretty strong lineup full of batters who have proven they can be dangerous at the plate. We’re not talking about one or two really consistent hitters or really powerful hitters. We’re talking about an FSU softball team that has hit 83 home runs, has a team batting average of .353, and has six players (with at least 46 starts) to have batting averages over .300.
That’s not to say that Texas Tech’s pitchers are doomed or that the Red Raiders can’t go score for score with a team like the Seminoles. I don’t believe either of those two facts. I just believe that FSU will, at some points, cause a few headaches for Tech’s pitching staff.
And I don’t love that.
I mean, Isa Torres, in 212 at bats with 58 starts this season, has a .448 batting average and nine home runs. Just behind her is Kennedy Harp with a .412 batting average and nine home runs of her own in 153 at bats. And then there’s Jahni Kerr, who has a .396 batting average in 149 at bats.
Are you seeing something that is consistently present?
Yeah, a bunch of home runs. Katie Dack has 15 home runs to go with her .336 batting average. Meanwhile, Jaysoni Beachum has 11 home runs and a .313 batting average with 176 at bats on the season. And then there’s Michaela Edenfield (who has played and started in all 59 games for FSU) with her .336 batting average and 10 home runs.
There are so many dangerous bats across this lineup that Tech can’t just assume that things will go smoothly there.
But at least things will be easier when TTU is at the plate, right?
FSU boasts a well rounded crop of pitchers who might be problems for Texas Tech
It’s not uncommon to see a college softball team lean heavily into one incredible and phenomenal pitcher to carry the bulk of the load throughout a season and then find a couple of other pitchers to help round things out for their roster a bit.
To be completely honest, Texas Tech has done that a bit this year (and it’s worked out incredibly well for the Red Raiders, shoutout to NiJaree Canady for thriving in the circle this season).
But this isn’t the strategy that FSU has employed this season.
Up to this point in the season, the Seminoles have four different pitchers who have made at least 24 appearances this season. There are two FSU pitchers who have made at least 35 appearances this season. And as a staff, they’re really, really successful.
FSU has deployed Jazzy Francik (1.57 ERA, 10-3 win-loss record, 35 appearances, 84 strikeouts, 89.1 innings pitched), Ashtyn Danley (1.58 ERA, 14-1 win-loss record, 35 appearances, 73 strikeouts, 101.2 innings pitched), Annabelle Widra (2.85 ERA, 10-3 win-loss record, 24 appearances, 46 strikeouts, 71.1 innings pitched), and Julia Apsel (3.12 ERA, 12-1 win-loss record, 28 appearances, 75 strikeouts, 74.0 innings pitched).
That’s a really strong group of pitchers and it’ll be fascinating to see how Florida State uses various different combinations all throughout the best-of-three series.
Lonni Alameda has been absolutely dominant throughout her time in Tallahassee and FSU is super consistent
We’re talking about a coach that, in 16 seasons of leading the Florida State softball program, has managed to take a total of five different trips to the Women’s College World Series. While FSU has a very proud history to talk about, Alameda has been consistently impressive with the Seminoles and delivered their first ever NCAA Tournament championship back in 2018.
On top of that, the Seminoles have also come in as the runner up for the NCAA softball tournament back in 2021 and 2023. This is a program that has a ton to be proud of.
They are currently seeking their 13th trip to Oklahoma City and are in the midst of their 39th appearance in the NCAA softball tournament. This is a college softball program that is stable, successful, and routinely causes headaches for its opponents.
And Alameda is a huge part of all of that.
There’s a reason why she’s been there for as long as she has. Alameda has done a lot to elevate what FSU is capable of and that’s a huge reason why the Seminoles are so dangerous (across their roster) this season.
This is a team that has been assembled to compete for championships. I, for one, hope that Texas Tech is ready for that. Gerry Glasco has put together a pretty special season of his own in his first season in Lubbock. And he’s about to take on one of the most consistently successful college softball programs of the past 10 years (outside of Oklahoma, that is).