One of Florida State’s top wide receiver prospects has committed to another program. Dallas Wilson, a four-star wideout from Tampa Bay Tech (Fla.), has committed to Oregon since January 2023, but he has left his options open.
FSU is a school that is placing a strong priority on Wilson in order to persuade him to alter his opinion about the Ducks. Despite his other commitments, Wilson is enthusiastic about the Seminoles.
Tallahassee — Florida State Softball will begin its 2024 season on Thursday evening, hosting Charlotte in the JoAnne Graf Classic at the Seminole Softball Complex in Tallahassee, Florida.
The Seminoles, who ended 58-11 as the national runner-up last season, will welcome back several familiar names as well as a quality freshmen class. Six of FSU’s top seven hitters return from last season, as do pitchers Makenna Reid and Allison Royalty.
Here is a more on the 2024 version of head coach Lonni Alameda’s softball club:
CATCHER
Redshirt junior Michaela Edenfield, who was on the preseason All-ACC team, is back behind the plate for the Seminoles. She batted .255 with team-leading 13 home runs and 56 RBI last season. She has a pair of 50+ RBI seasons under her belt as a Seminole. She is one of just six Seminoles who have ever recorded two 50+ RBI seasons as a Seminole and one of just three to accomplish the feat in their first two seasons playing for FSU. She is looking to become just the second Seminole to accomplish the feat three times. Last season, 25 out of her 39 hits (64%) resulted in a run being scored. She is hoping to be a more consistent hitter (for average) this coming season. Defensively, the hope is that she continues to take the next step at blocking balls and holding runners, while also managing the pitching staff.
Edenfield will be backed up by junior catcher Katie Dack, who could also find a role in the outfield, as well as sophomore Madi Frey, who is a utility player beyond her work at catcher. Dack enters her second season as a Seminole. She appeared in 65 games last season, with 53 starts. She hit .299 with 11 home runs, which was second on the team behind 13 from Edenfield. Frey has been a limited substitution player to this point in her career.
INFIELD
At first base, it appears that FSU is set to start junior Amaya Ross. Freshman Ashtyn Danley, who will also pitch and could also find a role in the outfield, has seen work at first. Fellow freshman Angelee Bueno also saw work at the position in the preseason. Ross started just seven games last year, but appeared in 49 total games. She hit .250, but it is her speed on the base paths that makes her such an offensive threat (22-of-23 on stolen base attempts). Danley was the No. 2 recruit in the country. She is expected to have an immediate impact for the Seminoles both in the circle and in the lineup.
Second base is home to senior Devyn Flaherty, who is the veteran leader of the club. Junior Krystina Hartley is her reserve. Flaherty is looking to build off a season where she hit .317 and waked 35 times – second-most on last years team. She also had 31 stolen bases in 32 attempts to lead the Seminoles in that category last year. She has 84 career stolen bases at FSU. Hartley appeared in 42 games with 21 starts last season. She batted .346.
Shortstop has been a good competition between freshman Isa Torres and redshirt junior transfer Annie Potter, who came to FSU from Mercer this offseason. Torres is part of a highly-regarded freshman class. She appears likely to get the nod on Thursday. Potter batted .267 over 101 games at Mercer. She had 10 doubles in 2022.
Third base will be home to Kalei Harding to start the season. In a ‘good problem to have category’ freshman Jaysoni Beachum seems like a bat you want to have in the lineup and her home this preseason was also working at third. Harding, a Preseason All-ACC selection, batted .311 last year with a team-leading 22 doubles – second-most in a single season in FSU history – and three triples. She also was second on the Seminoles with 48 RBI. Harding enters this season with 48 career doubles an 31 career home runs. She settled in at third base last season. Beachum is a bat with plus-power, too, and she has shown herself to be a capable third baseman throughout the preseason.
Shuffling at the corner infield positions could be in the cards for the Seminoles as they try to get their most potent lineup on the field, but it is clear that they appear to have quality depth throughout the infield.
OUTFIELD
FSU returns their outfield experience from a season ago. Senior Kaley Mudge in left field, redshirt junior Jahni Kerr in center field, and redshirt junior Hallie Wacaser in right field. Mudge and Kerr both earned Preseason All-ACC honors.
Mudge, who led off for FSU in 55 of 69 games last season, ended the second second on the team in batting average (.346), while hitting 18 doubles, three triples, five home runs and recording 43 RBI. She is also a high-level fielder for the Seminoles.
Kerr broke out last season for the Seminoles. She started 58 of FSU’s final 59 games, led the team with a .356 batting average, hit eight home runs, and had 40 RBI.
While Wacaser doesn’t draw the same accolades as her fellow outfielders, she was extremely dependable for FSU last season. She played in 67 games with 56 starts. She finished the season batting .304 with 12 doubles, four home runs, and 36 RBI.
With an experienced trio, FSU should again be sound defensively on anything into the outfield.
As previously mentioned, Dack and Frey (catcher) and Danley (first base/pitcher) could also find roles in the outfield. Others that will provide depth in the outfield include senior Autumn Belviy and freshman Kennedy Harp. Belviy made 51 appearances last season, but no starts.
IN THE CIRCLE
I will not dare label the pitching staff as starter, No. 1 and so on, etc., because every time I’ve spoken with Lonni Alameda about the group – especially going into the February slate – she has gone out of her way to make the point that they are viewed as a group and pitching at FSU is ‘by committee’.
Last season saw FSU use seven different pitchers, with five pitchers logging 40 or more innings.
FSU is expected again to use a group to navigate the lengthy season. Gone is ace and ultra-reliable Kathryn Sandercock. They do return the likes of sophomore Makenna Reid, who was named Preseason All-ACC, and senior Allison Royalty, who saw a great deal of work a season ago, as well as senior Emma Wilson and sophomore Madi Balk in the circle. Additions to the group include freshman Ashtyn Danley, who there is a lot of buzz surrounding, as well as freshman Mimi Gooden.
Reid was an excellent freshman arm a season ago. She finished last year with a 13-0 record and 0.97 ERA in 43 appearances (four starts). She also recorded six saves, second-most to only Sandercock. She struck out 91, while walking just 22 over 79.1 innings pitched. She was one of only three pitchers last season, nationally, to not suffer a loss. She was one of just five players to post a sub 1.00 ERA last season. Reid has worked on adding more pitch variety, while also just becoming more comfortable with the length and demands of a collegiate softball schedule.
Royalty, a transfer-in from Arizona State, was 8-1 last season with a 2.23 ERA in 27 appearances (10 starts). In 69.0 innings pitch, she struck out 53, while walking 37. Reducing walks will be a key for Royalty to take on a greater load of innings in 2024.
Balk made eight appearances last season and threw 8.0 innings. Wilson made eight appearances last season and threw just 6.1 innings. It is to-be-determined what they provide to the staff this season.
Danley, a freshman from Tennessee who was the Gatorade Softball Player of the Year for her home state is the key to what FSU will ultimately be as a team in the circle. She was a high-level prep pitcher (and two-way player).
Gooden’s role as a freshman is to-be-determined.
The month of February will see Alameda use pitchers in a variety of roles, at times pushing them and at other times having a quick trigger with a change.
GENERAL THOUGHTS
FSU returns plenty of experience at the plate and in the circle where you expect the team to understand the task at-hand. Leadership will come from the likes of Flaherty, Kerr, Mudge, Edenfield, and more.
There is a lot of optimism about multiple newcomers being capable of making a major mark, with specifically Danley, Torres, Beachum leading that group.
Alameda believes they will be a very good hitting club, who can also terrorize opponents on the base paths – a staple of her programs.
Defensively, they should be a sound bunch with Mudge’s glove leading the way in the outfield and middle infield expected to be a strength with Flaherty and Torres. Behind the plate, Edenfield will need to continue to take the next step as a defender – something she has focused on.
The question of whether this team is just Super Regional good or likely to be spending an extended stay in Oklahoma is in the circle. Reid feels like a front-line player, but that is being asked of her in her second season. Royalty will have to take the next step. Danley is probably the wildcard to making that group as dependable as it will need to be for those tight games late in the season.
It should be a fun bunch to watch all of this coming season.
The full schedule for the team can be found here.
