FSU softball to host Virginia in series beginning Friday

[Bob Ferrante]

Via FSU sports information:

After a nonconference midweek matchup on Wednesday, the fourth-ranked Florida State softball team (33-7, 11-1 ACC) returns to ACC play with a home series against Virginia. Friday's game is set for 6 p.m. on the ACC Network. The two teams will play on Saturday at 1 p.m. and the series finale will take place at noon on Sunday. Both Saturday's and Sunday's games can be seen on ACC Network Extra.

The Seminoles are currently on an eight-game winning streak and entered the top five in both major polls. The Seminoles are on top of the ACC with an 11-1 record and are two games ahead of Clemson in the standings with 12 ACC games remaining.

Series History

• FSU leads the all-time series 89-18.
• Virginia is the team in the ACC that the Seminoles have played the most as the two teams have squared off 117 times.
• FSU has won the last 16 games in the series and have won 24 out of the last 25.
• FSU has not lost to the Cavaliers at home since 2011.
• This will be the Cavalier’s first trip to Tallahassee since 2015.
• The Cavaliers have not scored more than three runs against the Seminoles since 2011.

Welcome to the Gauntlet

• The Seminoles have one of the toughest schedules in the country this season. The Seminoles will play 20 games against teams ranked in the top 25, 19 of those games being away from Tallahassee. 19 out of the Seminoles’ 23 road or neutral site games are against teams in the top 25.
• The Noles are one of nine teams ranked in the top 25 to play 20 or more games against top 25 ranked opponents.
• The Noles currently hold a 9-6 record against ranked opponents.
• At the Clearwater Invitational, the Seminoles played five ranked teams in four days and went 3-2 in those games. The Seminoles defeated No. 4 Arkansas, No. 15 Arizona and No. 22 Louisiana. The Seminoles fell to No. 2 UCLA and No. 12 Alabama.
• The Seminoles have already played the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 7, No. 11, No. 13, No. 14 and No. 25 teams in this week’s ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings. The Seminoles still have matchups with No. 15 Florida and No. 17 Virginia Tech.
• To start the season, the Seminoles played 18 games in 17 days and went 15-3 in those games.

Pitching by Committee

• The Seminoles have taken on a new style inside the circle this season.
• The Seminoles have used seven pitchers this season, four of which who have pitched more than 30 innings.
• The Seminoles used four pitchers against Clemson and held the Tigers, who were ranked top five nationally in scoring, to just one earned run.
• The team boasts a 1.65 ERA which is ninth in the country.

Seminoles' Dominance in the ACC

• The Seminoles have dominated the ACC over the past decade.
• The Seminoles have won an ACC Championship (Regular Season/Tournament) in eight out of the past nine seasons.
• Under Head Coach Lonni Alameda, the Seminoles are 159-36-1 against the Seminoles’ eight ACC opponents this season.
• The Seminoles have only lost five ACC series since 2012.
• The Noles are the only ACC team to win a National Title as the Seminoles brought home the title in 2018.

Human Highlight Reel to Firefighter

• Josie Muffley has made amazing play after amazing play during her career at Florida State.
• Muffley made another incredible play against Lipscomb on opening night. Muffley’s diving catch at the shortstop position was the No. 1 play on Sportscenter’s Top 10 Plays.
• Muffley’s goal after college is to become a firefighter.
• Muffley spends a lot of her free time with the Tallahassee Fire Department and rides along with the crew and spends time at the station.
• During the 2022 Tallahassee Regional, the department made a surprise appearance in right field by sitting on top of the fire truck to watch the game.
• The fire department has now made it a tradition to come out to JoAnne Graf Field to watch Muffley and FSU Softball.