Softball No. 18 FSU softball faces Notre Dame in three-game series

[Bob Ferrante]

FSU sports information:

The No. 18 Florida State softball team (28-10, 9-3) returns home for another ACC series as they take on Notre Dame (23-14, 7-8) this weekend at JoAnne Graf Field. The two teams will play at 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 4 p.m. on Sunday. Friday's game can be seen on ACCNX and heard on the Seminole Sports Network. Saturday's and Sunday's games can be seen live on the ACC Network.

Player's Weekend

• FSU Softball is hosting its annual Player's Weekend this weekend.
• On Friday and Sunday, FSU will be wearing alternate uniforms with the names that each player and staff member chose to be on their respective jersey.

Player	Player's Weekend Name	Reason
Madi Balk	JAKE	Childhood dog
Jaysoni Beachum	PSALMS 91	Favorite Bible Verse
Autumn Belviy	DAWN	Family friend that passed away
Angelee Bueno	LALALEE	Nickname
Katie Dack	GRANDPA JIM	Her grandfather
Ashtyn Danley	TAY TAY	Her sister's nickname
Michaela Edenfield		Nickname
Devyn Flaherty	XOEY	Her dog's name
Madi Frey	MAD DOG	Nickname
Mimi Gooden	MEMERS	Nickname
Kalei Harding	EQUALITY	To promote equality
Kennedy Harp	ANTOIN	Her dad's name
Krystina Hartley	GMA	To honor both of her grandmas
Jahni Kerr	ODONNELL	Her spanish teacher's last name that was diagnosed with breast cancer
Kaley Mudge	BUCHMAN	To honor Alexis Buchman who recently
Annie Potter	UME	Honoring her grandmother
Makenna Reid	OR	Abbreviation for Oregon, her home state
Amaya Ross	MATTHEW 5:16	Favorite Bible verse
Allison Royalty	FIVER	Nickname
Isa Torres	RON	A longtime supporter of her's from back home
Hallie Wacaser	DANSBY	Her dog's name
Emma Wilson	E-DUB	Nickname
Lonni Alameda	INTERIORS BY BOB	The named of her dad's company that supported her teams growing up
Travis Wilson	PAPANUI	The name of the organization he played on growing up in New Zealand
Troy Cameron	JADEN & CREW's DAD	Honoring his kids, Jaden and Crew
Kaleigh Rafter	Charmeson	Honoring her niece and nephew, Charlie & Jameson

Celebrating Seminole Heritage

• On Saturday, FSU Softball will be hosting its Seminole Heritage Game.
• The team will be wearing visors with the turquoise Seminole Head.
• For more information on Seminole Heritage, please visit https://seminoles.com/feature/honoring-seminole-heritage.

Noles Starting to Heat Up

• After losing four out of five games to the likes of Alabama, Duke and Texas, the Seminoles have won 10 out of their last 11 games and are right in the thick of the ACC race.
• Six out of FSU's 10 have come via run rule.
• FSU jumped eight spots in the RPI this week after taking four out of five games from McNeese and Louisville who were both ranked in the top 50 in the RPI
• FSU has outscored their opponent 100-33 and are averaging 9.09 runs per game in its past 11 games.
• During their eight-game winning streak from Mar. 23-Apr. 3, FSU scored at least eight runs in all eight of those games during the winning streak. That tied the school record for the longest streak of scoring eight or more runs. The last time FSU accomplished the feat was from Mar. 19-31, 2019.

Coming Up in the Clutch

• When the pressure is on, freshman Isa Torres has come up big on multiple occasions for the Seminoles.
• Torres has hit two walk-offs in the bottom of the seventh this season to lead the Noles to victory.
• Torres hit a two-run walk-off home run against NC State on Mar. 28 to put the Seminoles on top 8-6. Torres was the first true freshman to hit a walk-off home run since Jessi Warren in 2015 against Notre Dame.
• Torres also hit a two-RBI walk-off single against Texas Tech on Feb. 9 to win the game for the Noles.

Wait, They're only Freshmen?!?!?!

• Yes, some of Florida State's best production has come from a freshmen class that was ranked the No. 3 overall class by softball America.
• Jaysoni Beachum (.447) and Isa Torres (,379) hold two out of the top three batting averages on the team.
• In the circle, Ashtyn Danley has recorded a team-high 14 starts and her 74.1 innings are the second most on the team.
• All five freshman hitters have recorded a hit and a RBI this season with Torres, Beachum and Kennedy Harp all recording 10+ hits.
• The six freshmen have made a combined 103 starts this season.
• 118 out of the team's 348 (34%) hits have come from freshmen.
• 79 out of the teams 268 RBI (29%) have come from freshmen.
• 40% of the team's innings pitched have come from freshmen.

Youth in the Circle

• A program that has continuously put together one of the best pitching staffs in the country has faced a new challenge this year....youth.
• 72% of innings thrown this year have been from either freshman or sophomores.
• 40% of the innings pitched have been from true freshman.
• Freshman pitchers Ashtyn Danley and Mimi Gooden have combined to start in 19 out of the Seminoles' 38 games this season.

Coacha Reaches 900 Career Wins

• Head Coach Lonni Alameda reached 900 career wins against Louisville on Apr. 6
• Alameda became the 20th active coach to reach 900 career wins.
• Alameda holds the seventh best winning percentage among active Division 1 head coaches who have won 900 games or more (.710).
• Alameda has the ninth-most wins among active Power 5 coaches.

Get Hot, Stay Hot

• The Florida State offense has been one of the best in the country through the first 38 games of the season.
• FSU is averaging 7.76 runs per game which is fourth in the country and first in the ACC. FSU is hitting .342 as a team which ranks 11th in the country.
• FSU has scored 295 runs through 38 games this season which is on pace to be a top five offense in school history and could break the school record of 459 runs scored by the 2016 team. The 2016 team scored 296 runs through 38 games.
• In 38 games, FSU has scored 8 or more runs in 24 games. In 69 games last season, FSU scored eight or more runs just 22 times.
• FSU has scored 10 or more runs in 10 games so far this season after accomplishing that feat just eight times last season.

Dominance in the ACC

• Florida State has been on top of the ACC for the past decade.
• FSU has won eight out of the last nine ACC Tournament Championships and seven out of the last nine ACC Regular Season Championships.
• Since 2012, FSU has lost just three ACC road series and has not lost an ACC road series since 2019.
• FSU has lost just three ACC series in the last four seasons and have lost just five ACC series since 2012.

A True Home Field Advantage

• The Seminole Softball Complex has become one of the toughest places to play in the country in recent history.
• Since the start of the 2019 season, FSU is 141-22 at the Seminole Softball Complex.
• In the past two seasons, FSU is 53-9 at the Seminole Softball Complex.

Tallahassee Native Jaysoni Beachum Clicking on All Cylinders

• Jaysoni Beachum has continued to solidify herself as not only one of the best freshman in the country but as one of the best players in the country
• Beachum, a native of Tallahassee, leads the team with a .447 batting average and 51 hits.
• Beachum has hit seven home runs and driven in 37 runs which is second on the team.
• Beachum has recorded a hit in 28 out of the Seminoles' 38 games this season.
• Out of the 38 games this season, Beachum has had two or more hits in 19 games.
• Beachum has the second-highest batting average in the county among freshmen and has the 22nd-highest batting average in the country.
• Beachum has had two multi-home run games this season. Beachum is the first true freshman since Kalei Harding in 2021 to have a multi-home run game.
• Beachum has also locked down the hot corner for the Noles making 37 starts at the positions. Beachum has committed just two errors this season.
• Beachum was named Softball America's Freshman of the Month in both February and March.

Ocho's Being Ocho

• Kalei Harding or "Ocho" continues to be a consistent force for the Florida State lineup and is solidifying herself as one of the top hitters in program history
• Harding is currently hitting .355 with a team-high 45 RBI.
• In ACC play, Harding is hitting .425 with three home runs and 19 RBI. Her 19 RBI is tied for fifth in the conference.
• Harding also picked up her 200th career hit against the Blue Devils.
• Against UCLA, Harding recorded four hits in five at-bats which was tied for a career high. Harding was the first FSU player since Kaley Mudge in 2021 at the Women's College World Series against Alabama to record four or more hits.
• Her seven RBI game against Charlotte tied Anna Shelnutt (2017) for the school record for RBI in a single game.
• Harding is second all-time in school history for career doubles (55), fourth in school history for career home runs (39), fourth for career RBI (184) and eighth in school history for career slugging percentage (.572).

Torres Finds Groove in the Box and in the Field

• Replacing Josie Muffley is no easy task, but freshman Isa Torres has given her best shot and is off to a great start offensively and defensively for the Noles at the shortstop position.
• Torres is third on the team in batting average (.379) and has driven in 27 runs this season.
• Torres has continued to make jaw-dropping plays at the shortstop position this season and holds a .972 fielding percentage this season.
• Torres has come through in the clutch twice this season as she hit a walk-off home run against NC State on Mar. 28 and a walk-off single against Texas Tech on Feb. 10.

Reid Gaining Confidence in the Circle

• As one of the top freshman pitchers in 2023, Makenna Reid has begun to find her groove in the circle in 2024 after a tough start.
• Over the course of her career, Reid holds a 24-1 record for the Seminoles.
• Reid has pitched the most innings for the Noles this season with 76 innings and leads the team with a 3.32 ERA.
• In one of the best performances of her young career, Reid stifled one of the top offenses in Duke as she pitched a career high seven innings while allowing just three hits and not allowing a run.
• In 2023, Reid was one of just three pitchers last season to not suffer a loss joining Alex Storako and Nicole May from Oklahoma.
• Reid was one of just five players to post a sub 1.00 ERA last season.
• Reid was the first Seminole since Sarah Hamilton in 2009 to finish with a sub 1.00 ERA.

Danley Coming Alive in the Circle

• True freshman pitcher and outfielder Ashtyn Danley came to Tallahassee as one of the top recruits in the country and has begun to find her footing as a Seminole.
• Danley has made a team-high 14 starts for the Seminoles this season and holds a 8-3 record.
• In her last seven appearances, Danley has allowed six earned runs while striking out 29 in 29 innings.
• Against one of the top offenses in the country in Texas, Danley threw three scoreless innings while striking out three.

Kerr Continues Hot Streak

• Redshirt junior Jahni Kerr is back for the Seminoles after a breakout season in 2023.
• In 2024, Kerr is hitting .359 with 26 RBI in 31 games. Kerr missed seven games this season due to injury.
• Against Pitt, Kerr hit three home runs in three games for the Noles.
• As one of the top recruits in the country coming out of high school, Kerr struggled in her first two seasons as a Seminole as she dealt with the implications of COVID and was recovering from a knee injury that she suffered her freshman season.
• The tide turned for Kerr in 2023, and it all started with a home run in a primetime ESPN slot against Alabama at the 2023 Clearwater Invitational. Kerr came into the game starting in just three out of the Seminoles nine games and was 2-for-10 at the plate.
• Kerr led the team with a .356 batting average while adding eight home runs and 40 RBI in 2023.
• Kerr earned First Team All-ACC honors for the first time in her career and was named to the Preseason All-ACC Team.

My Oh Amaya

• Fans have known the name Amaya Ross for awhile but mainly for her insane speed on the base paths. Now, Ross has found herself in the FSU lineup for more than just her speed.
• Ross has started all 38 games this season after making just 18 starts the past two seasons.
• Ross has already surpassed her hit, RBI and home run numbers this season from the last two seasons combined.
• Ross had one of the best weeks of her career at the Dugout Club Classic.
• In six games, Ross recorded 10 hits in 15 at-bats (.667) with six RBI and three triples.
• Ross was involved in 17 out of the Seminoles 47 runs scored in the Dugout Club Classic and was a perfect 5-for-5 on the base paths.
• Ross's five triples is eighth in the country.
• Ross is 11th in the country and first in the ACC with 22 stolen bases this season.
• Ross currently holds a .319 batting average with eight home runs which is third on the team.
• Ross is second in the ACC and is 12th in the country in runs per game (1.16).
• Ross has stolen 49 bases in 53 attempts over the course of her career.

Flaherty Returns to Lead the Noles in the Infield and on the Base Paths

• No one was more dangerous on the base paths last season than Florida State's Devyn Flaherty.
• Flaherty stole 31 bases on 32 attempts which led the ACC.
• Flaherty cracked the all-time top 10 list for most career stolen bases in school history. Flaherty has 94 career stolen bases which puts her eighth in school history.
• Flaherty was one of four players in the NCAA in 2023 to steal 30 or more bases while only being caught once.

A True Utility

• No one has embraced the utility role more in her career than Kalei Harding.
• Harding, who was recruited as a catcher, has played all but three positions (Pitcher, catcher, second base) during her career at Florida State.
• Harding is one of just three active players in the NCAA to have played six or more positions in their career.
• This season, Harding has already played left field, right field, third base and first base.

Ms. Mudge Hopes to be Ms. Consistent Again for the Noles

• When she's not on the Congress floor talking Name, Image and Likeness, Kaley Mudge has been a consistent force at the top of the lineup for the Seminoles.
• After an offseason surgery, Mudge is back to being healthy and has found herself back at the top of the Seminoles' lineup where she was in 55 out of the 69 games last season.
• Mudge has come on strong the last two weeks as she is hitting . 324 in conference play with two home runs and 3 RBI. She also had a perfect outing against McNeese going 4-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI.

Staying Patient at the Plate

• Last season, FSU was one of the best teams in the country at staying patient at the plate and this year doesn't seem to be any different.
• Last season, FSU drew 249 walks which ranked third in the country.
• In 38 games, FSU has drawn 150 walks which is currently ranked 15th in the country.