No. 6 FSU Softball set to face No. 1 Oklahoma: preview, how to watch, game thread

After dropping the series to the third ranked Cowgirls of Oklahoma State over the weekend, the Florida State Seminoles continue their roadtrip with the top ranked Oklahoma Sooners.

Heading into Norman, FSU has faced the Sooners 16 times. This game will be the first time since 2021 they have met, with FSU falling to OU in the championship series of the Women’s College World Series. Overall, the series is at an even 8-8 record, with 15 of the 16 games at a neutral site. The Seminoles have never played in Norman, marking this trip as their first time.

It is also a homecoming for head coach Lonni Alameda, who played, and graduated from Oklahoma in 1993. Alameda transferred to OU, from St. Mary’s University, in 1989 and played softball and volleyball. In the then Big Eight, she was a two time all conference player on the corner infield spots.

After winning their second consecutive national championship in 2022, Oklahoma is off to a 21-1 record and is riding a 13 game winning streak. Their only loss so far was against Baylor, and they have six ranked wins, three of those being run rules.

New Sooners

In the offseason, OU welcomed four highly touted transfers in Haley Lee (Catcher, Texas A&M), Alex Storako (Pitcher, Michigan), Alynah Torres and Cydney Sanders (Infield, Arizona State). As of March 11th, Lee is batting .453, with Torres and Sanders batting just over .200. Lee is leading her fellow transfers in RBI, with 22 while Torres and Sanders each have 7.

In the circle, Alex Storako is one of the best on the pitching staff. Her 0.24 ERA is second best on the team with 29.2 innings pitched. In her outings, she has a 6-0 record with only 14 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 37 SO and keeping batters to a .141 batting average.

In terms of freshman, Jocelyn Erickson is making a name for herself early. Erickson is the top offensive leader in batting average (.535), RBI (26), homeruns (5), slugging (1.023).

Returning Sooners

On a team like Oklahoma, where all nine batters are dangerous, it can be hard to find a true stand out, but there are. Jayda Coleman, who has been a lead off for OU, is batting .500 in all 21 games. In 50 at bats, she has 26 R, 25 H, 7 2B, 5 HR, 11 RBI and a team leading 21 BB. While OU is not a speed threat, Coleman is 8-8 on the bases, which also leads the team.

Tiare Jennings is batting .424 in 21 games as well. Her team leading 59 at bats have accumulated to 17 R, 25 H, 5 2B, 3 HR, 17 RBI, and 8 BB. In addition to Jennings, there is Rylie Boone, who has been making a name for herself this season. Boone has a .395 average with 15 R, 15 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI and 11 BB. Boone is also 4-5 on the base paths.

While Jordy Bahl burst on the scene as a stellar freshman last season, she is not the leading pitcher for OU. Nicole May is back for her junior season in 2023, and is sporting a 0.00 ERA in 39 innings, which is second on the staff, behind Bahl’s 43.0. May has 15 hits and 0 runs with only 12 BB and a team leading 61 SO.

Bahl is the highest ERA on the team, sitting at 2.28 in 43 innings. The lone loss on the season was credited to her, but is still 6-1. In her outings, she keeps opposition to .199 batting with 30 H, 14 R, 18 BB and 51 SO.

Seminole Headlines

• Kathryn Sandercock was ranked as one of the best pitchers in the country in D1Softball’s pitcher and catcher rankings for week 5. As the 10th pitcher on the list, Sandercock is 6-3, 3 SV, 1.43 ERA, 43 SO, 6 BB, .199 B/AVG, 58.2 IP.
• The Noles are 62-for-67 on stolen base attempts this season. With 28 consecutive stolen bases from Feb. 9 to Feb. 23. Devyn Flaherty is a perfect 16-for-16 which is second in the ACC and is tied for 13th in the country.
• Makenna Reid has not allowed an earned run in her last seven appearances, with four ER in 24.1 innings.

Stats Comparison

Batting average: OU (.391) FSU (.333)

ERA: OU (.93) FSU (1.77)

On base percentage: OU (.483) FSU (.436)

Scoring: OU (9.00) FSU (6.74)

How to Watch

Seminoles first pitch against the Sooners will be at 7 pm EST on ESPN+