The start of the NCAA Softball Tournament is just days away and the FSU Seminoles are looking to make another deep run after earning the No. 5 overall seed. They are once again hosting a Tallahassee Regional for the 11th straight year after going 46-9 and winning the ACC Regular Season Championship.
They are joined by the Auburn Tigers, USF Bulls, and Robert Morris Colonials in the regional, which is set to start on Friday and last until Sunday. While the grouping might not be considered the toughest, anything can happen in the postseason and the Seminoles will need to be at their best if they want to make it to the Super Regional round.
FSU has not faced any of the three teams this season but is quite familiar with Auburn, which has made the Tallahassee Regional in four of the past seven seasons. The Seminoles ended their season last year, beating them in the championship game of the regional.
They have never faced Robert Morris, which is making its first tournament appearance since 2005 and fourth ever. FSU has not played USF since 2022, when they beat them in the Tallahassee Regional, the last time the Bulls made the postseason.
Here is a look at all three teams, including their resume, offensive production, pitching staff, and some players to know.
No. 2 seed Auburn Tigers
Resume: The Tigers went 32-22 during the season, finishing 6-18 in SEC play. They have struggled on the road, going 4-11 in true road games but 9-2 in neutral site games.
Offensive Numbers: They are hitting .266 as a team with a .449 slugging percentage and a .366 on-base percentage. They average 5.1 runs per game and have hit 60 home runs, 54 doubles, and eight triples on the season. They have stolen 55 bases and drawn 193 walks to 313 strikeouts.
Pitching Numbers: They have a 3.96 ERA as a staff and have allowed 203 earned runs in 359 innings. Opponents are hitting .274 off of them with 39 homers, 55 doubles, and 11 triples. They have struckout 199 batters, walked 161, and hit 33.
Players to Know: Freshman AnnaLea Adams leads the offense and was named to the All-SEC First team after hitting .408 with a .696 slugging percentage. Icess Tresvik leads them with 11 home runs and KK McCrary has a team-high 38 RBI. SJ Geurin leads the pitching staff with a 2.79 ERA in 165.2 innings. Haley Rainey is their second pitcher, boasting a 4.20 ERA in 110 innings.
No. 3 seed USF Bulls
Resume: The Bulls went 43-14-1 and 20-6-1 in the AAC, winning their first tournament championship in program history to clinch their spot in the postseason. They went 9-7-1 in road games and 3-0 in neutral ones.
Offensive Numbers: They are hitting .326 as a team with a .518 slugging percentage and a .424 on-base percentage. They average 6.0 runs per game and have hit 50 home runs, 92 doubles, and 17 triples on the season. They have stolen 56 bases and drawn 200 walks to 158 strikeouts.
Pitching Numbers: They have a 2.82 ERA as a staff and have allowed 152 earned runs in 377 innings. Opponents are hitting .247 off of them with 32 homers, 62 doubles, and three triples. They have struckout 222 batters, walked 133, and hit 32.
Players to Know: Alexa Galligani leads them with a .361 batting average to go with five triples and 33 RBI. Alex Wilkes hit .332 with a team-high 11 home runs and 58 RBI. They rely on Payton Dixon and Bella Sardja in the circle, and they both earned All-AAC First-Team honors. Sardja has a 1.79 ERA in 117 innings pitched and has recorded nine saves and six complete games. Dixon has a 2.67 ERA in 180.2 innings and has thrown nine complete games.
No. 4 seed Robert Morris Colonials
Resume: The Colonials went 30-16 and 16-7 in conference play, winning the Horizon League Tournament Championship for the first time in program history and clinching their fourth tournament appearance. They went 12-9 in road games this season and 7-3 in neutral games.
Offensive Numbers: They are hitting .308 as a team with a .512 slugging percentage and a .379 on-base percentage. They average 6.2 runs per game and have hit 48 home runs, 75 doubles, and 14 triples on the season. They have stolen 74 bases and drawn 118 walks to 215 strikeouts.
Pitching Numbers: They have a 3.78 ERA as a staff and have allowed 155 earned runs in 287.1 innings. Opponents are hitting .252 off of them with 27 homers, 50 doubles, and eight triples. They have struckout 248 batters, walked 128, and hit 31.
Players to Know: Courtney Poulich was named to the All-League First Team after hitting .340 and slugging .785 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI. She was joined on the first team by Anna Resnik, who has a .328 batting average, 10 doubles, and 34 RBI. Freshman Mary Brant was named the Co-Freshman of the Year after hitting .367 with 11 home runs and a .712 slugging percentage.
Kaylyn Hopf leads them with 55 hits and a .367 batting average to go with 17 RBI and 10 stolen bases. Alaina Koutsogiani has a .316 batting average and has stolen 21 bases on 23 attempts. Jess Matheny has a team-high 12 doubles to go with a .305 batting average and 38 RBI. All three of them made the All-League Second Team.
Pitcher Madison DeVault also made the first team and leads them with a 2.41 ERA in 139.1 innings. She has thrown 17 complete games in 24 starts. Kaitlyn Molitoris made the second team with a 3.67 ERA in 55.1 innings.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: Scouting FSU softball’s opponents in the Tallahassee Regional
Reporting by JD McCarthy, FSU Wire / FSU Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
