FSU softball preparing for Virginia Tech power; Sandercock receives national honor
The Florida State softball pitching staff will get its biggest challenge of the season to date this weekend.
The No. 5 Seminoles (36-8, 13-2 ACC) travel to Blacksburg, Va. to take on No. 22 Virginia Tech (33-12, 12-6) for a three-game ACC series, starting at 7 p.m. Thursday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
The Hokies lead the nation with 81 home runs and are second to No. 1 Oklahoma with 1.84 home runs per game.
FSU's pitching staff has allowed 12 home runs in 44 games.
"It's gonna be a good battle for our pitching staff and our defense to make sure we can try to keep the runs off the board the best we can," FSU head coach Lonni Alameda told the local media in a Zoom press conference Wednesday.
Josie Muffley: Florida State softball shortstop thrives on the field, pursues firefighting career off
Kassim: There is something special about Florida State softball this season
Drafted: Sandercock and Leonard hear names called at World Professional Fastpitch Draft
Fourteen different Hokies have hit a home run this season with four in the top 50 with at least 11 homers.
Bre Peck leads Virginia Tech with 13 home runs, which comes in tied for 20th in the nation. Jayme Bailey, Emma Ritter and Addy Greene each have 11, tying for 42nd in the country.
Cameron Fagan (9) and Kelsey Bennett (7) are also threats to hit the long ball.
"We just have to be a bit smarter in our matchups," Alameda said. "I think we've done a good job of utilizing our pitchers in different situations this year. So I think everyone's comfortable doing what they need to do for the team.
Ace Kathryn Sandercock has allowed five home runs in 105 ⅔ innings, while freshman Makenna Reid has allowed just two in 47 innings and Allison Royalty has given up three in 56 ⅔.
Ali Dubois has not allowed a home run in her 36 ⅔ innings.
Alameda credited the pitching staff's ability to one pitch to limit the home runs.
"I think the changeup comes into play, which we have a lot of good pitchers with good changeups," Alameda said. "It's just knowing that it's really hard to shut out a team like this. We're capable of doing it, for sure. But we have to have good execution versus the expectation when you're going it's a homerun power meeting team."
'Dream come true': Florida State softball's Katie Dack: 'It was a dream come true,' on transferring to Seminoles
Sandercock Named Top 25 Finalist for 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year
Sandercock was named a top 25 finalist for the 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year on Wednesday morning. This is the second consecutive year Sandercock has been named a top 25 finalist for the award.
Sandercock continues to solidify her spot as one of the greatest pitchers to put on the Garnet and Gold jersey. So far this season, Sandercock holds a 1.08 ERA and a 15-3 record. She has tallied 94 career wins for the Seminoles which ranks fourth in school history. She broke the career saves school record with 13 and needs one more save to be the school record holder for saves in a single season. Sandercock has picked up two ACC Pitcher of the Week awards and also threw her first career no-hitter against Syracuse on Mar. 17.
Sandercock looks to become the first Seminole to win the award since Lucy Waldrop in 2014 and would be the third Seminole to win the award as she would join Waldrop and Jessica van der Linden.
The top 25 finalists will be narrowed down to 10 athletes on May 3 and will be trimmed to three athletes on May 17. The winner will be announced prior to the Women's College World Series which begins June 1.
-- FSU Sports Information
No-no: Kathryn Sandercock throws no-hitter, FSU softball cruises to 10-0 win over Syracuse
FSU vs. Virginia Tech
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.; Friday, 6 p.m.; Saturday, 4 p.m.
Where: Tech Softball Park, Blacksburg, Va.
TV: Thursday, ESPN2; Friday-Saturday, ACC Network Extra
Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).
No one covers the ‘Noles like the Tallahassee Democrat. Subscribe using the link at the top of the page and never miss a moment.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU softball: Seminoles prepared for power from Hokies in ACC series
