The No. 7 Florida State softball team is through the first 11 games of the season and sits at 9-2. After making quick work of Louisiana on Tuesday in a run-rule 8-0 blowout, the Seminoles can now sit back and relax as they play their next 11 games at the friendly confines of JoAnne Graf Field.
Well, relax maybe isn't the right word to use as FSU welcomes No. 6 Alabama, Dartmouth and Elon to the Dugout Club Classic that begins on Friday.
“We do the Dugout Classic because it's the celebration of our fans and the people who financially support us,” FSU coach Lonni Alameda said. “I think that we’re going to get challenged again this weekend, and that’s what we want every weekend because we need to see what we’re all about.”
The Crimson Tide are the most formidable foe coming to Tallahassee judging by their ranking and overall record. FSU and No. 6 Alabama (9-0) look like two of the top softball teams in the country so far.
“They’re obviously a little veteran team with some of their hitters in there,” Alameda said. "They run the bases, they’re swinging the bats pretty good right now, they obviously play in a good conference, so they know how to handle some of those pressure situations. We’ve had some really good games against them so it’s nice to have a team like that come in here, and we go there and we’ll play them again next year.”
FSU has won 21 out of its last 22 regular-season games in Tallahassee. The Seminoles have consistently been successful at home, with the last losses to Texas Tech in the Super Regionals. Texas Tech won the rematch last Thursday in Clearwater.
The Seminoles are still tinkering with the lineup early in the season with eight freshmen getting acclimated to life as a collegiate athlete. The first couple of weeks into the season has revealed that some freshmen could be major contributors like Marin Heller and Anna Hinde.
“I just think that when you’re playing that quality of pitching staffs, lineups and defensive mindsets, it just makes you better,” Alameda said. “So it's going to be a good battle for us.”
The Seminoles begin the Dugout Club Classic on Friday, where they will play a doubleheader against Dartmouth (3 p.m.) and Alabama (5:30 p.m.).
On Saturday, FSU will face Dartmouth (12:30 p.m.) and Alabama (3 p.m.). The Seminoles will then face Elon on Sunday (12:30 p.m.)
All of FSU’s games will stream live on ACC Network Extra.
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