Exclusive: FSU softball coach Lonni Alameda talks WCWS location, 2023 season and 2024

Florida State softball's season came to an end following a loss to Oklahoma, which completed a historic three-peat as NCAA national champions.

The Seminoles were swept by the Sooners in the NCAA Softball Women’s College World Series best-of-three championship series June 7-8 at USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex.

Despite the loss, 15th-year softball coach Lonni Alameda was pleased with the overall success of the team in 2023, the 40th year of FSU softball.

The Democrat recently talked with Alameda for an exclusive interview, which covered a wide array of topics, including: the historic 2023 season, playing the WCWS in Oklahoma City, Kathryn Sandercock's legacy and what a glimpse into what Team 41 could look like.

Game of inches: Florida State softball sees season end against No. 1 Oklahoma in WCWS champ series

Lonni Alameda Q&A

Now that the season's over for a couple of weeks, how are you feeling about Team 40 now?

Alameda: I think for all of us as staff members when we go out in the road and recruit, the amount of people who have come up to us and said 'how much fun our team was to watch' and were pulling for you and the little moments throughout the games that they would bring up. I mean, of course, we felt really good about the season but then you hear it from other people, and the joy it brought other people and dads with daughters and whatever it might be. I think that the ultimate goal as a staff is to have these kids ready for the big stage and enjoy the big stage and then have the world be able to see that and enjoy it too.

So, I think it was a very special season. I also tell everyone, it was really tough, like it was challenging at times, and we had to really figure out how to team and I think that's part of the honesty and the journey. You don't just come in and put the jersey on and it's going to be magical. You've got to really put time into it and so I think that goes back to the pride that we had for how we ended up at the end of the season. Of course, you would like to be the last one standing. But to be a national runner-up is not too bad either.

There's an obsession with winning the last game of the season. But the body of work speaks for itself for this team, despite running into arguably the best team in college softball history, right?

Alameda: I mean, they had one loss all season. So it wasn't like there was a little playbook on how to beat them other than what Baylor did to them. So, I mean, looking back at the game, if Mack (Leonard's) ball could go two inches this way in Game One, and maybe it's a different pressure and a different feel for them.

If (Jayda) Coleman doesn't rob the home run, maybe we don't see Jordy (Bahl). So there are some things that could happen. And that's I think sport in general, is those little moments. And so, I thought we had the right strategy. I thought Kat pitched well, I thought there were a lot of really good things. That's just the way the ball bounces.

Do you think the goal of growing the sport was accomplished?

Alameda: I think the softball world just saw how to manage a bullpen differently. I think that was an ultimate goal for us and I get a lot of emails and calls and talks as we go on the recruiting trail of like, how we did that. I thought that was kind of fun to see the growth of a hometown kid and Michaela Edenfield who played high-level volleyball. She didn't really play high-level softball, but now has got an opportunity to grow in college. That's kind of unheard of when you get to that level. Generally, those kids are pretty primed from a young age to play and she could have gone and played volleyball in many places and chose softball, and she's just growing in the game right now. So I think there are little things that we're adding to it.

Again, all of our ability to enjoy the moment. I think that that's another one that a lot of people really try to achieve with their teams and how do you do that? So when you think about little things that are on the field and strategies around the fields that people can have the conversation about, I definitely think that goes again, for sure. I am really excited about the challenges moving forward.

Team 41 will return a lot of talent from this year's team. How important will the lessons learned at the WCWS be for that team?

Alameda: It's invaluable. The experience part of it. In the 2021 season, we had (Kalei) Harding as a freshman. Jahni Kerr and Hallie Wacaser were injured but they were there at the World Series. Michaela redshirted but was at the World Series. Kat was there so we had people there that were able to speak. (Kaley) Mudge was able to speak to us when we got to 23 seasons, but we're still a different team.

So we still had to figure out how to get there. So now you look at 41: We lost six players, we gained six freshmen. You look at Makenna (Reid), what she did was great, but now she's going to rise up as a sophomore as a pitcher. It's a different feel.

So, I think that Kat, Josie (Muffley) and some people that have been there a lot. Mack, we utilized her a ton. How do we maybe not replace but move in some new faces and get them comfortable to be able to play at a high level? So that will be the challenge. So the experience of where we want to go. It's amazing, but it's a process to get them there and then say we made it.

There were a ton of FSU softball alumni at the games in OKC. What did that mean?

Alameda: We've had the opportunity to play Oklahoma in their state and I don't know if anyone else can get that college football feeling like we're getting I mean, it roars it's awesome. And so, in 2021 it was a little like, 'Wow, you feel a little unfair.' In 2023 It was like, 'Man, it's really, really cool.'

When you have alumni and they're speaking to how cool it is and not how unfair it is (to play in OKC). It's awesome on the family feel but also that they've been in it so they can share with the players. We're hanging down in the lobby or wherever we're at before games. There's this initial conversation of like, really enjoy this moment and I've been on the stage and I understand what you're going through. So I think there are a couple of reasons for alumni coming back and people coming back is they're solely invested.

Cali (Harrod) wants them to get that feeling of what it feels like to win the last game and so I'm just really grateful for that and they're comfortable enough to know that they can come back and crash on the floor and be a part of us.

Sydney Sherill could be heard leading the 'K Time' chant during a crucial moment against Tennessee. How much did that help?

Alameda: That was great. And Kat could hear, we all could hear her. But she would have been that exact same way in the dugout or on the field. So it's again like an extended teammate that's in the stands. With her being from Oklahoma and her whole family having us over for dinner, it's just a full-circle moment.

Kassim: Should Women's College World Series change venues? Not until someone can do it better

What are your thoughts on the Women's College World Series being held in OKC?

Alameda: I think I have a different opinion because I played at the University of Oklahoma. I ran summer camps at the Hall of Fame Stadium. I was definitely a part of the vision of Marita Hynes and Oklahoma being a sponsor of the World Series. And so what I try to educate our team on it all the time is, when you get someone that's really wanting to fund an event at a high level, you can't get upset about where it's at. And Oklahoma at the time, wasn't the powerhouse and they just had this vision of growing softball, and then the city got behind it and so we haven't had another area step up like that. So just because they're 30 minutes from Norman or an hour and 15 from Stillwater doesn't mean that there's an advantage if we don't look at it that way.

So, I think that there are a lot of other ways to look at it. I mean, there's more pressure as kids are living in that. We're far away from it. It's a destination for us, it's where they live every day it's there's a lot of ways that you can look at it make it special for you and get after it. So I enjoy it. I think for the game itself, Oklahoma is the standard talked about that they recruited at a high level they develop at a high level, they play the game at a high level, they make adjustments at a high level and we're all trying to figure out how to get there.

I compare them a little bit to like a UConn basketball or maybe an Alabama football like you hit this time where they consistently win and nobody wants them to win anymore, but they also raised the game for all of us to get better. And so I'm trying to hunt that and be better. So you combine that with a city that supported and created this amazing atmosphere and a team that's really good and I have no qualms it's a great place for us to keep playing.

What has Kathryn Sandercock meant to the program and what is her legacy?

Alameda: I think every player is a little bit different in how they grow. So Kat her talent with her ability to grow every year. So I look at Meghan King, she was incredible, but she grew mentally. Kat grew physically in she got stronger every year, she got better with her tools and she was smarter. Megan just mentally got with it. I think Jessica Burroughs and Lacey Waldrop, I think of their ability to turn over the torch. JB was texting me every single day about what Kat was doing and could see everything we do in the bullpen and everything that we do to develop as a pitcher. She left a legacy here but she's also leaving the bullpen better.

She's turned it over to McKenna and Emma (Wilson) and Allison (Royalty) and the people that are here and they know that now they have to continue the torch and continue to get after it.

I'm so proud of her. But I know a lot of Kat's goals personally were met, except winning a championship, but definitely getting the team back there. And then her ability now she's going to go play in Japan. She's playing for AUX. She's always wanting to play beyond college and she's going to do that and so that always feels good as a coach to give your players that opportunity.

You mentioned the AUX league. How great is it that there's a professional league to play beyond college for the girls?

Alameda: We're still young in our professional career but AUX has the corporate sponsorship behind it. So that's really what's the next level for us and they might be a little bit different, but they do a really good job of the professional side and I think it's a big reason why I tried to get involved in professional or Canada internationally.

I think softball is at the highest game right now in college. There are really good coaches in college and there are really good people trying to figure out how to make college softball great. But if we all can sprinkle out to international or pro and keep helping so eventually it can take off and I don't know what the tipping point is for that.

Jessie Warren is a couple of years out now and she's still trying to make her living by coaching and teaching but then playing in the summer. Wouldn't it be nice to train you around and just not have to worry about picking up a nine-month job? So I think that the ultimate goal of all of us is to get a high-level league so we can continue to make a little bit of a living and be able to do it all year long.

FSU added seats with the "party deck" this year. Are there plans for further expansion of seating at Joanne Graf Field in the future?

Alameda: It's really tough because I love that our sports are all together in this area. But we don't have a lot of room. So, I think we should just stop that street and then put some bleachers up I think that would be really neat.

The Parking Garage, I think that's what that's very unique, and that's the other thing that I am hearing this summer is how unique it is. We don't have a stadium feel but it is almost like a Wrigley Field feel.

If we could put some bleachers in right field somehow to open up more seats. I don't know the answer to that. I mean, I love the decking, it is so unique and cool. And the little special seating up here brings a different vibe.

Moving on, looking at Team 41, the expectations at FSU are going to stay the same, no matter the team, right?

Alameda: The great thing about getting TV and recognition all that and then the downside is everyone expects to be that every year. How do you grow freshmen into that? So, I think when you win a lot of people expect winning That's where the transfer portal comes in. You get some experience, maybe get an experienced arm experience infielder but we do have some really good freshmen that are inexperienced. And then how quickly can they grow into those roles?

So yeah, a couple of pitchers coming in as freshmen. Kind of see what they can do. They're here right now, so that's the nice part of it, too. They're already in the weight room. They're already getting after it. So get a little feel for Tallahassee right now before they come back in with the team. So yeah, I'm excited.

That's the fun part, it's like a ball of clay every year. Even though half the ball is what you're getting with Harding and Mudge, Kerr and Devyn (Flaherty) but the other half you don't know and then what does it work together? How can you get it to work together? So that's the fun of it.

Makenna Reid showed flashes of her potential as a freshman. What are the expectations for Year 2?

Yeah, I mean, we've talked about it we've got developed some other pitches. We've got to get a little bit better than that. She's got to be a little bit better at taking care of her body so she can last. I don't think any freshman comes in and understands what's it like to practice for five months and then play for 70 games. They're playing these 20-game seasons in high school and then every weekend and recruiting it's a few games and someone wins.

So, she's literally going home like 'Well, that was a lot and I have to get better,' and then we have to plan for that. So she's already been pretty driven on that part, which I'm pretty excited about. But yeah, I think the fun part of 41 is and something that we do well is we're very collaborative as a staff and we'll let it sprinkle and figure it out.

We'll see what kind of team we're going to be. I expect maybe some power with the returners that we have, but the ability to run the bases has always been a fun part. So where did the freshmen fit in that and what's the infield look like? I mean, Josie's anchored shortstop a lot. Harding is probably going to move over to first base so who's going to play third?

Is the larger pitching rotation the future of softball rather than depending on one or two pitchers?

Alameda: I think more people are talking about a four to five-pitcher staff.

Just the hack attacks, in general, the machines, I think everyone has them. Everyone's facing 70 miles an hour, everyone's facing movements, those things can replicate anything you want. Then you get the Agri-tech or the Rapsodo (technology). Everyone can come in here and they just put the numbers to what Kat pitches, so they face Kat before they even face Kat.

So I think you've got to be very understanding on the pitching side that they're facing these pitchers weeks or the week before they come in here and they know what it looks like. So yeah, so the smarts and the technology have kicked in.

What's the next step for FSU softball and college softball, as a whole?

Alameda: I look at a little bit of Oklahoma and how well they manage the NIL. I think that's something that's really big right now and I don't know if they're managing it well or they're just doing it and they're figuring it out. But I don't think money's the end all be all but it's definitely for on my side. equivalency sports are really trying to figure out how to do that. I don't think it's been fair for a long time in the sense that you have half the athletes on campus on a full ride and a headcount sport and half trying to figure out percentages.

We all contribute the same we all work out just as hard but somewhere along the line that's a line in the sand. But now in the aisles opened up, can we all manage that so softball players don't leave with debt and tumble players figured out but then other people are paying for softball to be impactful and win that season? So it's been an interesting balance on that side. I think that's one thing that is going to be unique and fun to our game.

I think the other side is just the pitching matchups are going to be something that's different. And I think that's going to sprinkle down into the youth. I don't think you'll have one pitcher throw six games a day or 12 games in a weekend. They're going to start to utilize a lot of different people. So in baseball, they're pitching all the time. If you're throwing from short, you're throwing from the outfield, you're always in the action.

So you can go on the mound and you can throw a little bit and softball no one's doing this other than the pitchers. So if we start to develop and if we minimize what has been talked about like pitch counts and innings, you might have a lot of really good pitchers out there. And so now that we're starting to see that happen here at this level.

The pitch clock was a hot topic during the college softball postseason. Is that a rule change you think will happen soon?

Alameda: It's been talked about and it will be implemented at some point. That and keeping a foot in the box. International softball rules should be in our sport. The PitchCom has been talked about and I think it's being released for us to use in the fall. We'll definitely use that.

This was the first year instant replay was used at FSU games. What are your thoughts on it?

Alameda: Pretty good. I have never been a fan of it. I hate stopping games and slowing them down, it just stops the flow. I am not a fan. But I don't think we utilized it too much. I think the more it's used, the quicker the process will be. In the beginning, it was tough for our people because we didn't really know the system and we had some tech people down there that weren't softball people.

That really slowed it down. I am really happy with ours because it's right here at the foul line. Whereas if you go to Georgia Tech, it's in the batting cage, Oklahoma's is in the batting cage, so you're losing the umpires for 10 minutes.

But if we're going to put funding into the game, we want to get the call right.

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).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU softball: Lonni Alameda reflects on 2023 season, state of program