Florida State softball's Katie Dack: 'It was a dream come true,' on transferring to Seminoles

Florida State has always been the dream school for Katie Dack.

However, coming out of Rock Canyon High School in Ranch, Co., the Seminoles softball team did not have a spot for the Flo softball top 100 recruit in the 2021 class.

Following a successful freshman season at Texas A&M, Dack decided to enter the transfer portal.

Right away when she hit the portal, FSU called her up and she knew the fit would be perfect.

"I always wanted to go to FSU as a little kid," Dack said. "It was just a dream come true when I got that call when I hit the portal.

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"I didn't know it was going to be an option when I entered the portal. When they called, I just loved the coaches here and always heard about the great culture they have here. It's what made me fall in love with it."

Last season for the Aggies, Dack finished with a .303 batting average, a .419 on-base percentage, 13 home runs and 40 RBI. She earned a spot on the All-SEC second team and was twice voted as the SEC Freshman of the Week.

She decided to transfer following TAMU's decision to not renew the contract of 26-year head coach Jo Evans, who was also a former assistant coach at FSU (1984-85).

FSU (15-3) hosts its final tournament of the early season, the Dugout Club Classic from Friday to Sunday at JoAnn Graf Field. The Seminoles will play five games over three days against UMass, Colgate and Georgia Southern, with the tournament opener a contest between FSU and UMass at 2:30 p.m. Friday.

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Recruitment

Out of high school, Dack said she wanted to attend FSU to continue her softball career. She helped her team reach the Regional Champions in 2018 and 2019 and the Elite Eight in 2020.

She was awarded Metro south player of the year in 2019.

Despite her success, there wasn't a path to Tallahassee which was viable.

"(FSU softball) coach (Lonni Alameda) did call me on Sept. 1, but she told me they were looking for pitchers in my year, so I completely understood that," Dack said.

"I decided to go to A&M."

With the coaching change, Dack said when she entered the portal, she was not sure which programs would show interest in her.

But she quickly found a couple of schools to her liking.

"It was pretty quick," Dack said. "I got a few other calls, I was interested in some other schools, too. But it was definitely between Florida State and (Texas Tech).

"... I got that call from Florida State and said 'this was my dream school.' I couldn't say no."

The Red Raiders were the other program she considered following the hire of Craig Snider on June 20, 2022. He was an assistant coach with TAMU from 2020-22 but also had a stop at FSU under Alameda from 2011-19.

"It was pretty easy," Alameda said of the decision to contact Dack. "There's a double transition there because Craig Snider was here for so long. He knows the program and was coaching her there. It was an easy conversation because we knew what Katie was like. ... He said she was 100% a fit here.

"So, I think on both parties it was a really easy fit and transition for us. I didn't realize how quickly she would assimilate to the culture and the vibe."

Sweep:Florida State softball sweeps Florida A&M in a doubleheader at JoAnn Graf Field

Immediate impact

Dack has made an immediate impact on the Seminoles, especially during her debut weekend, the JoAnne Graf Classic, hitting two home runs, a triple and driving in six runs.

"She loves hitting," Alameda said.

Dack has split time between DP and catcher for the Seminoles in her 18 appearances so far.

On the season, she is hitting .432 (19-for-44) with a .500 on-base percentage, five home runs, eight doubles and two triples, to go along with 14 RBI. She has walked (six times) nearly as many times as she's struck out (seven).

"I've been very comfortable here," Dack said. "The girls have made it like I've been here since the fall. They made it so comfortable, offering to hang out with me, offering to do extra work with me. They've just been so supportive of me."

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Signs of a strong culture

Dack did not join the Seminoles during the fall preseason. She has been with the team since the beginning of the semester and the 2023 softball season.

That has not slowed down her transition to fit in.

"It's been amazing," Dack said of the transfer. "Everyone has been so supportive and helpful in answering all my questions because I have asked like a million. They've been great to me."

Alameda, who is entering her 15th season as the FSU head coach has built the foundation of her program around the culture and family.

Nothing displayed that more that how smoothly Dack transitioned in her new role with the Seminoles, despite not being in Tallahassee for long.

"You can't say family is a core value and not live it," Alameda said. It's something we addressed in the fall when we would have some calls with Katie and I was trying to keep her updated on what we're doing and what we're covering.

"Sometimes I'd hear the players were calling her, too, and talking to her also. I thought that was a huge advantage to her being comfortable here. They were having softball conversations on top of life conversations. So that made the softball conversations when she got here better.

"We take a lot of pride in that. But we aren't our foundation if we don't have our foundation of core values and don't live them."

Dugout Club Classic schedule

Friday, March 3

• UMass vs. Florida State (2:30 p.m.)

• Colgate vs. Florida State (4:45 p.m.)

Saturday, March 4

• Georgia Southern vs. Florida State (12:15 p.m.)

• Colgate vs. Florida State (2:30 p.m.)

Sunday, March 5

• Georgia Southern vs. Florida State (11:15 a.m.)

Where: Seminole Softball Complex

TV: 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).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU softball: Katie Dack calls transfer to Seminoles a 'dream come true'