FSU softball coach Lonni Alameda returns to Norman for 1st game after series vs. Oklahoma State
Lonni Alameda returns to her Alma Mater for the first time on Tuesday when her Florida State softball team takes on Oklahoma.
The Seminoles (20-3) travel for a four-game road trip, starting with a weekend trip to Stillwater, Okla. for a three-game series against No. 4 Oklahoma State (18-1). FSU will then face No. 1 Oklahoma (17-1) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Alameda graduated from Oklahoma in 1992, twice earning second-team All-Big Eight awards as a softball star. She also played volleyball.
She is 2-3 all-time vs Oklahoma as the FSU coach.
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"Heading out to Oklahoma is an awesome chance for us to get on the road, our first road trip,” Alameda said. “This will be quite fun for us. Anytime you get to play a top 5 team four times a good challenge.
“On top of that, it’s where we want to go at the end of the year. There are a lot of good things we can get out of this.”
An annual goal for the Seminoles is to reach the Women's College World Series, which is hosted at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla.
This week could help serve as a major preview with the Cowgirls and Sooners' regular attendees of the biggest softball series, and also a preview of what the fans could be like.
FSU is 17-1 at home this season and went 3-2 at the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational.
“We’ve definitely talked about last season being a regional and this week being super regional just to get that midseason feel of what’s that like and then rolling into ACC with Syracuse coming here after Syracuse," Alameda said.
“It gives us a chance to see how to manage a super regional and what it takes to win.”
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Scouting the Cowboys
Oklahoma State lost 11-6 to Maryland in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on the opening weekend of the series.
Since then, the Cowgirls have reeled off 16 straight wins. They are a perfect 5-0 at home and 11-1 at a neutral site.
OSU is 5-0 against ranked opponents this season, including a 12-2 five-inning win over common opponent No. 22 Louisiana in Clearwater.
The Cowgirls picked up a 6-3 win over Missouri last weekend during a 5-0 run in the OSU/Tulsa Invitational in Stillwater.
Graduate transfer Rachel Becker leads the team with a .560 average, a .672 on-base percentage, 28 hits, 24 runs scored, 16 walks and is 5-of-5 on stolen base attempts.
Kiley Naomi leads the Cowgirls with five home runs, while Morgyn Wynne and Micaela Wark have each added four home runs.
On the pitching side, the Sooners have four pitchers who have thrown over 20 innings this season. Kelly Maxwell, the staff ace, and Alabama transfer Lexi Kilfoyl are tied for the team lead with a 1.67 ERA.
Maxwell leads the team with 42 ⅓ innings pitched and a 6-0 record. She has allowed 18 hits while striking out 77 and walking 15 hitters. She has allowed five home runs this season.
Kilfoyl is 4-0 with 31 strikeouts in 29 ⅓ innings, where she has allowed 18 hits and six strikeouts.
Kyra Aycock (2.26 ERA) and Ivy Rosenberry (2.45) have also been effective in the circle for the Cowgirls.
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Scouting the Sooners
The top-ranked Sooners have won nine straight games and will play in the Bulldog Invitational this weekend in Starkville, Miss.
Oklahoma will play four games over the weekend, including two games against host Mississippi State.
The Sooners' lone loss of the season was a 4-3 loss to Baylor in the Getterman Classic in Waco, Tex. on Feb. 19.
Against ranked opponents this season, OU is 6-0, which includes a 14-0 win over then-No. 1 UCLA in five innings in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, Calif.
Oklahoma is 4-0 at home and 13-0 in neutral-site games.
Jocelyn Erickson leads the Sooners with a .568 average, 1.708 OPS, 21 hits and 25 RBI and is tied with Jayda Coleman with five home runs.
Coleman also leads the team with five stolen bases, 15 walks and 21 runs scored.
In the circle, Nicole May hasn't allowed a run in 32 innings of work on the season, allowing 13 hits and nine walks. She has struck out 55 with a 0.69 WHIP and a 5-0 record in seven appearances (five starts).
Alex Storako is not far behind with a 0.27 ERA and 0.55 WHIP in 25 ⅔ innings of work. She has struck out 31 hitters and walked three.
Jordy Bahl has a 2.33 ERA and a 5-1 record in a team-high 36 innings of work.
Florida State schedule next week
Who: No. 3 Oklahoma State / No. 1 Oklahoma
When: Friday, 6 p.m.; Saturday, 3 p.m.; Sunday, 1:00 p.m.; Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Cowgirl Stadium; Stillwater, Okla./Norman, Okla.
TV/Radio: ESPN+
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 returns to Norman to play Oklahoa next week
