Florida State softball was recently chosen to host an NCAA Regional for the upcoming 2018 NCAA Tournament.
The Seminoles are the No. 6 overall seed, which is slightly above their national poll rankings around No. 10 or No. 9. As part of their hosting round, they will face off against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Friday afternoon.
We’ve assembled some numbers and names for fans to know ahead of Friday’s action. Listed below are the national rankings for both FSU and Jacksonville State in a few pertinent categories, as well as the key players to know from the Gamecocks’ roster. Finally, we give the prediction for what will transpire on the diamond and how each team can come away with a victory.
Florida State National Rankings
Slugging Percentage: 12th (.510)
Fielding Percentage: 8th (.978)
Team ERA: 10th (1.46)
Scoring Per Game: 20th (5.88)
Jacksonville State National Rankings
Slugging Percentage: 105th (.409)
Fielding Percentage: 142nd (.961)
Team ERA: 110th (3.12)
Scoring Per Game: 123rd (4.32)
Top Players
*Denotes All-Conference Selection
SS Taylor Beshears* – Probably the most dangerous player on the Gamecocks’ roster, Beshears is a powerhouse at the plate. She boasts the highest slugging percentage on the team (.649) by over 200 points. She’s hit 11 home runs and added 42 RBIs this season.
P Alexus Jimmerson* – A Jack-of-All-Trades type player, Jimmerson can fill in at pitcher (3.53 ERA) and be productive at the plate (.390 slugging percentage), according to team needs.
OF Emily Woodruff* – What she lacks in gaudy numbers, she makes up for in consistency. Woodruff has been an All-OVC selection for four straight years, and 2018 was no different. She possesses a .430 slugging percentage and 18 stolen bases.
P Faith Sims* – Sims is the best pitcher for the Gamecocks. That’s reflected with her 22 wins in 33 starts with a 2.16 ERA.
Rundown
The Gamecocks got the unfortunate draw of playing Florida State in Tallahassee. While crazier things have happened, it looks near impossible for Jacksonville State to pull off the upset. Its best bet is to start Sims and hope that she’s able to stunt the Florida State offense enough for the lineup of Beshears, Woodruff and Jimmerson to make an impact.
Even then, it might not be enough to stop players like Jessie Warren, Sydney Sherrill, and Carsyn Gordon. Florida State simply needs to stick to the game plan and it should be fine.
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