Seminole Saturday Summary: FSU Softball Falls in Super Regionals, Kinhult Earns National Freshman of Year

A repeat will not be in the cards for defending national champion Florida State softball. After winning seven straight elimination games dating back to last season, the Seminoles fell to Oklahoma State in the decisive game of the Tallahassee Super Regional.

FSU dropped the first game to the Cowgirls in extra innings on Thursday night, 3-1, but bounced back with a 4-1 victory on Friday night. In the decisive game on Saturday, the Seminoles fell behind by two runs in the third inning and twice drew to within one, but ultimately fell, 3-2.

It was the second time in three seasons that FSU fell in the decisive game of the Tallahassee Super Regional. Pitcher Meghan King, last season’s Women’s College World Series hero, suffered both losses. FSU managed just 14 hits over the three games.

FSU’s Frida Kinhult was announced as the WGCA National Freshman of the Year earlier this week. (Tim Cowie/FSU athletics)

FSU softball wasn’t the only FSU athletic program to watch its season end this week as Florida State women’s golf missed making match play at the NCAA Championships. As a team, FSU finished 12th.

Although the Seminoles couldn’t claim a team title, freshman Frida Kinhult raked in the national recognitions. Kinhult was named a first-team All-American and National Freshman of the Year by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, becoming the first FSU player ever to be so honored.

Kinhult also took the Golfstat Cup by recording the nation’s lowest stroke average per round at less than 71. Her 70.66 average is the lowest by a freshman in NCAA history. Kinhult is the first FSU player to earn the distinction and the first freshman to win the honor since 2016.

Football

Weekly Commitments: None
2020 Recruiting Class Ranking: No. 8 nationally, third in ACC* (12 total commitments)

Men’s Basketball

Weekly Commitments: None
2020 Recruiting Class Ranking: No. 9 nationally, third in ACC* (1 total commitment)

Baseball

Record: 36-21
Ranking: No. 19 Collegiate Baseball; No. 29 NCBWA; No. 6 seed ACC Tournament
Past Week: (1-1), lost to Wake Forest, 7-4 (ACC Tournament); defeated NC State, 11-0 (ACC Tournament).
Upcoming: NCAA Tournament, TBD
Recognitions: Drew Mendoza, 3B (All-ACC first team); J.C. Flowers, OF/P (All-ACC first team [P]/ All-ACC third team [OF]); Drew Parrish, P (All-ACC second team); C.J. Van Eyk, P (All-ACC third team); Robby Martin, DH (All-ACC Freshman)
Big Picture: Florida State missed reaching the ACC Championship for the first time since 2014, but an 11-0 win over NC State on Friday night should have FSU feeling good about its chances of reaching the NCAA Tournament for a 42nd year in a row.

Weekly Review

(10) Wake Forest 7, (6) FSU 4
Tuesday, May 21 (ACC Tournament)
Any chance of returning to the ACC Championship for the fifth straight year was squashed on Tuesday as the Seminoles fell to Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament opener. The Demon Deacons went ahead for good with three runs in the seventh on two walks and a passed ball. Brendan Tinsman had a 2-run triple for Wake Forest to get the scoring started. All the FSU runs came in the fourth inning. After a 2-run triple by J.C. Flowers put the Seminoles on the board, Nander De Sedas hit a 2-run home run to tie the game. FSU starting pitcher Drew Parrish allowed just one earned run and struck out a season-high 13, but did not factor in the decision.

(6) FSU 11, (3) NC State 0
Friday, May 24 (ACC Tournament, 7 innings)
The season that will be the last for legendary head coach Mike Martin — known affectionately as “11” — started with an 11-0 victory and may have ended with one, although that’s not what Florida State is hoping. The Seminoles wrapped the ACC Tournament up on Friday with a run-rule victory over NC State. C.J. Van Eyk threw six innings of 1-hit baseball while walking four and striking out 11. J.C. Flowers pitched the seventh in addition to going 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run and three RBIs. Drew Mendoza was 3-for-3 with three RBIs while Mike Salvatore and Robby Martin each added two hits and two RBIs.

Softball

Record: 55-10
Ranking: No. 4 national seed; No. 5 NFCA; No. 6 Softball America
Past Week: (2-2), defeated South Carolina, 7-6 (Tallahassee Regional); lost to Oklahoma State, 3-1 (Tallahassee Super Regional); defeated Oklahoma State, 4-1 (Tallahassee Super Regional); lost to Oklahoma State, 3-2 (Tallahassee Super Regional).
Recognitions: None
Big Picture: A failure to hit with runners in scoring position and a number of costly errors proved to be Florida State’s demise as the Seminoles finish the season one win shy of a return to the Women’s College World Series. FSU had won seven straight elimination games dating to last season before Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma State.

Weekly Review

(4) FSU 7, South Carolina 6
Sunday, May 19 (Tallahassee Regional)
South Carolina rallied from a 5-1 deficit to take a lead into the sixth inning, but Makinzy Herzog came through big for Florida State with a 2-run single in the top of the sixth as FSU advanced to the Super Regionals for the seventh straight year. The Gamecocks put the winning run on base with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Meghan King was able to close it out for the Seminoles. Carsyn Gordon homered for FSU in the victory and finished with two RBIs. Four different South Carolina players had multiple hits. Cayla Drotar was 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs for South Carolina. Kenzie Maguire also drove in two runs in the loss.

(13) Oklahoma State 3, (4) FSU 1
Thursday, May 23 (Tallahassee Super Regional – Game 1, 9 innings)
Michaela Richbourg’s 2-run home run in the ninth inning broke a 1-1 tie and lifted Oklahoma State to a thrilling Game 1 victory over defending national champion Florida State in the first game of the Tallahassee Super Regional. FSU scored its only run on an infield single by Makinzy Herzog. Madi Sue Montgomery was 2-for-3 with a run scored and plated the Cowgirls’ first run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Anna Shelnutt had two of FSU’s five hits in the loss.

(13) Oklahoma State 1, (4) FSU 4
Friday, May 24 (Tallahassee Super Regional – Game 2)
Florida State won its seventh straight elimination game dating back to last season on Friday night, topping Oklahoma State to force a decisive third game of the Tallahassee Super Regional. FSU pitcher Meghan King allowed just an unearned run on four hits while walking none and striking out nine in seven innings to earn the victory. All the scoring came in the third inning with Elizabeth Mason delivering a 2-run single en route to a 2-for-3 night. Carsyn Gordon walked to score FSU’s first run before Sydney Sherrill drove in the second with a sacrifice fly. Sydney Pennington scored the Cowgirls’ only run.

(13) Oklahoma State 3, (4) FSU 2
Saturday, May 25 (Tallahassee Super Regional – Game 3)
Florida State’s 7-game winning streak in elimination games dating back to last season came to an end as Oklahoma State held off the Seminoles in the decisive game of the Tallahassee Super Regional. The Cowgirls scored three runs, but two were unearned, thanks to four FSU errors. Chyenne Factor got the scoring started for Oklahoma State with a solo home run in the third inning. Trailing 2-0, FSU cut the lead in half on an RBI single by Leslie Farris in the fifth. Oklahoma State added one in the sixth before Anna Shelnutt led off the FSU seventh with a solo blast of her own. Logan Simunek was able to settle in and get the next three FSU hitters.

Women’s Golf

Ranking: No. 9 WGCA
Past Week: 12th at NCAA Championships
Upcoming: NCAA Championships
Recognitions: Frida Kinhult (WGCA All-American first team; WGCA National Freshman of the Year; Golfstat Cup)
Big Picture: The season came to an end for Florida State women’s golf on Monday as the Seminoles finished 12th at the NCAA Championships for the second straight year.

Weekly Review

12th at NCAA Championships
Friday, May 17 to Monday, May 20
Florida State had a solid finish over the final two rounds of the NCAA Championships, but couldn’t do enough to advance to match play. At +48 as a team, the Seminoles were nine strokes shy of eighth-place Auburn, who claimed the final spot in match play. Frida Kinhult led FSU at +4, which was good enough for a 10th-place tie. No other Seminole finished higher than 36th.

Track and Field

Ranking: Men No. 20 USTFCCCA; Women No. 10 USTFCCCA
Past Week: NCAA East Preliminaries
Upcoming: NCAA Championships (June 5 through June 8)
Recognitions: None
Big Picture: Both the FSU men and women will be in Austin for the NCAA Championships, which begin on June 5.

Weekly Review

NCAA East Preliminaries
Thursday, May 23 through Saturday, May 25
Florida State had 15 total athletes qualify for the NCAA Championships during the NCAA East preliminaries in Jacksonville. One of the big surprises was senior sprinter Andre Ewers, last year’s NCAA bronze medalist, who did not qualify in the 100 meters. He bounced back to qualify in the 200 meters. Armani Wallace had the best qualifying distance of anyone in Jacksonville in the triple jump.

Other News

Former FSU golfer Brooks Koepka won the PGA Championship, which wrapped up on Sunday. It was his second straight PGA Championship win and fourth major victory dating back to 2017.

FSU tennis’ Carla Touly and Lucas Poullain both lost on the first day of the NCAA Singles Championships. FSU senior Ana Oparenovic and sophomore Emmanuelle Salas fell in the first round of doubles.

FSU volleyball has acquired transfer Alice Zeimann from Minnesota.

FSU basketball will play in the sixth annual Emerald Coast Classic on Nov. 29 and 30. The Seminoles will be joined by Tennessee, Virginia Commonwealth and Purdue.

FSU and Florida will continue their football series until 2022. All contests will come the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Florida State beach volleyball’s pairing of Madison Fitzpatrick and Alaina Chacon were named second-team All-Americans by volleyballmag.com.

The Willie Taggart Women’s Football Clinic is set for June 1.

FSU women’s tennis finishes 15th in the final ITA rankings.

FSU football offensive lineman Landon Dickerson has re-entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Former FSU quarterback Deondre Francois will walk on at Florida Atlantic for 2019.

*247Sports Composite rankings

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson. Like The Daily Nole on Facebook. To pitch an idea, author a post or to learn more about The Daily Nole, email Mike Ferguson at Mike@TheDailyNole.com.