FIRED UP

After guiding the Seminoles to their first NCAA National Championship in 2018, coach Lonni Alameda took the team on deep runs as national runners-up in 2021 and 2023. Alameda had served as head coach since 2008, turning the program into a perennial contender in the modern era. FSU competed in the NCAA Tournament each year of her tenure and made the Women’s College World Series (WCWS) in 2014 for the first time in a decade. Alameda’s team returned to the WCWS in 2016 before winning it all in 2018. FSU’s runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2023 cemented their status as one of the nation’s winningest programs. “Sometimes she seems real quiet, but Lonni is extremely competitive. I think that will continue to fuel her fire,” said Dr. JoAnne Graf, the legendary FSU softball coach whom Alameda succeeded. “She’s taken what we had here and built on it. Whoever follows Lonni is going to have a real hard time.”