FSU softball: How Allison Royalty’s injury affects the Noles vs Oklahoma.
FSU softball (46-14) faced No. 2 seed Oklahoma (52-6) in the Super Regionals as an underdog. However, the odds were stacked even higher with the announcement that starting pitcher Allison Royalty is out for the remainder of the season. FSU has struggled with a limited pitching staff throughout much of the 2024 season. Royalty missed some of the season previously, and the Noles have been missing Makenna Reid for the past month.
However, some brave pitching by freshmen Ashtyn Danley and Royalty upon her return enabled the Noles advance to the Super Regionals unharmed. Because FSU does not have Royalty or Reid available (if Reid returns, her role will be limited), the team will most likely rely on two freshmen to handle the weight. Danley leads the team in innings pitched, and I wouldn’t consider her a freshman anymore, but she’s never faced a team like Oklahoma or played on their home turf. The same is true for freshman Mimi Gooden, who has played a smaller role than
The only other experienced pitcher is senior Emma Wilson, who has thrown 36 innings this season. Royalty had the second-most starts on the club, with 15, and finished third in innings pitched with 69. Royalty had a 3.75 ERA, and opponents hit.274 against her. Her main challenge had been consistency in the strike zone, with almost as many walks (33) as strikeouts (38). The Oklahoma offence is one of the finest in the country, but Florida State’s offence has shown flashes of scoring runs in large numbers.
The FSU offence will need to adopt the mindset of the FSU football defence after Jordan Travis’ career was cut short by an injury last fall. They must approach this series with the understanding that they must score a lot of runs in order to pull off an upset. The first Super Regionals game will be played on Thursday at 7 p.m. and will stream on ESPN2. I extend my best wishes for Allison Royalty’s recovery.
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