OU Softball: Florida State Loses Key Piece Ahead of Super Regional Battle Against Oklahoma
Florida State will be down a key piece headed into this weekend’s Super Regional matchup with Oklahoma.
Senior right-hander Allison Royalty announced she would miss the rest of the season due to injury in a post on her Instagram account on Wednesday.
Royalty has pitched the third-most innings for FSU this year, throwing 69 total innings including six innings in last weekend’s regional.
The 15-seeded Seminoles are already down sophomore left-hander Makenna Reid, who last entered the circle on April 21 against Boston College.
Reid has pitched 87 1/3 innings this year for Lonni Alameda’s Seminoles.
The pair of injuries will heap even more pressure on freshman lefty Ashton Danley as Florida State works to upset the 2-seeded Sooners at Love’s Field this weekend.
Danley has thrown 137 innings this year, pacing Florida State with a 3.12 ERA, 101 strikeouts compared to 62 walks and she’s held opponents to a .237 batting average.
Alameda has called upon three other pitchers this year.
Mimi Gooden has thrown 52 2/3 innings with a 4.25 ERA, Emma Wilson has pitched 36 innings with a 4.47 ERA and Madi Balk has a 9.33 ERA in just three innings of action.
As a team, the Sooners have the second-highest batting average in the country. OU is hitting .365, which only trails Texas, and Oklahoma’s combined staff ERA of 1.82 ranks sixth in the country.
The Sooners and the Seminoles will meet in Game 1 of this weekend’s Super Regional at 6 p.m. on Thursday, and Game 2 will start at 7 p.m. on Friday.
If the familiar foes split the first two games, Saturday’s third contest to decide who moves on to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City does not yet have a start time.