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Lonni Alameda
Entering her 16th season as the head coach of the Florida State softball program in 2024, Lonni Alameda has guided the Seminoles back into one of the nation’s best teams. After seven Women’s College World Series appearances from 1987-2004, the Seminoles have returned to the final site of women’s collegiate softball five times in the last eight complete seasons (2014, 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2023), including winning the program’s first NCAA National Championship in 2018, two WCWS Finals appearances in 2021 and 2023, a WCWS semifinals appearance in 2016, as well as eight consecutive trips to the NCAA Super Regionals (2013-19, 2021). Florida State had earned seven ACC regular season/division titles in a row and six straight ACC Tournament titles heading into the 2021 season and now owns 19 ACC Tournament Championships while adding 17 ACC Regular Season Championships.
FSU has played in the NCAA postseason every year under Alameda and is one of only seven schools to participate in the NCAA Tournament in every season since 2000. Since Alameda has made Tallahassee her home, she has led the Seminoles to 12 ACC Championship game appearances in 14 full seasons, with titles in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
After a shocking exit in the 2022 Tallahassee Regional, Alameda put together one of her best coaching displays in the 2023 season. Returning all but two starters, the Seminoles were ready to prove that they are still one of the top programs in the country, and they did just that. Playing one of the toughest schedules in the country which included 29 games against ranked opponents, 26 of those away from home, the Seminoles posted a 58-11 record. The Seminoles rolled through the ACC schedule finishing 19-2 en route to another ACC Regular Season Championship. The Seminoles did not drop a single series in ACC play and also went on to defeat Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Duke in the ACC Tournament to win their second-straight ACC Championship earning Alameda the ACC Coach of the Year honor.
The Seminoles then faced maybe their toughest mental test of the season in the Tallahassee Regional Final where they fell to South Carolina to force a winner-take-all. The Seminoles responded as Second-Team All-American and ACC Pitcher of the Year Kathryn Sandercock threw the Seminoles' first-ever postseason perfect game to send the Seminoles to the Super Regional. FSU dominated Georgia in the Tallahassee Super Regional in front of back-to-back capacity crowd to advance to their fifth Women's College World Series under Alameda. FSU stayed hot in Oklahoma City winning their first three games by a combined score of 16-1 to advance to the Championship Series for the third time in their last three trips to Oklahoma City. The Seminoles ran into a buzzsaw in Oklahoma who finished with the best record in collegiate softball history to win the National Title over the Seminoles.
The Seminoles placed eight on the three All-ACC teams including Kathryn Sandercock and Jahni Kerr who were named First Team All-ACC. Alameda was also influential in the development of star freshman pitcher Makenna Reid who was named a Top 10 Finalist for the NFCA/TUCCI Freshman of the Year award and was also named a Second Team All-ACC honoree.
In 2022, the Seminole were back on top of the ACC, winning their eighth ACC Championship under Alameda and 18th in school history. Florida State made it into the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd straight year and hosted a regional for the eighth consecutive season. Their number two national seed was the highest seeding that Florida State softball has had in the NCAA Tournament in program history. The Seminoles finished the season with a 54-7 record and a .885 winning percentage. That winning percentage is tied for the highest in a season in school history with the 1982 team that won the AIAW National Championship. The Seminole defense was a big reason why the Noles finished with 54 wins. FSU finished the season with the second-highest fielding percentage in the country (.982) and with the fifth most shutouts in the nation (20). The Florida State defense was led by first-team All-ACC members, Kathryn Sandercock, Sydney Sherrill, Kaley Mudge and Mack Leonard. Sandercock finished the season with a 1.44 ERA and a 30-3 record. Her 30 wins were the second-most in the country. Sherrill was named the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in her career as she finished the season with a .975 fielding percentage.
The Florida State offense showed some power in 2021 finishing with 70 home runs as a team. Those 70 home runs ranked fourth in a season in school history and led to 363 runs, the sixth-most in a season in school history. The offense was led by transfer Mack Leonard who led the team with a .375 batting average, eight home runs and 49 RBI. Kalei Harding and Michaela Edenfield helped bring home the most runs for the Noles as Harding recorded 15 home runs and 11 doubles leading to a team-high 53 RBI. Edenfield had 16 home runs in her freshman season, three shy of Jessie Warren’s freshman record, and accounted for 50 RBI. Sydney Sherrill capped off her career with a .321 batting average and 16 more doubles to finish her career with an ACC and FSU record of 82 career doubles.
The Seminoles came up one win short of claiming their second national title in 2021 as the Noles made it all the way to the Women’s College World Series Championship Series. Florida State finished the season with a 49-13-1 record in 2021 and did it differently than years past. FSU was not the power-hitting team of old but won by playing cerebral softball with good pitching and great defense, led by second-team All-American Kathryn Sandercock and the two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Sydney Sherrill. Florida State led the ACC and was ranked 22nd in the country in fielding percentage (.975) in 2021 and finished with the second-best team ERA in the ACC and 11th best in the NCAA (1.82). The Seminole defense also turned and ACC leading 33 double plays, which ranked second in the nation.
The Noles finished second in the ACC regular season and did not win the ACC Tournament for the first time since 2014 but that did not affect their postseason run as the Noles won 10 games in the NCAA Tournament and were one game away from being crowned national champions for the second time in program history. FSU cruised through the Tallahassee Regional, going 3-0 while only allowing two runs. The Noles then headed to Baton Rouge, La. to take on LSU in the Super Regional and the Seminoles swept the Tigers winning 1-0 and 4-3 in nine innings in dramatic fashion to head to the WCWS for the fourth time under Alameda. After losing their first game of the WCWS, Florida State won four straight against Arizona, Oklahoma State and Alabama (twice) to head to the championship series for the second time in program history. After winning game one against Oklahoma the Seminoles would fall in games two and three.
Half of the 2020 Seminoles were newcomers with six freshmen, three transfers and two redshirt players, as the Seminoles replaced five starters from the 2019 season. The youth on the field was matched in the coaching staff as Troy Cameron joined the team, along with many new members of the support staff in several departments. Florida State finished with a 17-7 record in the shortened 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly half of its games (11-of 24) coming against ranked teams. The Noles went 5-6 versus ranked teams in 2020, including a pair of wins over No. 1 Alabama, road wins at No. 21 Arkansas and No. 22 UCF, along with a victory against No. 19 Baylor.
The 2019 FSU Softball team posted a record year offensively, finishing with a program-best 105 home runs, which ranked third in the country and surpassed the previous best of 76 from 2018. The Noles also set school records with 423 RBI and a .330 team batting average. Finishing with a record of 55-10, FSU topped the 50-win mark for the fifth time in the last six years. Sophomore infielder Sydney Sherrill (First Team) and redshirt senior pitcher Meghan King (Second Team) each earned NFCA All-America honors, while the duo – along with Dani Morgan, Elizabeth Mason, Carsyn Gordon, Cali Harrod, Cassidy Davis and Makinzy Herzog – were among the eight Seminoles to be named to the NFCA Southeast All-Region Teams, which led the country and marked the most All-Region honorees in school history.
The Seminoles extended their ACC series unbeaten streak to 52, posting a 48-0-4 series record against conference opponents, dating back to 2012, before losing the series on the road at Louisville on April 6-8, 2019. The Noles have earned a record of 147-18 in their last 165 ACC regular-season games. From May 7, 2016, to April 6, 2018, FSU tallied 36 consecutive wins in ACC play, which ranks as the sixth-longest conference winning streak in NCAA history.
The Seminoles topped the collegiate softball world in 2018, earning their first NCAA National Championship with an 8-3 win over No. 5 Washington on June 5. Florida State earned the nickname of “Cardiac Kids” throughout the postseason as FSU tied an NCAA record of six wins in elimination games during the NCAA Tournament and the Noles had to come from behind in all three wins at the 2018 ACC Tournament. Florida State became the third team in history to lose its first game of the WCWS and come back through the loser’s bracket to win the National Championship, joining Texas A&M (1983) and UCLA (2003).
Florida State earned a 58-12 record in 2018, the most wins in a single season under Alameda and it marks the fourth time in the last five seasons that FSU has topped the 50-win plateau. The Noles also set school records with 115 doubles and 76 home runs. The 115 doubles led the nation in 2018 and ranked in a tie for the eighth-most in a single season in NCAA history. Freshman Sydney Sherrill tallied 29 of those doubles to tie the NCAA single-season record and set the FSU and ACC mark, on her way to earning ACC Freshman of the Year and NFCA Third Team All-American accolades. Jessie Warren and Kylee Hanson also earned NFCA Second Team All-American honors, as the duo were named ACC Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively.
Alameda, along with assistant coaches Travis Wilson and Craig Snider, were honored as the 2018 NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year by helping FSU become the first ACC school to ever win a softball national championship.
Alameda and the Noles made program history in 2017, as Florida State earned a No. 1 ranking in the NFCA poll for the first time, holding the spot for eight consecutive weeks. FSU also earned its first win over the NFCA No. 1 team in the country as an 11th-inning home run by Alex Powers gave the Noles a 3-1 victory over Florida on May 3. The Seminoles added their fifth straight ACC regular-season title, posting a 24-0 record in league play, culminating in their 15th ACC tournament championship. FSU is one of four Power 5 schools to post an undefeated conference season, along with Oklahoma in 2019 (18-0) and 2018 (18-0), Nebraska in 1998 (16-0) and Iowa in 1997 (22-0).
Alameda also earned her fifth ACC Coach of the Year honor in 2017, moving into a tie for second-most in league history with North Carolina’s Donna J. Papa. She now trails only NFCA Hall of Famer and former FSU head coach JoAnne Graf who tallied six ACC Coach of the Year awards in her illustrious career.
Florida State matched its record from 2016 by placing six members on the 2017 All-ACC First Team, including Jessica Burroughs (Pitcher of the Year) and Jessie Warren (Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year). Burroughs and Warren were also named NFCA First Team All-Americans, while Morgan Klaevemann (second team) and Alex Powers (third team), also earned a spot on the national teams. The Noles tied for the most All-Americans in the nation with Florida and Arizona and it marked the first time in the fastpitch era that Florida State softball had received four All-American accolades.
In 2016, Alameda led Florida State back to the WCWS, reaching the semifinals for the third time in school history and ending with a No. 4 national ranking, which tied for the highest final NFCA ranking ever for FSU. The Noles posted a 55-10 record, including 11 wins over ranked opponents. FSU defeated No. 2 Michigan (1-0) and No. 3 Auburn (4-3), marking the highest-ranked wins at FSU under Alameda, and both coming away from Tallahassee as the Auburn win came on the road and the Michigan victory at the WCWS.
The Noles finished 2016 with a 21-2 record in conference play and Alameda earned ACC Coach of the Year for the fourth straight season as Jessica Burroughs and Alex Powers earned ACC Pitcher and Player of the Year honors, respectively. FSU set an ACC record with six members on the All-ACC First Team as Burroughs and Powers were joined by Ellie Cooper, Meghan King, Morgan Klaevemann and Jessie Warren. Burroughs, Powers and Warren were named NFCA All-Americans, marking the sixth time that FSU had three All-Americans in the same season.
During the summer of 2016 and 2017, Alameda coached the USSSA Pride of the National Pro Fastpitch league. The Pride posted the best record in the league in both seasons.
The Seminoles reached the NCAA Super Regionals for the third consecutive season in 2015, finishing with a record of 49-14 and a No. 10 ranking in the final poll by the NFCA. FSU earned a trio of conference awards as Jessie Warren was named ACC Freshman of the Year, Lacey Waldrop secured ACC Pitcher of the Year honors for the second-straight season and Alameda was chosen as the ACC Coach of the Year for the third consecutive year.
Several Seminoles etched their name into the NCAA record book as senior Maddie O’Brien led the nation with 73 walks, good for No. 11 all-time in NCAA history. Freshman Morgan Klaevemann’s 26-game hitting streak is the second-longest in FSU history and ranks No. 24 overall in NCAA history.
Florida State posted its best season in a decade with a 55-9 record in 2014 to finish ranked No. 7 in the country by both the NFCA and USA Softball. The Seminoles won 24 ACC games to set a new school and ACC mark for conference wins in a season and also set program records in runs scored (400), home runs (65), extra-base hits (168), RBI (363), walks (318) and slugging percentage (.493).
Several individuals earned regional and national awards as junior pitcher Lacey Waldrop was named USA Softball National Player of the Year. Waldrop joined Jessica van der Linden (2004) as Seminoles to win the national honor. Florida State was the first school in the country to have multiple players win the award. Waldrop joined junior shortstop Maddie O’Brien as an NFCA First Team All-American, marking the first time that FSU had placed two players on the first team in program history.
Waldrop and O’Brien also won 2014 ACC Pitcher and Player of the Year, respectively, while Alameda earned ACC Coach of the Year honors for the second year in a row. The Seminoles placed three players on the All-Region First Team, six players on the All-ACC Team, and five members on the ACC All-Tournament Team.
The signature win of the 2014 season came at the Tallahassee Super Regional when senior Courtney Senas hit a two-run, walk-off home run against No. 13 Michigan to send the Seminoles to the Women’s College World Series for the first time since 2004.
It was an impressive season in 2013 for the Seminoles as they fought through several injuries to key players yet reached the NCAA Super Regionals for the first time since 2006 following a miraculous comeback against South Alabama in the Mobile Regional championship game. The five-run comeback with two outs in the top of the seventh against the 13th-seeded Jaguars personified the team’s never-say-die attitude. FSU finished with a 44-19 record and Alameda was named the ACC Coach of the Year, along with a school-record four All-ACC First Team selections and five overall.
The Seminoles set a new school mark with an 18-2 record in ACC play en route to the program’s 11th ACC regular-season title. As the pitching coach, Alameda was influential on one of the most dynamic duos in the nation in Lacey Waldrop and Monica Perry. Waldrop earned NFCA Third-Team All-America honors, the first at Florida State since 2009, while Perry emerged as the most dominant pitcher in ACC play.
Aside from the five total All-ACC Team members in 2013, Alameda coached her first ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year when Kelly Hensley was recognized for the honor. Hensley also was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Third Team. Alex Powers (2017) and Kylee Hanson (2018) also have been named ACC Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
In 2012, the Seminoles achieved a mark of 47-16, their most wins since going 62-12 in 2004. Alameda led FSU to a 15-13 record against NCAA postseason teams throughout the year, which included nationally-ranked victories over No. 14 UCLA, No. 23 North Carolina twice and Women’s College World Series participant LSU.
As the team’s pitching coach, Alameda’s influence on FSU starters Lacey Waldrop and Monica Perry was enormous. Both pitchers finished in the Top 30 nationally in earned run average, making FSU one of just five programs to have multiple pitchers in the top 30. Each hurler earned ACC Pitcher of the Week honors twice and were named to the All-ACC squad. As a unit, the Seminoles finished 10th in the country with a 1.53 team ERA. In 2012, four more student-athletes made the All-ACC Team under Alameda’s watch including Tiffani Brown, Briana Hamilton, Perry and Waldrop. Brown and Shayla Jackson also were named to the NFCA All-Southeast Region Second Team.
In just her third season as head coach at Florida State, Alameda helped the Seminole softball program snap a seven-year ACC title drought to highlight an entertaining 2011 season. Despite making the conference tournament in Atlanta as the No. 4 seed, it was Alameda’s season-long coaching tactics combined with the energy of her motivated group that enabled the Seminoles to storm through the competition and defeat second-seeded North Carolina, 4-1, to clinch an automatic NCAA Regional bid.
Under Alameda’s guidance, the 2011 Seminoles created a noteworthy program achievement – for the first time in school history, FSU softball reached 12 consecutive NCAA Regionals. Her group also won two games in the Athens Regional, defeating Georgia State and UAB, to get to the final day of a regional for the first time since 2006.
Adding to Alameda’s on and off-field influence, Sarah Hamilton became just one of two conference players in 2011 to be named to the All-ACC Team for the third time in her career. Shayla Jackson and Jen Lapicki joined Hamilton on the 2011 all-conference squad. Hamilton ended her illustrious career as one of the best pitchers in school history, with Alameda playing a large role in her success. Among her noteworthy feats, Hamilton became the first hurler in FSU history to finish with at least 1,000 career strikeouts, ending her four-year stay with 1,005 Ks.
In her second season as FSU head coach in 2010, Alameda led the Seminoles to a 44-18 record and second-consecutive appearance in not just the ACC Championship game but its 11th-straight appearance in the NCAA Division I Softball Championship. At the time, FSU’s ACC Championship game appearance marked the 14th time in school history it had the chance to play for a title – a total number that was more than any other school in the conference.
Under Alameda’s tutelage, the 2010 Seminoles accomplished a lot of statistical feats. Not only did FSU get off to its best start since 1993 by starting the year 20-2, but the team capped off the year with high marks in a bevy of categories. The Seminoles’ .297 batting average was the best since 2003 and their 226 strikeouts at the plate were the fewest since the 1998 campaign.
Individually, Alameda coached several FSU student-athletes who earned recognition for their hard work on the field and in the classroom. Carly Wynn was named an All-ACC First Team selection and Terese Gober, Sarah Hamilton and Ashley Stager were each placed on the All-ACC Second Team. Robin Ahrberg, Tiffani Brown and Hamilton each got the nod on the ACC’s All-Tournament team. Wynn and Hamilton captured Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I All-Southeast Region Second Team honors, while Wynn was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Third Team.
Alameda came to Florida State prior to the 2009 season and went on to surpass 200 career coaching victories in her first year in Tallahassee (she picked up win No. 300 on March 17, 2012 against Fairfield and added win No. 400 at North Carolina on March 30, 2014). The Seminoles finished the 2009 campaign with a 44-16 record and achieved the best conference record in school history at the time with a 17-4 league mark.
For her team’s exploits on the field in 2009, Alameda and the Seminoles had the opportunity to host a regional in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2004 season. Alameda coached several Seminoles that garnered postseason awards as Hamilton was named a Third Team Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I All-American as a sophomore. Hamilton was also named ACC Pitcher of the Year, an ACC First Team member and to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Southeast Region Team. Then-senior catcher Kaleigh Rafter was also named to the All-Region team and was an All-ACC First Team member as well. Wynn and Gober (both second team) were also student-athletes coached by Alameda who were recognized as All-ACC players.
Alameda carries an impressive coaching résumé on the international level and from 2004 to 2008 she helped in the development of Canada’s National Team. She aided Canada up until the 2004 Summer Olympics and resumed as an assistant following the Rebels’ 2005 season. In the summer of 2006, Canada qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, after its strong showing in the World Championships. Alameda spent the summer of 2008 with the Canadian team, which ended its quest for the gold with a fourth-place finish at the Beijing Olympic Games. Alameda went back to the Olympics in the summer of 2021 with Canada as their pitching coach in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Alameda came to FSU from UNLV, where she spent five seasons reviving the Rebels’ program. She replaced Dr. JoAnne Graf, who retired after 30 seasons with the Seminoles. Alameda went 25-35 in her first season at UNLV in 2004, which was a four-game improvement over 2003’s final tally. She then posted a staggering 44-19 mark in 2005 and the program’s first trip to NCAA Regionals since 1996. Alameda was named Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year in 2005 and the entire staff garnered NFCA West Regional Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
The 2005 season featured an assault on the program’s record book, appearances in the national statistical rankings and the introduction of several conference and national award winners. The 44 wins were the third-most in the program’s history, while the 17 Mountain West Conference wins were the most-ever since joining the league in 1999. After being predicted to finish last in the league, UNLV excelled, placing second in the league in both the regular season and Mountain West Conference tournament.
In 2006, the squad was set back by injuries and fell to 26-37, but saw a 180-degree turnaround in 2007 and finished with a 37-27 mark as Alameda earned MWC Coach of the Year honors for the second time.
Alameda and UNLV had high hopes for 2008 and had the Rebels ranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll for the first time in program history. After starting the season 9-1-1, UNLV moved up to No. 18 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll, but injuries to four starters proved costly as the season progressed.
Under Alameda’s direction, the Rebels enjoyed recognition at the conference and regional level. Five Rebels garnered Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Regional honors while 13 players earned all-Mountain West Conference accolades, including two pitchers of the year and one freshman of the year awards.
To Alameda, academics are just as important as on-the-field production. Since taking over the program, the Rebels had 58 Academic All-MWC honorees. Over that time span, the team had 10 or more honored in a season four times, including 11 softball student-athletes in 2008. The softball program had 21 MWC Scholar-Athletes selected, as well.
In her 13 seasons at Florida State, Alameda’s academic priorities have been apparent. She has coached three ACC Scholar-Athletes of the Year, three academic All-Americans, eight NCAA postgraduate scholarship award winners, 16 academic all-district team members and 41 All-ACC Academic Team players.
During her tenure at UNLV, Alameda also stressed the importance of community service and had players volunteer their time at the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation and Child Haven while participating in breast cancer walks and blood drives. Her emphasis has not changed since arriving at FSU, with the 2011 Seminole Squad earning honors such as the SemiGnome Award for community service and routinely producing standout student-athletes who are honored for their charitable ways. One of those players was Kelly Hensley who was awarded a 2013 Top Six For Service honor. In 2014, 2015 and 2017, the Seminole softball program earned the FSU Director’s Cup for Service as they averaged over 50 hours of community service per student-athlete to lead all 20 FSU varsity sports.
Alameda moved to Las Vegas after eight seasons as the assistant coach at Stanford University, where she helped guide the Cardinal to a 320-179-1 record and six straight NCAA Regional appearances. She oversaw the pitching staff there and produced three All-Americans: Becky Blevins, Marcy Crouch and Dana Sorenson.
Prior to her stint at Stanford, Alameda spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Barry University (Miami Shores, Fla.). She helped the Buccaneers to a fifth-place NCAA Division II finish in her first year. She also spent some time on the international stage, serving as an instructor for both the Aruba (1995) and Spanish (2000) national teams.
An all-around great athlete, Alameda began her collegiate career as a pitcher at St. Mary’s University (San Antonio, Texas) where she led the Rattlers to the NAIA Tournament in her only season. She later transferred to Oklahoma in 1989 and played softball and volleyball for the Sooners. She was a two-time All-Big Eight selection as a first and third baseman while hitting .359 as a senior in 1992.
Alameda earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Oklahoma in 1993 and played softball professionally in Europe for a season before beginning her coaching career.
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