Win or lose. Rain or shine. Nothing stopped the Florida State faithful from welcoming home its Seminoles.
FSU softball returned Friday afternoon from the Women’s College World Series, where the Seminoles made their third appearance in the championship series and eventually fell to No. 1 Oklahoma in two games.
The weather had delayed FSU’s arrival by 45 minutes. But once it touched down at Tallahassee International Airport, the celebrations started. After the plane made it through the water cannons, shot by the Tallahassee Fire Department, players were greeted by an airplane hangar full of FSU fans waiting to congratulate them.
“I get so excited about the water cannons. I think it’s the coolest thing,” FSU head coach Lonni Alameda said. “I’m texting all the girls to look out the windows and even our pilot today said that this was really special. We just came from 12-13,000 fans in that stadium cheering for Oklahoma, and of our 200 behind our dugout, we knew that our community was cheering too.”
“All the people here we have relationships with are our fans, but they’re also a part of us. It’s easier to take on that environment [in Oklahoma] knowing that we had this environment here. The welcome is just the extended family we have here in Tallahassee.”
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Always in their hearts
That passion from the fans was not assumed by the Seminoles, but they knew it was always there. In what could’ve been two home games for Oklahoma, hearing the echos of “Boomer Sooner” into the night, FSU never doubted its own support or felt alone.
Moments like the one on Friday in the hangar just confirm what the Seminoles knew all along.
“It’s a village. The people, the fans, those who were there in OKC, it was just awesome,” Michaela Edenfield said. “You can never expect people to do something, but regardless of if they were here today or not, we know that their hearts are with us. You can’t ask for more than that as a student-athlete here.”
Despite coming short of the national championship, the Seminoles are grateful for the opportunity to not just make it to Oklahoma City, but advance to the finals. Last season FSU fell in regionals, only motivating them to get farther this spring and take in every moment.
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Alameda said that getting past the regional round this year allowed the pressure to come off a little bit and the team to play a little more of a relaxed game.
“It was a journey for sure,” Devyn Flaherty said. “Coming off of last year, we tried to stay in the process and in every pitch. The support from our fans felt unwavering and they never doubted us. Having that felt along the way was everything for us and getting to Oklahoma City, and all our support out there was amazing. It’s a dream come true to play for Florida State and have this family behind you.”
Being a part of something bigger
Edenfield said one of the reasons she has been so grateful to be a part of this program as it has allowed her to be herself. In Oklahoma City, she had the opportunity to talk more about her eye makeup looks, and even do a segment with the NCAA. In addition, her elevated platform allowed her to talk about more serious issues like bullying.
“It goes back to what makes you as an individual,” Edenfield said. “I talk about the coaching staff allowing me to be myself and you just don’t really see that in a lot of places. You feel like you need to fit in some custom, but they allow me to blossom and be who I want to be out there.”
“It’s really cool to sprinkle in something that’s off the field on the field, and for people to take notice of that. We’re in a different generation with NIL and opportunities for student-athletes. To think that I have the opportunity to do something that’s a little personal, but is a part of who I am has been really really cool.”
It was a big year for softball overall. Players, like Edenfield and Kaley Mudge, were given opportunities to make money with NIL, FSU sold out tickets at record speed, and postseason games were broadcast to national audiences on ESPN and ABC. The sport is growing at a fast pace, but Alamdea said that it’s important to keep the foundation of the student-athlete in mind.
“We don’t want to lose where the game is going when it comes to NIL and all those things,” Alameda said. “What makes us special on TV is the genuine love for the game. If we can always keep that at heart, and continue to grow it, so people from coast to coast can be a part of it.”
Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @jackgwilliams.