TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — There is no doubt the success the Florida State softball team has had on the field. They are winners in every since of the word, now their facility is getting some winning upgrades. New seating options and a new scoreboard are just a few of things fans will see this season, and this team couldn't be more excited to welcome you into their updated home.
"I think one of our pitchers was like, it's Home Depot smell right now, you know?!" laughed head softball coach Lonni Alameda.
Big things are happening at the Seminole Softball Complex.
"We work hard for it on the field, and we work hard on it with our relationships too," she said Friday. "Our fans are like our family, and our boosters are like our family. This is their home too. We're just making our house a little nicer, doing a little upgrade and creating a really comfy house here and we're really excited."
A home that's getting some pretty sweet renovations. There will be new berm seating along the left field line, a new scoreboard, premium seating over the bullpen, a turf skirt around home plate, and upgrades to each dugout round out what fans will see this season.
"To have your fans here, you know, I always talk about how family is a core value of ours, and it's really important. We're just trying to improve the experience for both sides. Our home here that we're living is comfy, and now the outside of it is pretty comfy too."
Family takes care of family. The projects currently happening total 1.5 million dollars, and everything was made possible with the support of Seminole Boosters and fundraising by the softball team.
"We're thankful for football and all the money sports that allow this to happen. Now you start to look at the interactions that are happening on social media, and the following at the World Series and those things. There is a niche for us. We take such pride in it across the country, and we're so grateful for the opportunity."
An opportunity that for the Seminoles keeps getting bigger.
"That's what I love about the growth of the program is every kid that's been a part of the program sees something different here and they're adding to the legacy of it," said Alameda.
And that's something that can be enjoyed by everyone for years to come. The current renovations should be done by the start of this season, but they are just the beginning. At the end of the this season, that seating deck along the left field line will extend all the way down and around to the left field light pole. They're also building what coach calls "dad stands," those will be a raised platform at the top of the complex behind the current seats.
