TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — For the Florida State softball team, the memories of their 2018 national championship season are strong, and for the five players on this year's team who lived that moment, it's motivation to want to feel that feeling again.
"It's just as exciting as 2018," said redshirt junior Sydney Sherrill, who played on the 2018 team. "This year's been so up and down for us with COVID and protocols and all that."
It's been an up and down year for a team that seems to be peaking at the right time.
"When you get the opportunity to play at a high level, and you're prepared, that's when the confidence starts to come in and the trust and it's the entire team right now," said head coach Lonni Alameda.
"We've really bought into who we are as a team," added senior Elizabeth Mason. "We've had it from the beginning, but I think we're finally putting the pieces together and it's been really exciting to see these last couple games."
A fight that some may remember from that 2018 squad.
"That squad was nicknamed the cardiac kids because we kind of knew no matter what situation we were going to be in, there was always a chance we could come back," said Mason.
"It just goes back to our culture and how Coacha has made this program into what it is," added Sherrill. "I think every team we've had here is just a hard fought team and we're going to hard fight every game."
Fight that this years veterans say they see in this year's team too, a team that is ready to write it's own story.
"We're playing Team 38 right now," said Alameda. "I think that we're very comfortable in how we do things right now, and that's what we're going to battle with in Oklahoma City."
That battle in OKC begins Thursday night for Florida State when they face UCLA 9:30.
