Hurricane grad Kiersten Landers sends Florida State to the College World Series

(Story by Taylor Kennedy)

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Former Hurricane softball standout Kiersten Landers hit a walk-off single down the third base line against No. 7 LSU last Friday sending the No. 10 Florida State Seminoles (44-10-1) to the College World Series. FSU won 4-3 in nine innings.

Landers’ walk-off hit was her only appearance at the plate. She swung at a 2-2 pitch with one out.

“I was nervous,” the redshirt freshman said of her memorable moment. “It was a moment that I had been waiting for my whole life. It was a moment that I was ready for. I was not surprised or too scared to go up there. I knew my time was coming and that they would need me to bring a good swing.”

Florida State is headed back to Oklahoma City for the 11th time in program history and the 4th time under head coach Lonni Alameda.

“I feel like I am nervous before every game,” Landers said on her nerves before her at-bat. “I feel like it is good to be nervous because it means you care a lot. In that situation, I was more nervous than usual because it was a packed crowd and a lot on the line. I was more nervous compared to prior at-bats.”

Once Dani Morgan, the runner who scored off Landers’ hit, reached home plate, the Seminoles bench stormed the field and a dogpile commenced at home plate.

“I ran to home plate, and they put me and Dani Morgan at the bottom of the dogpile,” noted Landers of where she was amid the celebration.

Landers won back-to-back state titles with the Redskins in 2017 and 2018. She was also a four-time Class AAA first-team all-state member.

“Winning the state championships was a big deal for me, but I think this might top the state championships,” said Landers’ comparing the two championships to her walk-off hit.

Landers’ did not take long to decide where she would spend her collegiate softball career. She committed to play for the Seminoles following her freshman season.

“Adam LaLonde, my hitting coach, played professional softball with the assistant coach here, Travis Wilson,” noted Landers of how she got into contact with FSU. “Adam gave him a call and told him to come to watch me in a tournament in Orlando and he came. I went on my unofficial visit the next day, and I committed the week after.”

Landers grew up watching the Seminoles softball team take the diamond. She always knew that she wanted to represent the garnet and gold.

“When I went on my unofficial visit, I thought the campus was so beautiful,” Landers’ noted of her visit to Tallahassee. “The coaches were nice, and it was a family environment. I am close to my family back home, and it made me feel at home here. I knew I wanted to go here once I stepped on campus.”

Landers had not always played softball. She had played baseball before switching in the 8th grade at Horace Mann Middle School. Landers spent the majority of her time on the mound throwing the heat.

“It was more difficult hitting-wise because the ball is coming at such a different angle,” said Landers of the transition from the baseball diamond to the softball diamond. “My first two weeks, I think I struck out every at bat when I switched to softball. I got the hang of it. I then switched to the left side because I was a right-handed hitter, but when I switched to the left side I think that helped a lot as well.”

Landers and the Seminoles will take the field against No. 2 UCLA Thursday at 9:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.

(Part two of Kiersten Landers’ Citynet Statewide Sportsline interview)





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