“I stuck with softball because it brought me some of my happiest moments as well as some lifelong friends, and it continues to do both of those things,” said Devyn Flaherty, number nine on the Florida State University (FSU) softball team. She’s currently a redshirt sophomore who started all 63 games at second base during the Seminoles’ 2021 season and led the team in stolen bases as well.
Flaherty said, “I think that last season was such a journey. We went through so many highs and lows together…we lost a good number of games and played a lot of close games… [but] it really made us so close. We dealt with adversity early and never shied away from it, which I think was the difference between us making it so far!”
She begins this season trailblazing the same path with big goals and even bigger motivations, saying she “wants to win the Atlantic Coast Conference Softball Tournament and make it back to OKC [Oklahoma City Softball, where the Women’s College World Series is held].”
But success doesn’t just come from nothing. Flaherty has been playing since she was five years old and was even involved with other sports along the way like soccer and volleyball. She said, “Growing up I played a lot of positions, mostly on the infield, but I was always pretty versatile. I think that came from playing soccer my whole life, which was probably my favorite sport. But, in high school, I tore my ACL, and it kind of just became clear that my better option was to continue on the softball path instead of risking getting re-injured in soccer.”
While the injury was an obvious setback to her regular schedule, she commented that it only made her a better athlete and she got right on the road to rehabilitation as soon as possible. Through the team’s agreed discipline and focus, they prevailed even through some of the most difficult and unforeseen times. “COVID-19 was for sure crazy and made last season even more unique! At the beginning of the season, we were in a bubble where we could only see close family and friends, just trying to make the best decision for the team as a whole. It was so worth it when we got to where we wanted to go in the end!” Flaherty gushed.
Flaherty values the importance of not just a close bond, but also the hard work she and the team all come together to do. “My favorite memory on the field would probably either be walking off LSU at Louisiana State University or when Dani Morgan hit the go-ahead home run against Arizona at the World Series,” she commented.
She further stated, “I just think everything that we went through together before and then getting to experience this success together was so special! [Our] program continues to push people even when we do think we have it figured out, so instead of having an ‘aha’ moment, we continue to have big/small moments that are growing us into better players and people!”
The team has started their season on high ground as of right now, going 18-0 as they follow last season’s 49-13-1 coming up second place for the National Collegiate Athletic Association Softball Championship. Flaherty has said that the team “holds a standard every day and lives by [their] values so that [they] can create a common language as a team.” Through her time at FSU, she has said her leadership and time management skills have bloomed as she becomes closer to her teammates and continues to be ignited by the drive to win and get better. She admits to never being afraid to “face failure head-on.”
FSU students can get into any home softball game with just their student ID presented at the JoAnne Graf Field! You can find the team’s 2022 schedule here to see the game locations, times and more!
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest!