Florida State softball is a victim of its past success early on in 2024.

The Seminoles are unranked in the Softball America Top-25 poll following a 6-5 loss to Jacksonville on Sunday at Rattler Field. The game was put together after FSU (11-4) had to pull out of the Jane Sander's Tournament in Eugene, Oregon.

FSU went 6-0 before that cancelation in their Dugout Classic at JoAnne Graf Field but struggled in the Clearwater Invitational and dropped its opener for the first time since the 2014 season.

Seminoles' head coach Lonni Alameda addressed some of the concerns around the team, especially when it comes to dealing with the hype that comes with playing softball at FSU.

"We're still trying to figure ourselves out a little bit. So I think the one thing that we're trying to talk about with our circle is just handling the outside conversations right now on social media and media, in general, is just how do you go from this top spot to falling in the rankings [from last season] and having bad games" Alameda said to the local media Tuesday at an availability.

"But the reality is, we were ranked off last season. It's a new team, we have to figure ourselves out. So that stuff that we can't control and I think there were some really good things out of the game.

FSU is back in action at 12:15 p.m. Friday against Purdue in the Spring Break Classic in Fort Myers this weekend. The Seminoles will play five games over three days before returning home for a doubleheader against North Dakota State on Tuesday.

While Alameda said she emphasizes the importance of tuning out social media for her players, she also said it's easier said than done. She said she also has to often fight the urge to correct false narratives online.

"Man, this is all that matters right now and I think that's a really good lesson for life in general," Alameda said. "Like those people who are downplaying [us], they're not practices every day, they're not knowing what we're about. So why do they get to judge our results, which is fine, but the season's not over and are growing.

"So I think that's the one thing that we keep hammering home is we are a young team and growing right now and we've got to make sure that we stay tight as a unit and not let the outside infiltrate the unit and that's just definitely what we've been talking about."

FSU looking to rebound from tough loss

FSU has played just one game since Saturday, Feb. 24. That was a 6-5 loss to Jacksonville.

Starter Allison Royalty surrendered six runs in the bottom of the first inning and FSU never recovered.

The Seminoles are ready to get back on the field after seeing an entire weekend scrubbed from their schedule.

"We're going to get five games out there," FSU freshman Jaysoni Beachum told the Democrat. "We're fortunate to pick up another game on Sunday against FGCU and all the teams we're going to play out there are going to give us some good linear experiences and a challenge.

"So we're looking forward to going about there but again, just staying focused to our left and our right. Playing Seminole softball and one-pitch softball mentality is the key for sure."

The Seminoles are not willing to overlook anyone. Especially coming off a tough loss against Jacksonville.

Still, Alameda found positives from the game to carry forward.

"I thought [Ashtyn] Danley threw really well, I thought we said some pretty good at-bats," Alameda said. "Jaysoni is swinging it well, so as we keep building our team, I think there are some positives out of the process of what we're doing. Definitely not the game that we wanted to play or, you know, position we want to be in for a loss. But as we build this teamwork process, there are some quality things out of it."

Busy week ahead, but not looking ahead

Following the five games in three days at the spring break tournament, FSU returns home for a total of six games next week.

The Seminoles then play No. 10 Alabama at home Wednesday before opening ACC play against No. 4 Duke next weekend.

But before FSU gets to those games, Alameda said the team needs to take care of business this weekend.

"We just take care of today. So I mean, we can't look into the future," Alameda said. "Today, we had good conversations. ... Then it's all about the games on down at Florida Gulf Coast and you just can't look past it.

"So whatever we have ahead of us, we prepared for that in September, October, November and we're here to play the 60 games and get after it and try to be better every time we get out there."

FSU opens the tournament with Purdue (9-8) and plays it twice over. The Boilermakers are aggressive on the bases, stealing 44 bases in 50 attempts. Moriah Polar is 12-of-15 in stolen base attempts.

Host FGCU (12-8) has played a tougher schedule but is 0-10 all-time against the Seminoles. However, the Eagles are another aggressive team on the basepaths, going 28-of-30, with seven different players recording at least two steals.

Western Michigan (9-6) is already in Fort Myers as of Wednesday to play a pair of games ahead of the weekend.

How to watch FSU at FGCU Spring Break Classic

Friday, March 8

Florida State vs. Purdue, 12:15 p.m.

Florida State vs. FGCU, 5 p.m. (ESPN+)

Saturday, March 9

Florida State vs. Purdue, 10 a.m.

Florida State vs. Western Michigan, 12:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 10,

Florida State vs. FGCU, 3 p.m. (ESPN+)

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports), Instagram (tlhnolesports) and YouTube channel (NoleSportsTD).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Lonni Alameda, FSU softball look to bounce back and get back to WCWS