Who is Jaysoni Beachum? Get to know the standout freshman hitter for Florida State softball
Florida State softball enters the Norman Regional with one of the best batting lineups in all of college.
The No. 15 Seminoles (46-14) enter the super regional round averaging 7.51 runs per game, which is fifth nationally. The offense has been led by freshman newcomer Jaysoni Beachum, a standout star in Tallahassee for the last two years of high school whose talents have translated to the college level.
The first game of the best-of-three-game series against No. 2 Oklahoma (52-6) ― and a rematch of the 2023 Women's College World Series championship series ― starts at 7 p.m. Thursday at Love's Field in Norman, Oklahoma.
REQUIRED READING: Oklahoma-Florida State softball history: How Sooners have fared against Seminoles in regular season and WCWS
In her first season as a college player, Beachum has shown an impressive ability to hit and hit for power. She enters the game against No. 2 Oklahoma with a .425 batting average, .516 on-base percentage, 1.261 OPS, 15 home runs and 65 RBIs in 60 games played and 226 plate appearances. The batting average and RBIs lead the team, and the 77 hits and 15 home runs tie catcher Michaela Edenfield for the most.
Here's what you need to know about Florida State softball's star freshman hitter, including where she went to high school and her stats:
MORE: Watch FSU vs. Oklahoma in the NCAA Softball Tournament Super Regional with Fubo (free trial)
Who is Jaysoni Beachum?
Beachum started her high school career at Houston Academy in Dothan, Alabama. In 2021, she hit for a .475 batting average with 19 home runs, earning Alabama 3A All-State Hitter of the Year. She committed to FSU in September 2021 as the No. 14 player in the Extra Innings Extra Elite 100 prospects. Her family moved to Tallahassee ahead of the 2022 year. As a junior at Florida High, Beachum was named the 2022 Big Bend Player of the Year and to the All-Big Bend First Team after hitting .507 with 12 home runs, 36 RBI and 35 hits.
Ahead of the 2024 season, she played games against players with actual collegiate experience and hit .640 with an OPS of 2.039. Beachum drove in 21 runs in 25 at-bats, a brief glimpse into what she could potentially do in her freshman season.
Jaysoni Beachum FSU rookie RBI record
Beachum broke former FSU great Sydney Sherill's record for RBIs in a season. Sherill drove 58 runs in her freshman season with the Seminoles in 2018. Beachum currently has 65 RBI. She broke the record on April 27 when she drove in Kaley Mudge on a single against UNC. She had tied the record with a three-run walk-off home run the night before.
She enters the Norman Regional three RBI short of Jessi Warren for the fourth most RBI in a season, with 68.
Jaysoni Beachum achievements, awards
Beachum was named the ACC Freshman of the Year, is a top 25 Finalist for the 2024 USA Softball National Player of the Year for freshmen and is a top 25 TUCCI/NFCA National Freshman of the Year award finalist. She won Softball America's Player of the Month honor three times. She enters the super regional top 10 nationally in batting average hits, RBI, on-base percentage, and total bases.
Beachum is also the first FSU softball player to be a top 3 finalist for the TUCCI/NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year award. The other two finalists are Oklahoma's Ella Parker and Florida's Keagan Rothrock.
Jaysoni Beach stats
Here are Jaysoni Beachum's year-by-year stats at Florida State:
2024: .425 batting average, .516 on-base percentage, 1.261 OPS, 15 home runs, 65 RBI, 60 games played, 226 plate appearances
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Who is Jaysoni Beachum? What to know about FSU softball freshman hitter
