FGCU softball pitcher ranked among the best in the country

Author: Zach Oliveri
Published:

Florida Gulf Coast softball pitcher Allison Sparkman is back in the circle for her sophomore season.

“Complacent is never a vocabulary word for me,” Sparkman said.

“Her freshman year, (Allison) always came out and competed,” pitching coach Courtney Radke said. “But it’s just a little different this year. It’s she knows the expectation. She knows she’s going to have to push herself.”

Sparkman made her name known last season. She was voted unanimously to the All-Conference Freshman Team and even started in the Gainesville Regional in May.

“It felt familiar for some reason,” Sparkman said. “I felt I never once felt and my teammates never made me feel like I didn’t deserve to be there.”

That comfort comes from playing the position for 13 years. Sparkman started as a shortstop and outfielder. The idea of a position change came from her and her dad, Donny.

“We kept it secret for 6 months and I just randomly pitched my first game,” Sparkman recalled. “And I remember him coming up to me and hugging me so hard. He was like this is something we need to keep pushing towards.”

Sparkman’s dad pitched collegiately at Middle Tennessee State. He taught her the motto, “Next Pitch,” which is stitched into her glove.

“No matter if it’s the worst pitch you’ve thrown the best pitch you’ve thrown, you always have to move on,” Sparkman explained. 

Sparkman comes into this season as the 26th ranked pitcher in the country, according to the D1Softball Preseason Player Positional Rankings.

Sparkman thanked her dad for his support, “my dads always had confidence in me. He has been with me for every step of this process. From catching my bullpens to now to be able to relax and not stress when I’m pitching, he it was really our accomplishment. Yeah, it was really our accomplishment.”

Despite living out of state, Sparkman’s parents come to each of her games.

The softball team hosts its Kickoff Classic with games going on at the FGCU Softball Complex through Sunday.

Copyright ©2025 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.