Softball head coach Joan Joyce will have to find a new starting pitcher for her squad as Kylee Hanson decided to transfer to Florida State University.

The former Conference USA Pitcher of the Year received a medical redshirt after suffering a season-ending ankle injury on Feb. 25 versus the University of Kentucky, allowing her a fifth and final season of eligibility.

The Owls suffered after the loss of Hanson, going just 23-19 the remainder of the season and were eliminated in the first round of the conference tournament. The year before that, with Hanson fully healthy and starting every game, FAU finished with the best record in program history with 51 wins.

Joyce tried replacing Hanson with Tatum Buckley, Amanda Wilson and Mia Olson, but none had the impact the 2016 Conference USA Tournament MVP did a year before. Hanson posted an NCAA best 0.76 earned run average during her record breaking 2016 season, but Wilson could only manage a 2.07 ERA.

Hanson also led the nation in shutouts in 2016 with 15.

She will be available to play for the Seminoles immediately, having graduated from FAU this past spring.

Hans Belot Jr. is the sports editor of the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him at @Don_Phenom.