The Florida State baseball team is off the schneid but the vibes still aren’t entirely immaculate entering the third weekend of the regular season.
The Seminoles (5-2) snapped their two-game skid with a 14-9 win over UNF Wednesday night in a bullpen game. They’ll hope for more stability on the mound this weekend when they host The Citadel (4-2) for a three-game series beginning with a Saturday doubleheader at 11 a.m., due to inclement weather on Friday, and concluding with a 1 p.m. game on Sunday.
In the last three games, FSU’s pitching staff has allowed eight or more runs in each game, a combined 27. In Wednesday’s bullpen game, nine different pitchers combined to walk nine batters and hit two.
There’s at least some reason for optimism with what was expected to be the weekend rotation fully available to all start for the first time this season.
Wes Mendes, who has started the season with a pair of wins and 10 1/3 scoreless innings, will start Friday. FAU transfer LHP Trey Beard will make his first start as a Seminole after missing the start of the season with an illness and debuting in last Sunday’s game out of the bullpen. Virginia transfer RHP Bryson Moore will move to the Sunday spot after starting the first two Saturday games.
They’ll face a team which enters on a hot streak. The Citadel started the season losing two of three to Liberty, but bounced back with a weekend sweep last week, beating Marshall twice by a combined score of 14-9 and then beating Army 14-8 on Sunday.
The Bulldogs also have a rest and likely a pitching-depth advantage, having not played since Sunday.
Saturday February 28th, 11:00 a.m. ET vs. The Citadel
- Pitching matchup: FSU Jr. LHP Wes Mendes (2-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. North Florida Gr. LHP Will Holmes (1-1, 5.59 ERA)
- How to watch: ACCNX
- How to listen: WFLA 100.7 FM
Saturday, February 28th, 45 minutes after Game 1 vs. The Citadel
- Pitching matchup: FSU Jr. LHP Trey Beard (0-0, 11.57 ERA) vs. North Florida Jr. RHP Bryce Coulter (0-0, 6.75 ERA)
- How to watch: ACCNX
- How to listen: WFLA 100.7 FM
Sunday, March 1st, 1:00 p.m. ET vs. The Citadel
- Pitching matchup: FSU Jr. RHP Bryson Moore (0-0, 7.50 ERA) vs. North Florida Sr. RHP Michael Gibson (2-0, 6.14 ERA)
- How to watch: ACCNX
- How to listen: WFLA 100.7 FM
Bulldog hitters to know
- Sr, 3B Phillips Daniels: Slashing .409/.458/.636 in six games. The only regular contributor hitting over .333 with nine hits, three of them the extra-base variety (two doubles and a homer)
- Jr. 1B Zach Hunt: Slashing .304/.360/.739 in six games. The early-season slugger, with two of the team’s four home runs and eight RBIs, five more than anyone else
- Fr. OF Jayden Williams: Slashing .318/.423/.419 in six games. Not a huge power threat (one triple in six games) but gets on base at a high rate and is 5-for-5 on steal attempts.
