No. 14 Florida State (29-14, 12-9) looks to bounce back from getting swept over the weekend with a win over USF (28-15, 7-11) on Wednesday night. The Seminoles and the Bulls will only play once this season after meeting twice a year ago.
Last weekend could not have gone any worse for FSU on their West Coast swing against Stanford. Link Jarrett’s team lost three-straight games in agonizing fashion, holding a multi-run lead in all of them, getting walked off on Saturday and Sunday. Almost nothing the Noles
did was executed at a high level. The defense did not help the pitching staff. The at-bats cratered with runners on base. The arms did all they could, but eventually burst. Getting swept by Georgia Tech was one thing, but the Seminoles are now starting to run out of time to start playing clean baseball before the postseason. Once again, Jarrett needs to find a reset button and it starts with a quality performance today.
Looking at today’s game, there are multiple lineup questions the coaching staff needs to answer. It starts on the mound, where it seems likely Cooper Whited will retain his mid-week spot after not throwing against Stanford. However, FSU used five different arms during Sunday’s finale, some of whom faced only one batter, and will need to find a way to get through the game while prioritizing rest with only one off day before Pitt, instead of the usual two. At the dish, the injuries are piling up, forcing Jarrett to move players around. Will Brayden Dowd start today or be given a day off? Does Eli Putnam move up in the lineup after homering on Sunday?
Turning to USF, the Bulls are coming off a sweep, losing three straight on the road to East Carolina. South Florida has lost three-consecutive AAC series, but has played well in its mid-week contests with wins over Miami and Stetson in the last two weeks.
Wednesday, April 29, 4 p.m. vs. USF
- Pitching matchup: TBA vs. TBA
- How to watch: ACC Network Extra
- How to listen: WFLA 100.7 FM/seminoles.leanplayer.com
Bull hitters to know:
- Sr. SS Jevin Relaford: Slashing .355/.459/.473 with more walks than strikeouts through 35 games…Owns the FCS record for stolen bases (68) after spending three years at Florida Southern.
- Sr. C Lance Trippel: Slashing .336/.390/.493 and increased his batting average 87 points from 2025…Began his career at Florida State and spent two seasons in Tallahassee.
- Fr. 3B Jack Lutz: Slashing .312/.414/.366 in first season playing college baseball…Has struck out just four times in 93 ABs.
