No. 8 Florida State baseball (28-11, 12-6) will try to start its four-game road trip on the right foot as the Noles look for a win against UNF (23-16, 14-4) on Tuesday night.
It has been a tale of two different weeks for FSU. The Noles came into last week losers of four in a row, including a sweep at the hands of Georgia Tech, but responded with a 4-0 week, defeating Stetson and sweeping Notre Dame. The series against the Irish was critical for Florida State to get back on track, both on the field
and in the standings. Link Jarrett’s team sits fourth in the ACC with a 12-6 record, 8th in D1 Baseball’s top-25 rankings, and 10th in RPI. The Noles could ill-afford to drop the series against ND if they want to be a top-8 host, and they bounced back in a major way.
One of the reasons for last week’s success was the offense finally finding a rhythm. Florida State combined for 20 runs in the first two games of the series and scored four runs in the seventh on Sunday to steal the series finale from the Irish. The Seminoles will need the bats to continue to stay hot tonight with a question mark on the mound. Florida State’s Tuesday starter this year, Cooper Whited, pitched Sunday and will be down today. Jarrett also told the local Tallahassee media that Payton Manca was close to returning, but is not likely to pitch versus the Ospreys. Gabe Nard and Jake Echols seem to be in line to get the brunt of the work, but it will be a bullpen game that Jarrett and pitching coach Micah Posey will need to work through.
Shifting gears to North Florida, the Ospreys currently hold the best record in the ASUN, 14-4, and were named in Baseball America’s weekly bracket on Tuesday after winning their first six in-conference series.
Tuesday, April 21, 6 p.m. vs. UNF
- Pitching matchup: TBA vs. TBA
- How to watch: ESPN+
- How to listen: WFLA 100.7 FM/seminoles.leanplayer.com
Osprey hitters to know:
- Jr. SS Matthew Farner: Slashing .299/.429/.569…Leads the team in home runs (10) and stolen bases (14).
- R-Jr. C Boone Hosey: Slashing .339/.490/.514…Went to Florida State University High School and played two seasons at TSC.
- Jr. 2B Mitchell Collins: Slashing .311/.401/.387 with an almost identical BB:K…Currently in his second season with the program.
