Riding a dominant home record and top-10 ranking, the Seminoles host a gritty Dolphins squad looking to replicate their upset success over Florida.
Florida State baseball was clicking on all cylinders this past weekend as the Seminoles swept ACC foe Pitt. They are ranked among the top 15 in college baseball, ranked anywhere from No. 15 by Baseball America to as high as 12th by USA Today. And, they improved their RPI position significantly with the sweep of the Panthers.
According to Kendall Rogers of D1 Baseball, Florida State (33-14, 15-9 ACC) rose nine spots to No. 7 in the college baseball RPI and are in prime position for the postseason with two ACC series remaining on their schedule.
The Seminoles will look to maintain the momentum from this past weekend, created by dominant pitching and quality at-bats, when they take on Jacksonville (26-20, 13-11 ASUN) in a midweek matchup on Tuesday night.
Florida State has played Jacksonville twice already this season, winning 13-3 in February and again in March by a 7-6 margin. The Seminoles have a 24-3 record at home this season, with a .888 winning percentage at Dick Howser Stadium.
The Dolphins are led by infielder Roger Vergara, who leads the team with a .346 batting average. Jacksonville is currently third in the Graphite Division of the Atlantic Sun Conference, but has a 9-11 road record. The Dolphins do, however, have two wins over a nationally ranked Florida Gators team. The last time Florida State lost to Jacksonville was 2023 by a 5-4 score.
The Florida State lineup continues to be productive, top to bottom. The usual suspects of catcher Hunter Carns (.318 avg.), Brayden Dowd (11 doubles, tied for team lead with Carns) and John Stuetzer (six home runs) continue to produce at the plate along with Brody DeLamielleure (.306 avg., .913 OPS) and Carter McCulley as of late.
On Sunday, McCulley went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a home run in the Seminoles victory over Pitt to earn the sweep. At the plate, Florida State collected 34 hits, 11 for extra bases.
Florida State pitching is among the best in the ACC, ranking second in strikeouts (494) and ERA (4.05). Against Pitt, the Seminoles dominated from the mound as well, recording 25 strikeouts.
The friendly turf of Tallahassee and Noles fans should be force multipliers for the Seminoles. A top-15 team like Florida State cannot afford a late-season loss to the Dolphins, and will need a solid performance against Jacksonville to maintain the momentum and their lofty RPI ranking in what should be an exciting final stretch of the season.
How to Watch
Date: Tuesday, May 5
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Location: Dick Howser Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
TV: ACC Network
Radio: 100.7 FM WFLA
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