Undefeated Seminoles face ranked rivals and an overhauled roster. Can a dominant pitching staff and potent bats secure an early-season statement win?
Florida State baseball has already arrived for practice at Globe Life Stadium in Arlington, Texas where they are playing Feb 20-22 in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series. They have games against Michigan, Auburn, and Nebraska on consecutive days.
The Noles are currently ranked 16th in the nation; Auburn is ninth, and Michigan and Auburn are unranked.
With two wins against James Madison, and one against Jacksonville, the undefeated Noles will be led by Link Jarrett, who is in his fourth season as manager and signed a four-year extension in the off-season.
Wes Mendes, who is one of the few returning pitchers on this overhauled roster (13 new pitchers on the roster), will lead the Noles on the mound Friday at noon ET against the 3-1 Wolverines.
The junior left-hander from Tampa, Florida, is currently 1-0, with a 0.00 ERA. Mendes, who stated that he spent the offseason working on the mental aspects of the game, went 7-3 last year with 90 strikeouts, and an 5.42 ERA. He is currently listed among the top-100 prospects for this year's upcoming MLB draft.
Saturday night, the Noles will start 6-foot-3, 215-pound righty Bryson Moore against the 3-1 Auburn Tigers. Moore, who hails from Fairfax, Virginia, is a University of Virginia transfer who had 21 strikeouts in seven appearances with the Cavaliers.
The Tigers come in as the top-ranked team the Noles will face. They will start Jackson Sanders. The sophomore left-hander is 2-0, with a 3.30 ERA. Game time is 4 p.m. ET.
Florida State has not named a pitcher for Sunday’s 3:30 p.m. contest. Sophomore right-hander Gavin Blachowicz from Olathe, Kansas, will lead the charge for the 3-1 Cornhuskers on gameday. Blachowicz has given up one run, and two hits in 4.2 innings pitched this year, with no starts.
Offensively the Noles are led by a trio of strong bats. Sophomore outfielder Brody DeLamielleure from St. Augustine, Florida, has half of the team's home runs, with two, He’s currently batting .300. Infielders Cal Fisher and Noah Sheffield lead the team with six hits apiece, and they are both batting over .540.
Last year the Noles were beaten by Oregon State at Super Regionals. They finished the season with 42 wins.
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