Seminoles hitters face a top-tier Virginia pitching staff. Will they manufacture runs and find the hits needed for victory?
No. 7 Florida State (22-6, 7-2) has won three consecutive series in ACC play, with a sweep of Wake Forest, and series-clinching victories over NC State and Duke.
On Thursday, Florida State will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, to take on the 10th-ranked Cavaliers (23-7, 7-5) in a three-game series. The Cavaliers are coming off a run-rule 16-2 win over Old Dominion on Tuesday. Their last time out in ACC play, Virginia lost their series to Boston College and was outscored 23-6.
Seminoles coach Link Jarrett has spoken repeatedly about having quality at-bats against opposing pitchers that throw a good mix of pitches and elite velocity.
The Cavaliers pitching staff boasts two undefeated hurlers, Lucas Hartman (5-0) and Henry Zatkowski (4-0). Hartman can throw five pitches effectively: his fastball, curveball, a splitter, a cutter and a sweeper.
Zatkowski’s fastball has been clocked at 90 mph. Both have command of the strike zone, and have a combined 73 strikeouts. As a staff, Virginia ranks No. 2 in the ACC with a 4.68 ERA.
On offense, the Cavaliers have four players on their roster with five or more home runs to their credit, led by Sam Harris (.370, 10 HR, 37 RBI). As a team, the Cavaliers have hit 50 home runs this season.
By comparison, the Seminoles have hit 36 homers, but lost their one true power hitter when Myles Bailey went down with a season-ending injury. Nevertheless, Florida State is ranked second in the ACC with a .314 team batting average, while Virginia is third at .309.
Kelvyn Paulino continues to lead the Seminoles with a .366 batting average and has struck out only ten times in 71 at-bats. In Bailey’s absence, Brayden Dowd is now the active leader on the team in home runs with six, to go with a .294 batting average.
Pitcher Wes Mendes is the best pitcher the Seminoles have and will get the start in game 1. In 40 innings of work, Mendes is 6-1 this season with a 1.33 ERA, 58 strikeouts on 11 walks, allowing a .167 batting average.
How the Seminoles hitters respond to Virginia’s pitching to get those “quality at-bats” will have an impact on Florida State’s ability to be victorious. Not relying on home runs, necessarily, but utilizing the gaps, getting on base and not leaving the runners stranded.
How to Watch Game 1
Date: Thursday, April 2
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Location: Disharoon Park, Charlottesville, Virginia
TV: ACC Network
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