The Seminoles will soon throw out the first pitch, with prized newcomer Trey Beard likely leading FSU baseball out.
Florida State isn't just hosting football recruits on campus, nor trying to become a force on the basketball court under alum Luke Loucks.
Soon Dick Howser Stadium will be filled with fans, including those awaiting to see the high-profile pitching transfer coming into Tallahassee.
Trey Beard is crossing over from Boca Raton, Fla., to the state capitol of Florida. He ends up leaving Florida Atlantic University in the process -- starring his last two seasons on the mound for the Owls.
Beard rose as among the biggest names in the NCAA Transfer Portal for baseball. FSU and head coach Link Jarrett end up winning the rare in-state battle for a previous college star within the Sunshine State.
Yet why and how did FSU rise up among his list of suitors? Beard managed to break his silence on his portal move with the Sunday Golds Podcast Thursday.
"I'm so excited. I'm excited for the environment that Howser has. I'm excited for it all," Beard began.
Turns out that Jarrett helped ease Beard's comfort in joining the 'Noles on the diamond.
"I think Link Jarrett just made it a really easy decision. It was probably my shortest meeting and they got straight to the point. They just made it a comfortable environment," Beard said.
However, the meeting wasn't the only sealing moment for Beard. The southpaw took a dive into Jarrett and FSU's history with pitchers of his caliber.
"Also seeing the success of left-handed pitchers under him, I just feel like all away around it was an easy decision," he said.
Beard, who's a native of Dunedin, Fla., arrives to Howser as a First-Team All-American Athletic Conference member. He owned a 7-1 record with one save. Plus he delivered an ERA of 3.14 and struck out 118 batters.
Beard surprisingly went under-recruited before eventually landing at FAU. He claims his size and still-developing pitching skills likely led to the quiet recruiting period.
"I'm not a flamethrower or anything like that. I'm kind of on the smaller side of the physical aspect of pitching. So I think that led to not having a lot of offers out of high school," Beard explained.
But he has ties to FSU even before he takes the hill for his first game. He had an older sister and cousin graduate from the school. He even knows a couple of guys on the team.
"I played high school against the Jesuit High boys Noah (Sheffield), John (Abraham) and Wes (Mendes)," he said.
FSU hosts James Madison on Feb. 13.
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