A first-round ACC tournament bye hangs in the balance as the Seminoles’ elite pitching staff attempts to stifle Miami’s explosive bats in this high-stakes, historic sunshine state showdown.
It is rivalry on the baseball diamond that began in 1951 and is loaded with history and tradition. The Florida State-Miami series is must watch baseball, and it certainly will be on Thursday when the Hurricanes arrive in Tallahassee on Thursday for game 1 of the final conference series of the season. With a first-round bye in the ACC tournament on the line, Florida State needs a sweep of Miami to make that happen.
This season, the Seminoles are 25-3 at Dick Howser Stadium. That bodes well for Florida State (36-15, 17-10 in ACC) as they have posted a 15-6 record against the Hurricanes at home. The matchup to watch will be Florida State’s pitching against Miami’s bats.
Miami (35-15, 15-12 in ACC) is ranked fifth in the league in team batting average at .303 and led by three players batting over .300 for the season.
Outfielder Derek Williams is the leading hitter for the Hurricanes with a .378 average, to go with 14 home runs and 65 runs batted in.
Catcher Alex Sosa is hitting at a .339 clip and has parked 15 home runs beyond the outfield walls and is responsible for 64 RBI. Against the Cardinals, Sosa went 4-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI. Sosa is the reigning ACC Player of the Week.
Infielder Jake Ogden is batting .322 and has five home runs of his own and 33 runs batted in.
The Hurricanes are coming off a series win over Louisville, and collected 40 hits in the process.
On the mound, Miami combined for 40 strikeouts against Louisville, led by Rob Evans, Lozaro Collera and AJ Ciscar.
Florida State will counter with catcher Hunter Carns, who leads the Seminoles with an .317 batting average, including 11 doubles and a .911 OPS. Also leading the hit parade for Florida State will be Brayden Dowd, who has come on as of late in the power department with nine home runs, 31 RBI, 12 doubles and an OPS of 1.001. Freshman left fielder John Stuetzer is another one to watch, with a .280 average, eight home runs, 39 RBI and 10 doubles.
Florida State ace Wes Mendes will get the start on Thursday. Mendes leads the Seminoles staff with a 2.42 ERA, 103 strikeouts vs. 23 walks, and he allows opponents a paltry .190 batting average against him. Trey Beard and Bryson Moore have combined for 137 strikeouts this season heading into the finale with the Hurricanes.
There is a question regarding the health of No. 1 reliever John Abraham, who appeared to injure himself against Clemson. It remains to be seen if Abraham will see any action against Miami. Abraham has posted six saves for the Seminoles.
How to Watch
Date: Thursday, May 14
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Location: Dick Howser Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
TV: ACC Network
Radio: 100.7 FM WFLA
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!