Beard, Bailey, and Stuetzer shine as Seminole baseball's stars earn preseason accolades, setting the stage for an exciting 2026 season.
The Florida State Seminoles are coming off a 42-16 record in the 2025 campaign (17-10 in ACC play), good enough for conference runner-up. After reaching the Corvallis Super Regional, FSU lost to the home-standing Oregon State Beavers and finished with a No. 16 ranking.
The Seminole Nine return some talent this season, including three players who were singled out on Tuesday for preseason recognition by Baseball America: Trey Beard, Myles Bailey and John Stuetzer.
LHP Trey Beard
Beard lands on the preseason watch list for Pitcher of the Year. Ranked No. 64 in Major League Baseball’s Top 100 Prospects, Beard was first-team All-AAC selection at Florida Atlantic in 2025. Beard gave up only five home runs over 86 innings, and opponents batted .199 against him. He had more control of a strike zone than the Teamsters, logging 118 strikeouts versus just 32 walks.
Among his pitches, Beard’s fastball hovers in the mid-90s. But his best pitch, according to the scouts and his draft profile, is a devastatingly “powerful, paralyzing, poifect, pacadermis, percussion pitch,” also known as his changeup. Beard can throw it in the mid-70s range ... comparable only to Bugs Bunny against the Gashouse Gorillas. The Seminoles will be counting on Beard to dominate during this season.
1B Myles Bailey
Bailey is coming off an outstanding freshman season in 2025, in which he batted .337 with 19 home runs (No. 2 in the ACC) and 56 runs batted in. With eight game-winning hits, Bailey posted a slugging percentage of .663 and an on-base percentage of .411.
Last season, Bailey earned Freshman All-American honors from Baseball America, D1 Baseball and Perfect Game. Ahead of the 2026 season, Bailey is the No. 95 player in the MLB Top 100 prospects, and has earned preseason second-team All-American honors.
SS John Stuetzer
A top-50 player at his position and the No. 5 player in the state of Georgia last season, Stuetzer comes to Tallahassee and lands on the preseason Freshman of the Year watch list.
Stuetzer is considered one of the best infielders in the country, and his athleticism extends beyond the baseball diamond. He scored 43 touchdowns over three seasons of football in high school as a receiver; maybe Mike Norvell can talk him into suiting up for Noles football in the fall.
It is a little over a week until the boys of spring break out the bats for another season of Seminole baseball. They have the hitting and the pitching to make another run at a Super Regional and beyond. 2026 could be the year of the tomahawk.
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