Seminoles ride a five-game win streak west, facing the storied Cardinal. Can their hot bats and stellar pitching conquer California?
No. 8 Florida State is on a five-game winning streak, coming off a 4-1 victory over North Florida on Tuesday. The Seminoles will pack up that momentum and take it out west to California for a three-game ACC series against Stanford beginning Friday.
Florida State (29-11, 12-6) owns an all-time record of 11-9 against Stanford (17-19, 7-11).
On the mound for the Seminoles on Friday night will be Wes Mendes. The left-hander is 7-2 on the season with a 2.05 ERA. He has 81 strikeouts and boasts an opponents’ batting average of .192.
A junior in his second season at FSU, after transferring from Ole Miss, Mendes has been named a semifinalist for the National Pitcher of the Year.
At the plate, Brayden Dowd leads the Seminoles with a .309 BA. In addition, the center fielder has seven home runs, 28 RBI, a 1.027 OPS, and has been a perfect 6-for-6 in the stolen-base department.
Against North Florida, Dowd went 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI. First baseman Eli Putnam has seven home runs on the season.
Stanford has two hitters in the lineup that are batting over .300. Infielder Teddy Tokheim leads the Cardinal with a .378 average and 1.187 OPS. Tokheim has blasted 10 home runs and 31 RBI, and boasts a slugging percentage of .731.
Eric Jeon, also an infielder, is hitting .345. He sports a 1.148 OPS with eight home runs and 17 RBI. On the mound, righty Trevor Moore has a 5-1 record and a 2.36 ERA. He has 33 strikeouts on the season and allows opposing hitters a .167 BA.
Florida State will look to carry on the momentum of winning baseball they have enjoyed over the last five games, momentum that has been the result of dominating pitching, extra base hits, and defense.
How to Watch
Date: Friday, April 24
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Sunken Diamond, Stanford, California
TV: ACC Network Extra
Radio: 100.7 FM WFLA
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