No. 17 Florida State routed South Florida 9-1 on Wednesday, rebounding from last weekend's losses to unranked Stanford.

But looming ahead for the Seminoles (30-14, 12-9 ACC) is a pivotal conference series against a dangerous Pittsburgh team that has already knocked off ranked opponents this season.

he Seminoles will host the Panthers (28-15, 10-11) beginning on Friday night at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee.

Though their current win/loss record may not reflect greatness, the Panthers are an offensive juggernaut.

Pitt ranks second in the ACC in home runs with 87 and, before its loss to Kent State on Wednesday, the Panthers were hitting at a .321 clip to lead the conference.

In the past two weeks, the Panthers swept No. 10 Virginia and beat then 12th-ranked West Virginia 23-1 in seven innings on the road -- four straight games in which Pitt upset solid nationally ranked teams, a first in the program's history.

The Panthers lost 13-5 to the visiting Golden Flashes (32-11, 17-7 MAC) on Wednesday, but Pitt's torrid offense made a game of it late.

The Panthers have six players batting over .300, led by Lorenzo Carrier (.393) and Caden Dulin (.361). Both have an OPS north of 1.000 and have combined for 27 home runs and 98 RBI.

Despite the Seminoles' 20-3 home record, Pittsburgh will present a challenge to Florida State pitching staff, which is having a hard time finding the strike zone consistently.

Pitt’s Achilles' heel is its own inability to throw strikes, ranking last in the ACC in strikeouts. Florida State’s offensive core, consisting of Hunter Carns, Brayden Dowd, John Stuetzer and Eli Putnam, will be looking to exploit that tendency.

Florida State coach Link Jarrett has shown a tendency to pull his starters and raid his bullpen when a game is getting out of control. That has resulted in the Seminoles' pitching staff recording only one complete game this season.

Wes Mendes (7-3, 2.43 ERA) continues to be solid on the mound for the Seminoles. The junior left-hander has 86 strikeouts, a WHIP of 1.02, and allows opponents a batting average of just .191. The Seminoles rotation of Mendes, Trey Beard and Bryson Moore will have to have their "A" games to make non-factors of Carrier, Dulin and the rest of Pitt's lineup. Strikeouts, inducing putouts, and limiting extra-base hits will be the priorities.

The clock is ticking on Florida State’s regular season, with three conference series left on the schedule. The Noles are currently tied with Miami for fourth place in the ACC. Winning those final conference showdowns, beginning with Pitt on Friday, will help clear some of the hurdles in their quest for postseason play.

Date: Friday, May 1

Time: 6 p.m. ET

Location: Dick Howser Stadium

TV: ACC Network

Radio: 100.7 FM WFLA

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