Florida State baseball swept UAB in a fall doubleheader at Dick Howser Stadium, showcasing depth and momentum following head coach Link Jarrett’s recent extension.
Cole Kruger, Sports Editor
| FSView
FSU baseballs Link Jarrett talks long term commitment to program
FSU baseballs Link Jarrett talks new contract, long term commitment to Seminoles program
Florida State baseball returned to Dick Howser Stadium for the first time since last June as they faced the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Blazers for an exhibition doubleheader Saturday, Oct. 25.
After splitting the doubleheader against Mississippi State University last weekend in Pensacola, the Seminoles took on the Blazers for their second and final fall ball exhibition game. Earlier in the week, speculation emerged about head coach Link Jarrett’s future with the program before FSU announced new contract terms for Jarrett on Oct. 23, solidifying his commitment to the program.
“[Being at FSU] is unbelievably unique and special to me,” Jarrett said during the post-game press conference. “I have a lot of pride here and I take this personally what we do here.”
Jarrett threw out a lineup of six returners and three transfers in senior infielder Eli Putnam, sophomore infielder Gabe Fraser and junior outfielder Brayden Dowd. In his first game at Dick Howser, Dowd hit lead-off and played center field on Saturday, with two hits and two runs batted in (RBI).
“First time at Howser in front of our home fans, it was an awesome feeling, especially being the lead-off hitter,” Dowd said during the post-game press conference.
Starting the first exhibition game was junior pitcher Trey Beard, a left-handed pitcher who transferred from Florida Atlantic University. Beard threw two scoreless innings against Mississippi State, following it up with a scoreless first inning against UAB.
“Everything he does is a little unique,” Jarrett said to the FSView at the press conference when asked about Beard. “The arm slot, the profile, metrically, all of the pitches are pretty interesting.”
Junior pitcher John Abraham followed Beard up, throwing three shutout innings while striking out three. Abraham leaned on his fastball, which reached 94 miles per hour.
The ’Noles began the scoring in the third with Dowd’s first RBI as a member of the Garnet and Gold off a double to give Florida State a 1-0 lead. With Dowd on second, sophomore first baseman Myles Bailey smashed a two-run home run to left field. The opposite field blast bounced off the Jumbotron, igniting the home crowd.
Bailey is looking to follow up a stellar freshman year, where he earned freshman first team All-American honors, with a batting average of .327 with 19 home runs. With an explosive season under his belt, Bailey is stepping up as one of the clear leaders in the Seminoles’ clubhouse.
“Last year we had [Alex] Lodise, [Drew] Faurot and all those guys in front of you so you just learn from them and go off of what they do,” Bailey said during the post-game press conference. “After doing that, I’m the guy that those younger kids and other guys look at, I embrace that role.”
With the 3-0 lead in the fourth, sophomore pitcher Cade O’Leary allowed two singles in a walk to load the bases. O’Leary worked out of the jam, striking out UAB freshman infielder Baylor Roberts to preserve the lead.
In the fifth inning, junior pitcher Brody Purcell struggled with command. He walked two batters, allowed a single and hit UAB’s junior catcher Max Price to score the Blazers’ first run. Junior infielder Alex Dupuy hit a sacrifice fly to make it 3-2 before Purcell loaded the bases once again, forcing Jarrett to bring in sophomore reliever Payton Manca.
Manca, a high-leverage arm for FSU, struck out freshman catcher Austin Pierzynski — son of former Major League Baseball catcher A.J. Pierzynski — to keep the score 3-2.
The ’Noles offense exploded in the sixth inning, as they sent 12 batters to the plate and scored seven runs to make it 10-4. Infielders Noah Sheffield, Gabe Fraser, Cal Fisher, Jace Estes, Putnam and Dowd all had RBIs in the inning. Sheffield started the scoring with a line drive down the left field that scored two.
The Garnet and Gold leaned on freshman pitcher Manny Lantigua in the seventh. Lantigua had a clean inning, closing the door on a 10-4 win for Florida State in game one.
The lineup for game two looked completely different for the Seminoles, with Putnam being the only player to play in both games.
Freshman pitcher Braxton Varnes started game two, as he surrendered a lead-off home run to the first batter he faced, UAB’s junior outfielder Kevin Hall Jr. Following the home run, Varnes did not surrender another hit, throwing two innings and striking out one.
Freshman outfielder John Stuetzer led FSU hitters in game two, going 2-3 with two RBI’s. One of his RBI’s came on a double as part of the 4-run fourth inning for the ’Noles. In that inning, senior infielder Carter McCulley and freshman infielder Kelvyn Paulino Jr. added RBI doubles of their own.
At the conclusion of the fifth inning, the teams agreed to conclude the second exhibition game, as the Garnet and Gold won 6-1, sweeping the doubleheader.
Jarrett and Florida State hung their hats on the matchup against UAB, as it will be their last time facing competition before their season opener against James Madison University on Feb. 13.
“When you have a day like that against a good outside team, it probably provides more knowledge of your players and who needs to work on what,” Jarrett said.
The Seminoles will be back on the diamond on Friday, Oct. 31, for the Garnet and Gold All-Star game at Dick Howser Stadium.
Cole Kruger is the Sports Editor for the FSView & Florida Flambeau, the student-run, independent online news service for the FSU community. Email our staff at contact@fsview.com.