FSU baseball head coach Link Jarrett talks earning 9 seed in College World Series
FSU baseball head coach Link Jarrett talks earning 9 seed in College World Series
Florida State baseball hosts the Tallahassee Regional of the NCAA Tournament.The Seminoles’ first opponent is Bethune-Cookman, who they defeated earlier in the season.Other teams in the regional include Northeastern and Mississippi State.
No. 9 Florida State baseball (38-14, 17-10) will have its work cut out for it this weekend at Dick Howser Stadium in the Tallahassee regional.
This year’s NCAA baseball tournament could be wide open for the taking. With FSU hosting its regional for the 37th time in school history, its opponents are not to be overlooked, including its Friday opponent, Bethune-Cookman.
The Wildcats, a team that is coming off a walk-off victory over FAMU. The Wildcats played competitively in their last meeting against the Seminoles on March 2.
FSU still won, 9-7. While there is familiarity between the two, the preparation will be different because the Wildcats haven’t faced the Noles in a weekend game, as FSU coach Link Jarrett pointed out.
“There’s a little bit of an unknown that we have to dive into,” Jarrett said.
” I think the advantage of them coming here to play does help them. I don’t think they are going to be shocked. They are an older team. They do a good job constructing their roster, and these are winning teams that are in here, and that habit and repetitive ability to come out on top, like all of the teams in this tournament have shown it, including them.”
The winner will take on either No. 2 Northeastern or No. 3 Mississippi State in the winning bracket on Saturday.
No. 2 Northeastern
Record: 48-9 (25-2, CAA)
NCAA Tournament history: 11-15, 11th appearance
Leading hitter: Junior outfielder Harrison Feiberg leads the Huskies with a .379 batting average, .737 slugging percentage, 1,202 on-base plus slugging, 18 home runs, and 66 RBI. He is also first on the team with 36 stolen bases, which is ranked 16th in the country. Junior outfielder Cam Maldonado leads the Huskies with 78 hits, 17 doubles, and 75 runs. He is second on the team with a .371 batting average, 1,152 OPS,.667 slugging percentage, 15 homers and 59 RBI.
Leading pitcher: Northeastern is No. 1 in the country with a 2.92 ERA. Left-handed pitcher Will Jones, who started 14 games, has a 1.82 ERA, which is second in the country. He also holds an 11-0 record and is third on the team with 72 strikeouts. Jordan Gottesman has a 2.30 ERA, which is 13th in the country and leads Northeastern with 91 strikeouts. He is 9-2. Aiven Cabral is ranked 33rd nationally with a 2.74 ERA and second on the team with 73 strikeouts. He is 10.2
FSU’s all-time record vs. Huskies: 0-0
Last meeting: FSU has never played Northeastern.
Short hops: This is Northeastern’s 11th tournament appearance. Four is under head coach Mike Glavine. Northeastern is on a 27-game winning streak, including winning the CAA regular season title and postseason title. The 19th-ranked Huskies have the most wins and fewest losses in all of Division I baseball. Some notable wins include victories over UConn and Boston College.
No. 3 Mississippi State
Record: 34-21 (15-15 SEC)
NCAA Tournament history: 89-45, 41st appearance
Leading hitter: Sophomore infielder Ace Reese is Mississippi State’s top hitter. With a .371 batting average, he leads the Bulldogs with 78 hits, 21 home runs, 66 RBI, 18 doubles and 58 runs. He also has a .767 slugging percentage and has a 1,202 OPS. He leads the SEC with 161 total bases.
Leading pitcher: In 76.1 innings, Pico Khon is 19th in the country with 107 strikeouts. He also has a 5-3 record in 14 starts. Karson Ligon is second on the team with 66 strikeouts and Evan Siary has 63. Noah Sullivan has a 1.96 ERA.
FSU’s all-time record vs. Bulldogs: 7-7
Last meeting: 3-2 FSU won, June 2, 2018
Short hops: It is the fifth time that the Bulldogs have played in the Tallahassee Regional, the first time since 2018. Miss. St. has an interim coach, Justin Parker, who is in his second season. He is also the pitching coach for the Bulldogs.
No. 4 Bethune Cookman
Record: 37-21 (24-5 SWAC)
NCAA Tournament history: 4-26, 14th appearance
Leading hitter: Bethune-Cookman’s top hitter is junior outfielder Audrey Martinez. With a .354 batting average, he leads the Wildcats with 69 hits, 20 home runs, 63 RBI, 57 runs and a .738 slugging percentage. His home runs are tied for 24th nationally.
Leading pitcher: The Wildcats’ top pitcher is Edwin Sanchez. In 16 starts, he holds a 3.09 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. He leads the Wildcats with 94 strikeouts in 75.2 innings. He is 8-1 on the mound and has only allowed two home runs.
FSU’s all-time record vs. Wildcats: 9-0
Last meeting: 9-7 FSU won, March 2nd
Short hops: Bethune-Cookman makes its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2017 after taking down FAMU in a walk-off victory during the SWAC Championship last Sunday. It was the Wildcats’ first SWAC title in program history. Bethune-Cookman can hit at the plate. Led by Martinez, the Wildcats are ranked No. 50 with 569 total hits, No. 21 in the country in doubles, 39th with 82 home runs and No. 20 with 483 total hits. The Wildcats are ranked No. 8 with 128 hit-by-pitches. Jonathan Hernandez is in his seventh season as a head coach. It is his third straight winning season and his first tournament appearance.
How to watch FSU baseball vs. Bethune-Cookman in the Tallahassee RegionalWhen: Friday, May 30/ 3 p.m.Where: Dick Howser Stadium / Tallahassee, FloridaWatch: ACC Network
Watch FSU baseball with free trial from Fubo
Friday, May 30
Game 1: FSU vs. Bethune-Cookman, 3 p.m.Game 2: Northeastern vs. Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 31
Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, NoonGame 4: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 6 p.m.
Sunday, June 1
Game 5: Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, 12 p.m.Game 6, Regional title: Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5, 6 p.m.
Monday, June 2 (If needed)
Game 7 Regional title: Game 6 rematch, TBD
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.