Heading into the final week of the regular season, when focus and synergy are paramount, off-the-diamond distractions were plentiful around Florida State baseball.
After storms pounded Tallahassee last Friday, Dick Howser Stadium did not have a foul pole and for the bulk of the week, most players’ apartments were powerless. Leading into their final ACC series against Georgia Tech, FSU had played four consecutive road games, losing three of them — the latest of which was an offensive beatdown at the hand of the Stetson Hatters.
The Seminoles flew into Orlando Monday and took on Stetson Tuesday in DeLand. The FSU bullpen allowed four straight home runs at the bottom of the second and gave up another five-run inning later in the day as the ‘Noles lost to an in-state school for the first time of the season.
Having struggled in the past week Florida State desperately needed to get back on track, and the team in the path of that was one that shared the same sentiment — a Yellow Jackets team in need of victories to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive.
In front of a black ten-foot fence in right and Jamie Arnold coming off his best performance of the season against Pitt, FSU took game one 8-3 against the Yellow Jackets. Arnold did not bring his best but battled and threw a season-high in pitches, saving the Florida State bullpen. The home run carried the Seminoles as it usually does, as they hit three solo shots.
To kick off a Friday doubleheader, the offense detonated for eight runs in the third as the Seminoles raced out to an early 8-1 lead. The lineup struggled the rest of the way, but they did enough damage early on to win comfortably. Carson Dorsey faced a similar fate as Arnold as he allowed a base runner in every inning but threw a career-high in pitches while keeping GT at bay for most of the afternoon en route to an 11-3 win.
Series in hand, Florida State started their evening game like a team that ran out of steam. The Seminoles’ lineup went nine up, nine down, and more than half struck out. Andrew Armstrong capitulated on the mound and gave up five runs in three innings. However, the Seminoles responded by scoring five runs in the fourth quarter, as the first five batters reached base.
An inning later, James Tibbs gave FSU a 6-5 lead with a solo blast. The Seminoles led 7-6 with two outs in the seventh before bad weather overtook Tallahassee for the 100th day in a row. The teams pushed the game to Saturday at two, then to five, and finally restarted at six P.M. The night’s rest ignited the Yellow Jacket lineup as they scored five runs in the final two innings and stole the game 11-10.
Despite the distractions and more terrible storms, Jarrett’s team won two of three against a desperate Georgia Tech team. They finished fifth in the ACC and must win both games in pool play to advance to the semifinals. Considering the team did not qualify for the tournament last year, the season can already be a success, but if FSU wants a top-eight national seed, they must make it to weekend play.
3 Up
1-2-3 Hitters
Florida State will go as far as Cam Smith and James Tibbs take them. After a week like they had, it makes sense that FSU’s offense scored eight or more runs in all three games over the weekend. Throw in Max Williams’ bounce-back week, and the 1-2-3 batters set the tone for the offense’s production. The three combined to hit 17-46 in all four games this week, with four home runs and a bases-clearing double. Tibbs provided the only offense on Tuesday with two long balls against Stenson. Smith took over the game Thursday night, hitting 3-4 and hitting an opposite-field blast. Max Williams broke the third game open with a bases-clearing double and gave FSU an 8-1 lead. When all three are locked in at the plate, opposing pitchers do not have any room for error or to breathe. Florida State can make a deep run in the ACC tournament if their stars play like stars.
Starting rotation
Armstrong does not count in this category because he was not an announced starter at the beginning of the week like Arnold and Dorsey. Those two did not throw their best games, but their ability to battle through an explosive Georgia Tech lineup while pushing themselves to the limit should be commended. Arnold went 6 1/3 and threw a season-high in pitches while only allowing three earned runs. He gave up 11 hits, his most of the year, spread them out, and induced ground balls to limit incoming damage.
The same could be said for Dorsey, who allowed a base runner in every inning but never let go of the rope and ensured Jarrett never made an early move to the bullpen. For Dorsey to throw six innings in 100-degree weather during a doubleheader made sure almost everyone in the bullpen could be used in game three. Florida State will need these two to re-find their top form if they want to advance out of pool play, but they kept FSU in the hunt for a top-eight national seed by keeping the lid on the GT offense.
Defense
Besides some of the disasters at the end of game three, Florida State’s defense, specifically Alex Lodise and Cal Fisher, got FSU out of multiple jams. They turned multiple double plays in each game this weekend as the pitchers trusted the guys behind them, and they delivered. Lodise made a couple of impressive line drive grabs at short when he did not turn two at second. Jaxson West also did a great job blocking Arnold on Thursday night, and his proficiency in keeping the ball in front of him helped limit the Yellow Jackets’ movement on the bases. Considering the mental toll the team took over the last week, the defense could have melted down, but instead, they played consistently for most of the games.
3 Down
Pitch Recognition
In the two games before FSU played Georgia Tech, the Seminoles combined for 20 runs, but it still feels like the lineup started to slump. When asked about this during his midweek press conference, Link Jarrett said that the issues stemmed from FSU’s inability to recognize secondary pitches and adjust off of them. Early in the season, when the lineup had many unknowns, pitchers threw fastballs, and FSU hit them out. However, as the season wore on and the data came out, Florida State struggled with the curve. Looking deeper at this week's issue, Link Jarrett knows his team well. The Seminoles struck out nine times in half of their games this week. After they scored eight runs in the third Friday afternoon, seven straight batters went down on some of the most uncompetitive at-bats this year. Part of the issue could come from the fatigue of the week and a long season, but Florida State risks getting exposed if they do not right these wrongs. It takes a lineup-wide effort to force pitchers to adjust their game plans, and without FSU, the season could end in heartbreak.
Pitching with traffic
On the bright side, FSU’s staff limited damage all week long when players reached base, but they should not have been there in the first place. Arnold giving up 11 hits is an anomaly, but eventually, teams will capitalize with that many men on base. The same can be said for Dorsey, who needed multiple double plays to keep his start strong. Armstrong did not face the same fate and allowed a bases-clearing double that allowed GT to jump on FSU early. Even more worrisome comes from how these rallies start with two outs. Micah Posey has a staff-wide problem of giving up walks with two outs that spark rallies. When the ‘Noles can get out of a clean frame, they must take advantage of the condensed schedule and pressure.
Situational hitting
Although FSU hit eight home runs in four games this week, over half came with runners on base. These blasts carried the offense as the lineup rarely came up clutch in the big moments. During the doubleheader games, Florida State went 4-19 with two outs. The day before the order hit 2-10, with runners in scoring position. While Williams provided the big hit of the weekend with two outs, it never felt like the ‘Noles put any of these games out of reach. It sounds like a broken record, but if Jarrett wants his team to advance deep during postseason play, his team needs to put opponents away when they get the chance.
What’s next:
Florida State finished the regular season as the No. 5 seed in the ACC tournament and will compete in pool play with Georgia Tech and Virginia — the first meeting between the ‘Noles and Cavaliers. FSU must win both games to advance to the semifinals, where UNC will most likely wait for them. Most pundits say the Seminoles must reach the weekend to feel confident in being a top-eight national seed.
POOL A
- No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels
- No. 8 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
- No. 12 Pitt Panthers
POOL B
- No. 2 Clemson Tigers
- No. 7 Louisville Cardinals
- No. 11 Miami Hurricanes
POOL C
- No. 3 NC State Wolfpack
- No. 6 Duke Blue Devils
- No. 10 Virginia Tech Hokies
POOL D
- No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers
- No. 5 Florida State Seminoles
- No. 9 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Tuesday, May 21
- No. 11 Miami vs. No. 7 Louisville, 11 a.m. (ACC Network)
- No. 9 Georgia Tech vs. No. 5 Florida State, 3 p.m. (ACC Network)
- No. 10 Virginia Tech vs. No. 6 Duke, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
Wednesday, May 22
- No. 4 Virginia vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech, 11 a.m. (ACC Network)
- No. 12 Pitt vs. No. 8 Wake Forest, 3 p.m. (ACC Network)
- No. 3 NC State vs. No. 10 Virginia Tech, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
Thursday, May 23
- No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 11 Miami, 11 a.m. (ACC Network)
- No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 12 Pitt, 3 p.m. (ACC Network)
- No. 6 Duke vs. No. 3 NC State, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
Friday, May 24
- No. 5 Florida State vs. No. 4 Virginia, 11 a.m. (ACC Network)
- No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 2 Clemson, 3 p.m. (ACC Network)
- No. 8 Wake Forest vs. No. 1 North Carolina, 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
Saturday, May 25
- Pool A Winner vs. Pool D Winner, 1 p.m. (ACC Network)
- Pool B Winner vs. Pool C Winner, 5 p.m. (ACC Network)
