Florida State Seminoles
Overall Rank: #2
Conference Rank: #1 ACC
There was a time during the 2017 season when Florida State was in some trouble. They were not playing particularly well and had to win some big games just to reach .500 in conference play. But still the Seminoles hosted a regional. It looked like FSU’s troubles may have started again during the NCAA Tournament. They lost their opener to fourth seeded Tennessee Tech. But the team rallied and did not lose again until they reached the College World Series.
2017: 46-23, 14-14
2017 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Mike Martin
Key Departed Players:
Dylan Busby, IF, .315 BA, 15 HR, 65 RBI
Quincy Nieporte, 1B, .302 BA, 11 HR, 82 RBI
Taylor Walls, IF, .273 BA, 8 HR, 47 RBI
Drew Carlton, P, 2.17 ERA, 5-4 W-L, 62.1 IP, 58 SO, 7 SV
Key Returning Players:
Jackson Lueck, OF, .318 BA, 9 HR, 54 RBI
J.C. Flowers, OF, .235 BA, 2 HR, 32 RBI
Cal Raleigh, C, .227 BA, 9 HR, 39 RBI
Tyler Holton, P, 2.34 ERA, 10-3 W-L, 119.1 IP, 144 SO
Drew Parrish, P, 4.52 ERA, 6-3 W-L, 91.2 IP, 93 SO
Cole Sands, P, 5.40 ERA, 6-4 W-L, 83.1 IP, 72 SO
Projection:
Florida State returns a very talented and experienced pitching staff, led by Tyler Holton. Holton went 10-3 last season with a 2.34 ERA. In 119.1 innings of work, Holton struck out 144 batters. Drew Parrish, Cole Sands and Andrew Karp all started at least a dozen games last season and are back as well. The starting rotation is in great shape. There may be some issues in the bullpen though without Drew Carlton. At the plate FSU ranked fourth in the nation in runs scored. There will be some new faces needed to replace the likes Dylan Busby, Quincy Nieporte and Taylor Walls, but do not expect this group to take much of a step back, if any. Cal Raleigh had a bit of a disappointing freshman campaign, but he has proven to be a very productive hitter at times. Jackson Lueck is a superb hitter too. He batted .318 with nine homeruns and 54 RBIs. With Drew Mendoza and Rhett Aplin also returning, Florida State should not lack in power. Mendoza missed a big chunk of last season with an injury, but still managed to hit ten homeruns in 2017. Last year’s inconsistencies should be a thing of the past, but either way the Seminoles will be a tough out once the tournament rolls around.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Baseball Tournament
