The Seminoles are feeling super after a memorable weekend of baseball at Dick Howser Stadium. FSU battled their way through the Tallahassee Regional finishing unscathed with a perfect 3-0 record and punching their ticket to a Super Regional for the 19th time in program history. This marks the second consecutive season the Noles have swept a home Regional. It was a wild weekend with big crowds and even bigger moments, and it all went down in front of the best fans in college baseball led by the Animals of Section B.
FSU opened the regional against a familiar foe, the SWAC Champion Bethune-Cookman Wildcats. The Noles had already beaten them once in a midweek contest during the regular season, but this was postseason play with the stakes much higher this time.
FSU jumped out to a two-run lead by the end of the second inning on home runs by Max and Chase Williams. The Wildcats tied it up in the third inning, and that lead lasted a long time, but only because of a two-hour and nineteen-minute weather delay. Once the raindrops evaporated, so did Bethune-Cookman’s lead as the Noles added three runs in the bottom of the third on a Myles Bailey two-run home run and a James Hankerson RBI.
FSU added an insurance run in the eighth inning, but the gap was already insurmountable for the Wildcats. Joey Volini started the game going 3 innings, allowing 5 hits and 2 earned runs, but saw his day cut short by the weather delay. FSU’s bullpen closed things out with Payton Prescott, Chris Knier, and John Abraham combining for 6 scoreless innings. Bethune outhit FSU 10-6, but FSU tallied 6 runs on 6 hits to get the win and advance through the winner’s bracket. The Wildcats would be eliminated by Northeastern the following day.
Game Two was a highly anticipated matchup featuring Florida State and its Ace Jamie Arnold against Mississippi State and its Ace Pico Kohn. The game started at 6 pm and Howser was rocking and ready to go! FSU drew first blood with a two-run home run by Drew Faurot in the second inning, but MSU cut it to one following a solo home run in their half of the inning. The Noles offense exploded with a five-run fourth inning featuring a Gage Harrelson RBI and a Myles Baily Grand Slam that took the top off Howser.
The Bulldogs got two back in their half of the fourth inning with a two-run home run, but it wasn’t enough as the Noles put the final nail in the coffin with a three-run ninth inning. FSU’s bats chewed up and spit out MSU’s Ace for 7 earned runs on 6 hits and 4 walks in just 3.2 innings. Meanwhile, FSU’s Ace Jamie Arnold put on a show in what could be his final performance in Howser. Arnold pitched 7 innings (119 pitches), allowing 5 hits and 3 earned runs, but punching out 13 batters while walking only 2. Redshirt senior reliever Joe Charles closed things out with 2 scoreless innings allowing 0 hits and ringing up 3 batters.
FSU’s win advanced them to the regional finals where they awaited the winner of Mississippi State and Northeastern. MSU went 2-0 against Northeastern on the weekend setting up the rematch between the Noles and the Dawgs.
The regional final was set as a rematch against the Bulldogs with a win-you-are-in situation for FSU. MSU struck first this time, jumping out to a one-run lead and adding another in the fifth. The Dawgs pitcher Carson Ligon was dealing early on holding the Noles scoreless and stranding multiple runners in big situations. He let his emotions get the best of him taunting the FSU dugout after a strikeout to end the top of the second inning.
After an exchange with FSU’s third base coach who was trying to get the emotions under control, a heated exchange between head coach Link Jarrett and the home plate umpire led to the skipper getting tossed. It was just one of many bad moments for the officiating crew that night, and not the last of the ejections as MSU had a player and coach get tossed in the ninth. Link’s ejection may have been untimely, but it had Howser at full throat. So much so that some MSU fans took to social media to whine about the intense crowd noise matching the energy of a football game, which I’m sure the Animals will take as a compliment.
The Noles scoreless streak was snapped in the seventh inning when sophomore third baseman Cal Fisher hit a two-run blast to tie it up. Max Williams showed off his clutch gene with an RBI that brought in two runs and gave the Noles their first lead of the night. A Myles Bailey single added some cushion on the next pitch and Noles took a 3-run lead into the final frame.
Wes Medes had battled on the mound for FSU putting up 8 full innings of work and a career-high 105 pitches. He only allowed 2 earned runs on 5 hits with 2 walks and 9 punchouts. With a trip to the supers on the line, FSU once again turned to its veteran reliever Joe Charles, who slammed the door on the Dawgs with a scoreless inning on 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. The Noles win eliminated Mississippi State and punched their ticket to the Super Regionals.
Florida State had multiple players step up in big moments from Arnold and Mendes on the mound to Myles Bailey’s appearances at the plate. Joe Charles was clutch in relief, and Drew Faurot and Cal Fisher added crucial home runs. These performances led to Myles Bailey, Drew Faurot, Cal Fisher, Jamie Arnold, and Wes Mendes being named to the Tallahassee Regional’s All-Regional team.
Myles Bailey gets our offensive award as the true freshman has been hotter than a noon game at Doak at the plate. In the regional, he put together a .556 batting average with 7 RBI, 2 home runs (including a Grand Slam), and drew 6 walks with only 3 strikeouts.
On defense, the two massive pitching performances deserve to be recognized. Arnold and Mendes, giving everything they had with triple-digit pitch counts, were monumental in FSU’s regional sweep. This is the type of postseason performance FSU needs. Of course, it must be acknowledged that the bullpen threw 9 scoreless innings when called upon.
Florida State may have already punched its ticket to the supers, but the destination is still to be determined. Nole fans will be intently watching the final game of the Corvallis Regional on Monday night (6 pm) featuring Oregon State vs. Southern California. It’s a winner-take-all game that is of high importance for FSU.
If Oregon State wins, FSU must travel to Corvallis as the Beavers are ranked one seed higher than FSU nationally. If USC pulls the upset and wins the regional, FSU will host, and postseason baseball will continue in Tallahassee. Stay tuned for more information. Thanks for reading and Go Noles!
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