Florida State baseball’s much-anticipated season-opening series is just a few days away as they open up against James Madison on Friday, February 14th in Dick Howser Stadium. There’s a lot of excitement around the program coming off one of the biggest turnarounds in college baseball history. The Noles made a run to remember ending the season in Omaha as one of the final four teams standing.
However, with a number of players from that team no longer in garnet and gold, one of the biggest mysteries heading into opening day was who would fill out the starting weekend rotation. In a recent interview with FSU head coach Link Jarrett for 247 Sports, he clarified the news we anxiously waited to hear.
There was no surprise about who would be the Friday starter. As expected, Florida State will continue to roll with its left-handed ace Jamie Arnold. Arnold is unquestionably one of the best arms in America and racked up about every preseason honor in college baseball. The projected first-round pick will look to build on last year’s dominant campaign as he anchors the Seminoles’ weekend rotation.
There was no surprise about who would be the Friday starter. As expected, Florida State will continue to roll with its left-handed ace Jamie Arnold. Arnold is unquestionably one of the best arms in America and racked up about every preseason honor in college baseball. The projected first-round pick will look to build on last year’s dominant campaign as he anchors the Seminoles’ weekend rotation.
The question we all wondered was who would follow Arnold. Jarrett announced that former USF transfer Joey Volini will step into the starter role on Saturday against the Dukes. The talented left-hander recovered from Tommy John surgery, which caused him to miss the 2023 season, but he was back to work in 2024 going 3-0 as a starter with a 4.40 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 28.2 innings of work with the Bulls. According to Jarrett, he’s had a great fall and looks ready to lock down one of the starting spots.
To close things out on the weekend for FSU, Ole Miss transfer Wes Mendes will take the mound on Sunday vs. JMU. Mendes appeared in 17 games with the Rebels making two starts. While his 6.82 ERA doesn’t pop off the stat sheet, Jarrett loves what he sees from Mendes calling him a “thoroughbred-type horse.” He hopes to see improvement from the left-hander stating, “It’s just a matter of command and whether we can get that horse saddled and manage what we are doing.” However, you can see the potential as he wrung up an impressive 43 batters in 31.2 innings while only walking 19.
It’s an all-lefties weekend starting things off for the Seminoles on the mound. Of course, as we saw last year, the starting rotation could evolve throughout the season, but we now have the starting lineup for opening weekend. We’ll also get a look at FSU’s improved bullpen depth which had an up-and-down season last year.
The Noles need to come out hot as the Dukes are no slouches. They went 36-25 last season and advanced to the Raliegh Regional. JMU was a solid hitting team batting .297 (53rd) and averaging 7.3 runs per game last year. However, FSU projects to have one of the best pitching staffs in the country this season. They will have an opportunity to show what they have against a formidable opponent to open the season. Thanks for reading and Go Noles!
Share this Article with other Nole fans!
