SBNation.com User Blog: rsyrkus

Noles Suffer Second Heartbreak in ACC Tournament

rsyrkus — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:20 -0000

A day after a deflating loss to No. 7 seed Georgia Tech, Florida State (44-14) came out to face Virginia Tech (37-19) in a must-win situation to remain in the hunt for an ACC Tournament title berth. Paired with the Georgia Tech loss earlier in the day to Virginia, the Seminoles’ need to win-out and have the Yellow Jackets drop their game against the Hokies on Friday. Unfortunately for the Noles, déjà vu would come in a painful way as a solo homerun in the 9th downed Florida State 3-2.

As the away team, FSU got a quick look at VT’s starting pitcher Brad Markey. The Hokie starter would baffle Seminole hitting, or lack thereof, through most of the game. Markey would try to go for the complete game, but fail to finish it off as the Seminoles started to get after him in the 9^th. The righty lasted 8.1 innings, giving up six hits and striking out 10. Both runs for FSU were credited to Markey.

Not to be outdone, Florida State starter Luke Weaver went pitch for pitch with Markey. At times, Weaver looked better than Markey. It wasn’t until late in the game that Weaver began to falter. Weaver would exit the game in the 7^th after Virginia Tech put up the first runs of the game. The righty would finish the game with 6.1 innings pitched, facing 24 batters. Weaver would get the no-decision, even after tying a career-high nine strikeouts.

The Seminoles had a chance to score the game’s first run in the 6^th inning when Seth Miller led off with a single. However, Markey quickly shunned that threat away by getting DJ Stewart to strike out on a 1-2 pitch and Marcus Davis to ground into a fielder’s choice. Stephen McGee would pop out to end the inning, leaving Davis at first base.

The Hokies would get on board first in the 7^th inning. Starting with a swinging bunt single from Tyler Horan, Virginia Tech would make sure their leadoff hit would not go to waste. During their following at-bat, VT’s sophomore right fielder Mark Zagunis hit a triple to right center, bringing in Horan. The struggles would continue for Weaver as Andrew Rash brought in Zagunis with a sacrifice fly to left and give the Hokies a 2-0 lead late in the game. Gage Smith would relieve Weaver and close out the inning for the Noles, limiting the damage and giving FSU a chance to come back.

Virginia Tech would threat again in the bottom half of the 8^th as Sean Keselica doubled with two outs. Chad Pinder would rip the ball to right field giving Keselica a chance to score from second. Jameis Winston would then unload his right arm with a perfect throw home, getting Keselica and keeping the score 2-0 at the end of the inning.

Looking for a last breath of hope, the Seminoles entered the 9^th inning down by two. Leading off, Stephen McGee ripped the ball to left field for a double. John Nogoswki would then ground out to short, advancing McGee to third. Barely able to keep the ball in play, Casey Smith managed to smack a 2-0 pitch down the right field line, bringing in McGee and cutting the score to 2-1 Hokies. Josh Delph would enter the game pinch hitting for Winston as Brett Kneif pinch ran for Smit at second. The changes worked out for the Noles as Delph singled to right and Kneif beat the throw home, tying the game at two. Virginia Tech was unable to get Delph out as the lead runner after Giovanny Alfonzo’s soft roller to second. The Hokies still managed to get Alfonzo out at first and keep FSU within scoring position. John Sansone would then groundout to end the inning for the Seminoles.

With a little more life in them, Florida State went back out in the bottom half of the inning. Smith would remain the pitcher for FSU and get a quick fly out to left field to open the 9^th for VT. In another heartbreaking fashion, solo homeruns would doom the Seminoles. Leaving a 2-0 pitch up, Hokies’ Zagunis went deep to left, giving Virginia Tech the walk off 3-2 win over Florida State.

The loss secures FSU a losing record in the ACC Tournament for the second straight year and prevents the Noles from having a chance to play in the title game. Florida State has not won the ACC Tournament title since 2010 when they were the No. 5 seed playing against No. 7 seed NC State.

Florida State will play Virginia in Saturday’s first game in what might determine the pool winner. Virginia Tech has the chance to advance to the title game with a win over Georgia Tech tomorrow. If the Yellow Jackets win, they would then need Virginia to lose in order to advance. The Cavaliers can compete for the title if they win paired with a Hokie loss.

Noles Fall in Top Ten Battle

rsyrkus — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:06:12 -0000

In a game added late in the season to make up for various cancellations from both teams, the Seminoles were unable to complete a comeback as they visited the Tar Heels, falling 4-3.

Importance of the Game

This game will not mean much in the long run as both teams wrapped up their division heading into the ACC Tournament. It will ultimately just be an extra game for both teams to set up their pitching staff this weekend.

What to take Away from the Game

Neither team threw their ace in this game, but it was still a nice gage to see where each program is prior to the postseason. Florida State’s bullpen was great in this game and it appears this team is shaping up to make a long run in the postseason.

FSU 3 UNC 4

Peter Miller got the call for the Seminoles as they finished out the regular season and begin to look forward to the ACC Tournament. Miller got into some trouble during the fourth inning before he was pulled. Giving up a few singles and having an error from Jose Brizuela extended the inning as the Heels would score twice, brining the score to 3-1.

Bryant Holtmann would enter after Miller and have an impressive couple of innings, only allowing one base runner for UNC.

After tying the game in the sixth inning, Florida State had the opportunity to take their first lead in the following frame. John Sansone started the inning with a single and DJ Stewart would add a single of his own to give the Noles two on with one out. Both runners would advance after the Marcus Davis fly out to right. Stephen McGee would load the bases shortly after off a walk, but Jose Brizuela would end the inning with a fly out to center field, stranding all three runners on base.

In the following inning, Jameis Winton would give up what would be the game winning run. Winston suffered his first collegiate loss after going 2.2 innings, giving up three hits and striking out one.

MVP of the Game

Bryant Holtmann – Going against one of the top teams in the nation, Holtmann was able to hold UNC hitless. Granted, he only faced seven batters through two innings, but Holtmann, as well as the rest of the bullpen, have been very impressive down the stretch of the season.

Looking Ahead

Florida State enters the ACC Tournament as the No. 2 seed and will play Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, and Virginia in their pool. The Seminoles have already faced each of these teams earlier this year going a combined 3-6. FSU captured a series win over the Yellow Jackets, but fell to the Hokies and were swept by the Cavaliers.

Florida State’s first game of the tournament is Wednesday at 11 a.m. against Georgia Tech.

Seminoles win ACC Atlantic in dramatic fashion

rsyrkus — Sat, 18 May 2013 23:14:44 -0000

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Florida State wins crucial series at NC State

rsyrkus — Tue, 14 May 2013 02:00:46 -0000

No. 8 Florida State (42-10, 18-9) and No. 9 NC State (39-13, 16-10) are in the midst of fighting to try and win the ACC Atlantic Division while also trying to secure one of the eight national seeds for the NCAA Tournament. At times, both teams looked great against each other while also looking almost poorly at other times. In the end, Florida State took two of three from NC State to remain in the lead of the division and have control of their own destiny entering the last regular season weekend.

Importance of the Series

Entering the series, Florida State held a half game lead over NC State with six ACC games remaining. Three games against the Wolfpack and three games against Clemson who was a close third in the Atlantic Division. Now looking at the standings, FSU still holds their own destiny after winning two of three at NC State, but they still face a tougher test than the Pack.

What to take Away from the Series

Providing Florida State pitching can repeat their performance they had this past weekend and FSU hitting can do the same, the Seminoles are in a prime position to capture the Atlantic Division. Granted, there is still plenty of games left in the season until a national champion is determined, but FSU is putting themselves in a great position to make a run in the postseason.

Here is how each individual game broke down

Game 1

FSU 1 NC State 3

Florida State played well, but not well enough to take the first game of the series from NC State. Luke Weaver was not as spectacular as he has been in his previous starts, but he still pitched well enough to earn a win had he had some run support. Weaver lasted seven innings, allowing eight hits and three runs while striking out nine. Weaver only gave up one walk, but also had two wild pitches.

The main story of the game was NC State starter Carlos Rodon. Rodon dominated the Noles through eight innings, scattering nine hits while striking out eight. He did allow four walks, but quickly got out of most jams before turning it over to Chris Overman to close it out.

John Nogowski and Jameis Winston did most of the work offensively for FSU, but were unable to make a solid impact as most of the team struggled against Rodon. Nogowski finished 2-3 and brought in the only Seminole run while Winston finished the game 3-4.

MVP of the Game

John Nogowski – Nogo was one of the very few Seminoles who was able to get it done against Carlos Rodon. The main problem was there was no one else other than Nogo and Jameis Winston able to consistently hit Rodon.

Game 2

FSU 12 NC State 3

In a game FSU needed to win, the team came out as a whole and dominated NC State. Brandon Leibrandt looked like he did last season as he pitched eight innings, only allowing three hits and one run. Leibrandt also struck out seven while not giving up a walk.

Unlike what happened in the first game, Florida State gave plenty of runs for Leibrandt to work with. Scoring six in the first two innings and another four in the ninth, the Seminoles had the game in control from start to finish.

The top four hitters for FSU were outstanding as the combined to score eight of the twelve runs while also combining to bring in nine of the twelve runs. The top four also had nine of the 14 hits for the Noles.

MVP of the Game

DJ Stewart – As stellar as Brandon Leibrandt was, Stewart put up numbers which are rarely seen. Stewart went a perfect 3-3 with three walks, reaching base in each of his six plate appearances. Stewart also scored three runs and had three RBIs.

Game 3

FSU 8 NC State 4

Once again in what seemed like a “must win” for the Noles, Florida State comes out on top against the Wolfpack. This time around, the score was much closer as FSU held on for the 8-4 win.

The Seminoles jumped out to a quick start, leading 6-1 by the end of two. Once again, FSU would take more on the board to bring it to 8-1 in the fifth. NC State would try to fight back, getting two in the sixth and making a threat in the eighth, but only getting one across late in the game.

Scott Sitz went into the sixth inning, allowing three runs on seven hits. Sitz struck out four and gave up two walks. The bullpen was great for the Noles as Gage Smith and Robby Coles combined for 3.1 innings of two hit ball. Smith allowed a run in the eighth, but held strong to prevent any additional damage from the Pack. Smith and Coles combined to strike out four and walk one.

Marcus Davis was once again showing his strength as he finished 2-5 with 3 RBI. His only two hits came in the first and second innings. Each hit was a home run with the first going to left field and the second down the right.

MVP of the Game

Robby Coles – Yes, Marcus Davis is more than deserving of the recognition of the “game MVP”. However, the dark horse in this one was Robby Coles. After the Pack began to threaten in the eighth, Coles came in and made quick work of NC State to close it out. One. Two. Three. Series win for the Seminoles.

Looking Ahead

Florida State looks to capture the ACC Atlantic Division as they currently hold a 1.5 game lead over NC State. Only No. 19 Clemson (37-15, 17-10) stands in the way of FSU as the Tigers are one game back on the Noles.

Clemson currently holds the No. 14 RPI ranking as they have wins over South Carolina, North Carolina, NC State, Georgia Tech, and Virginia. Unfortunately for the Tigers, of the teams mentioned, only the NC State and Georgia Tech series ended with a series victory in Clemson’s favor.

Both Florida State and Clemson will be partially scoreboard watching as NC State is still in the mix for the Atlantic Division. Clemson still has a chance as well, but they would need NC State to lose against Duke while they try to win in Tallahassee. On the other hand, the Seminoles look to wrap up the division as early as possible. They simply need to focus on their games against the Tigers.

Florida State currently holds an all-time record of 66-58-1 against Clemson with a 35-15-1 record at home. The Seminoles have lost the previous three seasons series against the Tigers, including being swept by Clemson in 2010. The last time FSU has beat CU twice in a single season was 2011 as they won the opening game of the regular season series 8-6 and once again in the ACC Tournament, held in Durham, N.C., 6-3. Florida State went 1-3 against Clemson last year with the only win coming on the road in the regular season series finale.

All three games will be aired through ESPN. The first game will be on ESPN 3 while the next two will be aired on ESPNU. Game one of the series is set for 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Seminole Softball Drops Heartbreaker in ACC Finals

rsyrkus — Sun, 12 May 2013 01:28:52 -0000

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Florida State defeats Boston College to open ACC Tournament

rsyrkus — Thu, 09 May 2013 23:54:56 -0000

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FSU Blows by Stetson in a Two Game Series

rsyrkus — Wed, 08 May 2013 23:54:28 -0000

Florida State (40-9) once again had a dominant two game mid-week series against Stetson (23-26). This time going at it in DeLand, Fla., the Seminoles breezed by the Hatters to kick off their five game road trip. Heading into one of their toughest series this upcoming weekend, the Noles were able to fix some of their problems faced during the UCF series.

Game 1

FSU 13 Stetson 5

Although Peter Miller did not have his best start of the year, he was able to settle down after the second inning and give Florida State a handful of solid innings beginning in the third. Finishing with six innings pitched, Miller struck out three and walked one while giving up eight hits and four runs. Each run was scored in the first two innings.

Ultimately, the FSU offense was the main story of the game. The Noles blew by the Hatters from scoring early and often. Florida State scored two runs in each inning for the first four innings, then added four more in the eighth for good measure.

Jameis Winston was the main source of the FSU power as he finished with a career-high three hits and four RBIs. Winston also scored twice in the Noles route.

DJ Stewart, Stephen McGee, and Giovanny Alfonzo each had two RBI with Stewart going 3-6 and scoring three runs while McGee finished -3 and scored twice.

MVP of the Game

Jameis Winston – Winston’s career day paced the Seminoles as his four RBIs ranked most of all Noles. Winston also had a career high three hits.

Game 2

FSU 14 Stetson 2

The Noles once again took care of the Hatters, this time making a bigger statement than the night before. Starting with an eight run first inning, there was no doubt Florida State meant business against Stetson. FSU would then score three runs in both the third and fourth inning.

Due to Billy Strode pitching the night before, Mike Martin took advantage of the early run support and gave his bullpen some work. Starting with Bryant Holtmann and followed by what seemed like the entire bullpen, a total of six Seminole pitchers combined to hold Stetson to two runs.

Jameis Winston had one of his most impressive pitching performances Wednesday, going three innings and striking out four while giving up no hits or runs.

Offensively, DJ Stewart led the Noles with four RBI, scoring a run, and finishing 2-3 with a walk. Both Marcus Davis and John Sansone brought in two runs.

The win over Stetson completes the four game season sweep over the Hatters.

MVP of the Game

DJ Stewart – Stewart’s four RBIs helped the Noles route Stetson as two of the four RBIs came in their eight run first inning. Stewart would finish 2-3 with a walk and scoring a run before being replaced by Brett Kneif in the fourth inning.

Looking Ahead

Florida State will have one of their most difficult series of the year with control of the ACC Atlantic Division on the line for each of these teams. Completing their five game road trip, the Seminoles will travel up to Raleigh, N.C. to face the Wolfpack (38-11, 15-8) who are currently a half game behind FSU in the division.

All-time, the Seminoles hold a 57-26 record against N.C. State while FSU is also 18-10 on the road. Since the last road trip to Raleigh, the Noles are 4-3 against the Pack with the losses coming in Raleigh, Tallahassee, and the 2011 ACC Championship in Durham, N.C. Florida State has won the last two games against N.C. State.

ESPN 3 will have coverage of the first two games while ESPNU will air the finale. Game one is set for noon on Saturday.

FSU Sweeps Wake Forest To Remain Atop The ACC Atlantic

rsyrkus — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 21:42:58 -0000

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Florida State shuts out South Alabama

rsyrkus — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 02:19:04 -0000

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Florida State has one of their most Dominating Weekends against Duke

rsyrkus — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:23:36 -0000

Coming off a tough loss to bitter rivals Florida, the Seminoles aimed to get back to their winning ways and stay atop the Atlantic Division in the ACC. After multiple rescheduling for the Sunday game, eventually moved to a doubleheader on Saturday, No. 7 Florida State (30-6, 13-5) rocked Duke (21-17, 8-10) in one of the most dominating series since the season began. The sweep over Duke continues FSU’s dominance over the Blue Devils.

Importance of the Series

With the series sweep over Duke, Florida State has secured their spot at the top of the Atlantic Division for one more week. Both Clemson and NC State are closely behind FSU and it appears the division will come down to the last weekend.

What to Take Away from the Series

It has been an odd season in which the Seminoles have continuously won games they could have easily lost. Trying to change that trend and cut down on defensive miscues, Florida State rolled over Duke in the most convincing sweep they’ve had all season. Getting great pitching performances from all three starters as well as most of the bullpen throwing just as well, the Noles handled the opposition with ease. The most important part of the series, other than getting the wins, was their lack of errors. Three consecutive errorless games is exactly what this team needed as they hope that trend continues.

Here is how each individual game broke down

Game 1

FSU 16 Duke 2

Florida State had one of their most dominating performances of the year and it came to a surprisingly good Duke team. Making his second Friday night start of the year, Luke Weaver baffled Duke hitters for seven innings. Only giving up six hits and one run while striking out six, Weaver gave the Noles the base for a win. The FSU hitters would take care of the rest.

Headed by Marcus Davis and John Sansone, the Seminoles would run all over the Blue Devils on their way to a 16-2 win. Of the 16 runs scored, Davis and Sansone brought in seven while scoring four.

While Davis and Sansone brought in and scored a large portion of the runs, they were joined by Brett Knief and Jose Brizuela as each of the four finished the game 3-4.

MVP of the Game

John Sansone – Although the award can go to essentially the entire offense and to Luke Weaver, it was Sansone who opened the game for FSU in the 4^th with his two-RBI single through the left side of the infield. Sansone’s hit gave FSU a 4-1 lead and the team would not look back as the Noles would score an additional 12 runs before concluding the game.

Things to Work On

Florida State played a nearly flawless game. Weaver’s biggest “threat” came in the 3^rd when Duke had two on and two out. The offense was hitting like they were at the start of the season against inferior teams. Overall, the team played a great game.

Game 2

FSU 8 Duke 5

After struggling this season compared to last, FSU starter Brandon Leibrandt came out strong against Duke in the early game of a doubleheader. Lasting 7 innings and facing an additional batter I the 8^th, Leibrandt only gave up one run on eight hits while matching a career high of 10 strikeouts.

The Seminole offense continued their strong outing from the previous night, scoring six runs in the first three innings. Led by Jose Brizuela’s 3-3 day, Florida State would eventually have a 7-0 lead before Duke got on the board.

Things would start to get interesting in the 9^th wit Bryant Holtmann on the mound. Up 7-1, Holtmann allowed Duke to steadily climb back into the game. Duke’s Jeff Kremer would hit a bases loaded double, scoring three to bring the score to 8-5. All of Duke’s four runs in the last inning came with two outs. With men warming up in the bullpen, Holtmann would get Grant McCabe to groundout to third and give FSU the win.

MVP of the Game

Brandon Leibrandt – Having his best start since a one-hitter a few weeks ago, Leibrandt would be the main reason FSU won the game as he kept Duke from scoring until late in the game. Lasting seven innings, Leibrandt gave up eight hits and one run while striking out 10.

Things to Work On

Once again, Florida State played a great game. Although it did not factor into the outcome, it would have been nice to see Bryant Holtmann get that final out prior to giving up the three-run double. At the same time, it did not seem to be anything to be concerned about.

Game 3

FSU 8 Duke 3

Although it was not his most dominant performance, Scott Sitz was still impressive on the mound in the nightcap of a doubleheader. Going five innings and giving up three runs on six hits, Sitz still gave the team a chance to come away with a victory.

For the third consecutive game, FSU scored at least eight runs. The Noles brought in six runs in the first two innings with Jose Brizuela leading the way. Brizuela would end the night going 3-4 with three RBI and two runs scored.

FSU had a major contribution from their bullpen as Billy Strode and Robby Coles pitched a combined four and only giving up three hits. Strode and Coles struck out five while walking none.

With the sweep over Duke, Florida State has now won their 10^th consecutive games against the Blue Devils and eight consecutive series sweeps over Duke in Tallahassee.

MVP of the Game

Jose Brizuela – Finishing 3-4 with three RBI and two runs in a game is impressive. However, it was more than just one game. Throughout the series, Brizuela was FSU’s most consistent hitter going 9-11 and, at one point, reaching base in 11 straight at-bats.

Things to Work On

Scott Sitz showed that he is human after all. It wasn’t a bad outing, but it wasn’t his best either. His toughest inning came in the 4^th when he had the bases loaded with one out. Eventually two would score in the inning, but Sitz still managed to stay calm and prevent any major damage from occurring.

Looking Ahead

Florida State is back at it on Tuesday night against South Alabama for single mid-week matchup. South Alabama is currently sitting at 27-10 and might give FSU one of their toughest mid-week games to date. The Jaguars have a series sweep over Arkansas and a close lose to Mississippi State.

FSU leads the all-time series with a record of 35-26-1. The Noles also lead the all-time series in Tallahassee at 24-15-1, but lost their last meeting 2-7 in 11 innings back in 2006.

Tuesday’s game is set for 6 p.m.

FSU Host Duke in ACC Weekend Matchup

rsyrkus — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:34:11 -0000

Florida State returns to ACC play in Tallahassee for the first time since hosting Georgia Tech three weeks ago. Coming off a tough loss to Florida, the Seminoles (27-6, 10-5) look to get back on track and continue their dominance over Duke in the three game series (21-14, 8-7).

Historically, FSU is far ahead of the Blue Devils. The Noles hold an all-time record of 68-19 over Duke. They have also won the last seven games over the Blue Devils, 26 of the last 29 matchups, and most impressive of all, FSU has swept the last seven series between the two for games played in Tallahassee.

Duke is performing much better than some expected coming into the season. With wins over Florida, Miami, Clemson, and a series win over Georgia Tech; the Blue Devils are a team more than capable to upset the Seminoles this weekend.

Duke currently sits fourth in the ACC Coastal Division, ahead of Virginia Tech and Miami.

OFFENSE

Statistically speaking, Duke might have better individual hitters, but Florida State has the better overall team hitting. Duke’s Andy Perez and Jordan Betts have carried much of the weight for their team hitting .372 and bringing in 35 runs respectively. Looking at FSU though, their top starting hitter for average, Jose Brizuela, is still hitting .056 below Perez with 12 less hits.

Still, the Noles have the overall advantage since they do not rely on any one player. Florida State is an extremely patient team drawing 194 walks so far this season. The main concern offensively for FSU is getting the timely hit.

PITCHING

These teams are eerily similar in strikeouts and walks allowed. Duke has played more games and have more strikeouts (262) than Florida State (244). However, FSU has also allowed less walks (109) than Duke (125). The Noles have also given up fewer hits and as a whole appear to be the better pitching team. Taking that with a grain of salt, Florida State pitching gets into a lot of trouble due to their defense allowing extra outs.

The main standing point with pitching is the unearned runs allowed from each team. As it is no surprise by now, Florida State has been giving away runs left and right all season and has one of the most troubled defenses in the nation. The Seminoles have allowed an astounding 39 unearned runs across compared to Duke’s 13 allowed. The Noles keep finding ways to win most games, but it sure hasn’t been easy for the pitching with all the errors behind them.

PROBABLES

Friday’s 6 p.m. matchup is looking like a great one as Luke Weaver is expected face off against Trent Stewart. Both are having great years with high strikeout rates and a low amount of walks. Friday appears to be a pitchers duel in the making, at least on paper.

Saturday’s game might turn into the exact opposite of Friday’s start. Brandon Leibrandt and Drew Van Orden are expected to start and neither has looked overly fantastic on a regular basis this season. Leibrandt is still trying to find his magic from last year. His inconsistency on the mound caused him to drop to the Saturday slot rather than Friday and it appears that he will remain there until he gets back to his ways of old.

In a game originally scheduled later in the day, but bumped up to an 11 a.m. start due to Duke’s traveling schedule, the series finale is expecting to see Scott Sitz and Robert Huber. Sitz is the clear favorite in this one as he remains one of the best pitchers the Noles have this year. Entering with the fourth lowest ERA in the nation, Sitz looks to keep the Sunday gold intact as the Seminoles have yet to lose on a Sunday this year and are a combined 18-0 when wearing gold since last season.

At the same time, Sitz, as great as he has been this season, still has some miscued numbers. He has only allowed three earned runs this year, but 20 runs overall. Once again, it all goes back to FSU’s defense and making the plays they should be making.

Florida State (27-6, 10-6) looks to continue their dominance over Duke (21-14, 8-7)

Florida State Loses Heartbreaker Against Florida

rsyrkus — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 03:49:46 -0000

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Florida State Takes Series in Miami

rsyrkus — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 04:22:43 -0000

Florida State (27-5, 10-5) entered the series coming off a cancelled game against Florida Gulf Coast and in need of a strong showing against in-state rival Miami (21-14, 6-9). They left Coral Gables with strong outings from both Luke Weaver on Friday and Scott Sitz on Sunday, taking two of three from the Canes and remaining at the top of the ACC Atlantic Division.

Importance of Series

It’s always an important game when playing a major rival. Add in the fact that the series includes two of the most successful baseball programs in college baseball and a conference series, you have a recipe for one heck of a weekend.

Florida State and Miami typically have closely contested games. This weekend was no exception with FSU taking two of three from UM. The two wins keep the Seminoles at the top of the Atlantic Division while the Hurricanes remain at the bottom of the Coastal Division.

What to take Away from the Series

Florida State seemed to touch on almost every base this series: a come from behind win, a blowout loss, and a dominant pitching performance to take the series. FSU is a good team, there is no denying that. Judging from their performance, it is still unsure how they would perform against an elite team. The Seminoles seem to have up and down games every week, but somehow find a way to win the majority of their games.

Here is how each individual game broke down

Game 1

FSU 4 UM 2

It wasn’t easy, but Florida State scrapped out a tough fought win in Coral Gables to open the series against in-state rival Miami. The Seminoles were unable to break through against the Hurricanes until the 8^th inning off Seth Miller’s RBI single scoring John Sansone. Sansone had originally singled to lead off the inning, but advanced to third on a throwing error at third base. Now with Miller on, Brett Knief singled and advanced to third off a fielding error from UM’s right fielder. Miller scored on the error to tie the game at two.

After a Casey Smit single and stolen base, FSU would have their first lead of the game when Smit scored of Giovanny Alfonzo’s RBI double down the right field line coming off a 1-2 pitch. Sansone added an insurance in the next at-bat run with an RBI single.

Robby Coles, who got two outs in the 8^th, would stay in the game to close it out for FSU. Two quick groundouts to open the 9^th, a single, and a third groundout would secure the FSU 4-2 come from behind win as Coles got the ‘W’.

MVP of the Game

Luke Weaver – Although Giovanny Alfonzo had the game winning hit late, it was impressive to see Luke Weaver go out for five solid innings in his first Friday start of the year. Weaver allowed eight hits, but each came with two outs. Miami would score their only two runs off Weaver in the 5^th. Weaver finished with six strikeouts and one walk as well.

Things to Work On

There is not too much to strain on for Florida State. It was impressive as to how they came from behind to win the game. Weaver performed well in his first weekend start since Clemson of last year. The Seminoles stranded seven on base, but faced good pitching.

Game 2

FSU 0 UM 6

For the first time since facing Georgia Tech’s Buck Farmer, Florida State was shutout. The loss ended FSU’s four-game win streak against Miami.

Miami’s Bryan Radziewski was brilliant on the mound only allowing four hits while striking out eight Seminoles thorough seven innings.

FSU’s Brandon Leibrandt struggled in his Saturday start, only lasting four innings. Leibrandt gave up five runs on seven hits and walked three.

One of the bright spots for Florida State was Jameis Winston tying a career high three innings pitched. Winston struck out one, but did not let any of the nine batters he faced get on base.

MVP of the Game

Jameis Winston – As mentioned above, Winston was fantastic getting all nine of his batters out. Even though the game was well in hand for Miami by the time Winston entered the game, Winston still made sure the Canes would not find a way to extend their lead.

Things to Work On

Florida State had their chances to score against Miami. In total, 10 were left on base with seven of them coming in the 6^th innings and later. FSU had their chance to break through against Miami’s lefty, but were unable to get a man around the bases.

Game 3

FSU 5 UM 1

Florida State got exactly what they needed, a solid outing from their starter and an overall easy win on the road.

Scott Sitz dominated Miami for eight innings, striking out five and only giving up a single run which came off his own error in the first. At one point Sitz retired 14 consecutive hitters for the Canes. This was also the second time Sitz has gone eight innings this season.

Offensively, the Seminoles got help from DJ Stewart, Marcus Davis, and Jose Brizuela as each of them had a two-hit game. Davis scored twice and finished 2-4. John Nogowski, Giovanny Alfonzo, and Brizuela each drove in a run while the other two runs were both scored on errors.

MVP of the Game

Scott Sitz – In a game FSU needed to win to get ready for another in-state rival, Sitz had one of his most impressive outings of the year. Going 8 innings and striking out five, Sitz was difficult for the Hurricanes for most of the game. Sitz only allowed an unearned run and six hits. Four of the six hits came in the first two innings.

Things to Work On

Overall, this was the game FSU was looking for. There were very few miscues and it seemed like the Seminoles had control most of the game.

Looking Ahead

Florida State will conclude their scheduled season series against in-state rival Florida (15-18). The Seminoles have already won the first two games this year against the Gators and will be looking for the sweep Tuesday.

Since facing FSU two weeks ago, UF has gone 4-3 against Ole Miss, UCF, and Mississippi State.

Tuesday’s game is set for 6 p.m.

Seminoles Hold on for Win over Eagles

rsyrkus — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 04:44:36 -0000

Florida State (25-4) was looking for a way to get back on the winning side of things after dropping their first series of the year at Virginia Tech. Florida Gulf Coast (18-7) gave the Seminoles some struggles, but their comeback fell short as they dropped one at Dick Howser Stadium 12-9. The second game of the series was rained out on Wednesday and will not be rescheduled due to the travel schedule of each team.

FSU 12 FGCU 9

The Seminoles jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the third inning due in large part to John Sansone’s two-run homer to left and DJ Stewart’s two-run double to right center. Everything was looking up for FSU to win this game with ease. Billy Strode was pitching well, the bats were getting on base. Everything was working well.

Then FGCU figured out a way to tag Strode.

It wasn’t until two consecutive singles and a walk in the 5^th that Strode began to struggle. With the bases loaded, the Eagles began to chip away, eventually pulling ahead 6-5 by the end of the inning.

FSU still trailed by one entering the bottom of the 6^th. The Seminoles would eventually get a bases loaded walk from DJ Stewart to tie the game. With two outs and the bases loaded, Stephen McGee stepped up to the plate and took a 2-2 pitch over the left field wall giving FSU a lead they would not give up again.

FGCU would fight back and get a few more runs, but each time the Eagles scores, Florida State would quickly respond in the bottom half of the inning.

Strode would finish the day tossing 4.1 innings and giving up four runs on four hits. Although short, Gage Smith had a good day going 2.1 innings only giving up a hit and an unearned run with two strikeouts which earned him his fourth win of the year.

MVP of the Game

Stephen McGee – Even with the impressive relief outing from Gage Smith or the exceptional at-bats from John Sansone and DJ Stewart, it was McGee’s grand slam in the 6^th inning broke a tie game and gave the Seminoles a lead they would not relinquish. This was McGee’s first grand slam of his collegiate career which came on a 2-2 pitch with two outs in the inning.

Things to Work On

With two more errors in this game, the season total is now up to 42 for the Seminoles. Through 29 games, FSU is averaging 1.45 errors per game. The two errors this game only caused one run to come in, but it’s a little eye-popping that a top 5 team in the nation has so many errors.

Looking Ahead

Florida State will travel south to Miami for a three game weekend series. After starting the season 10-0, the Hurricanes have seen their share of struggling. With series losses to Florida, North Carolina, and Duke, Miami now sits at 20-12 and dead last in the Coastal Division of the ACC at 5-7.

However, Miami has picked up wins against UF and UNC as well as a series win over Virginia Tech.

All-time, Florida State hold a 143-121-4 record against Miami with the series tied at 62-62-2 from games played in Coral Gables. FSU swept UM last year in Tallahassee and took two of three the last time they were on the road against Miami.

First pitch is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

Noles Drop Two Against Hokies

rsyrkus — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 01:33:50 -0000

In only their fourth ACC series of the year, Florida State accomplished something which they did not do last year until their second-to-last ACC series last year at Clemson. For the first time since May of last season, the Seminoles lost an ACC regular season series. This was also the first time since the 2011 season that Florida State (24-4, 8-4) has lost a season series to Virginia Tech (20-9, 7-5).

Importance of the Series

It was only a matter of time before FSU dropped a conference series, but it wasn’t foreseen they would drop this one in the way they did. Florida State was playing in cold weather and on the road for only the third time this season. Losing two of three against the Hokies now brings Clemson (16-10, 5-5) a little bit closer to the top of the Atlantic Division while Virginia Tech remains in the hunt for the Coastal Division, although they are still sitting fourth behind North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia Tech.

Judging from the pitching performance and the defense this series, it would be a surprise if Mike Martin doesn’t try to make a few changes for the upcoming games this week.

What to take Away from the Series

First off, Virginia Tech is much better than they appear on paper. A quick look at this series just solidifies VT as one of the better teams in the ACC. The Hokies held on for a win in game one, came back and almost took game two, and simply dominated the series finale.

Once again FSU has some question marks around the team. The starting rotation seems to be the biggest issue followed closely by their defense. The Seminoles have had season ending injuries to some key players, but no one saw such a drop in production coming when those injuries were announced.

Here is how each individual game broke down

Game 1

FSU 2 VT 3

It was a typical game of baseball where one team seems to be getting outplayed, yet still comes away with a win. Brandon Leibrandt was better than he has been in recent starts, yet still gave up five walks and five hits through four innings. Virginia Tech’s starter Brad Markey was getting all the breaks as his defense turned four double plays. VT was outhit by FSU 11-6, but still came away with the 3-2 win.

The Hokies got on board in the 3^rd and 4^th innings, scoring all three runs off Leibrandt. It began with an RBI single and continued the next inning when more runs came in off a double and a single. Going into the 6^th inning, VT held a 3-0 lead and would hold on for the win.

As already mentioned, the Hokies turned a surprising amount of double plays which killed the Seminoles and their chances to take a lead. FSU grounded into a double play in the 4^th, 5^th and 7^th innings while Casey Smit lined into a double play in the 9^th inning to end the game. The Noles stranded five on base throughout the game.

MVP of the Game

DJ Stewart – Although the real MVP of the game should be the Virginia Tech’s infield, Stewart brought in the only runs for FSU. Stewart finished 2-4 with a 2-run homerun in the 6^th.

Things to Work On

It may have been bad luck. It may have been great pitching. Either way, FSU had a chance to win the game but kept dropping their chances to pull ahead. The double plays were the main reason the Seminoles dropped game one of the series.

Game 2

FSU 11 VT 10

What started off as a blowout quickly turned into a fight for survival.

The Seminoles took advantage of two Hokie errors in the first to climb out to a 5-0 lead before Virginia Tech even saw a pitch. All five runs in the first were unearned as FSU brought them in off a fielder’s choice and two singles. The Noles only got three hits and left the bases loaded, but capitalized on the errors from VT. Once again in the second, FSU took advantage of Hokie pitching, scoring three more runs with the last one coming off VT’s third error of the game.

Entering the 4^th inning, FSU held an 8-1 lead but quickly saw it vanish off errors from Jose Brizuela, Scott Sitz, and Bryant Holtmann. Virginia Tech scored seven in the 4^th to tie the game at eight. Sitz gave up five hits in the inning before being pulled for Holtmann who then had a fielding error causing two of the seven runs to come in for VT. Sitz lasted 3.2 innings and gave up seven hit and eight runs, but only one run was earned..

Florida State would take the lead once again after getting a run back in the following inning off a bases loaded walk. Two more would come across for FSU in the 7^th, this time off a wild pitch and a single.

VT only trailed by two entering the bottom half of the 9^th. The Hokies would get one in form an RBI single. With men at first and third and one out, Virginia Tech would strike out and groundout to end the game, giving FSU the 11-10 win in the first game of a doubleheader.

MVP of the Game

Stephen McGee – In an error filled shootout, McGee’s bat was the difference between a win and a lose for FSU. McGee finished 2-4, driving in three runs and scoring once.

Things to Work On

Errors. Way too many errors were committed this game. Errors were the reason the game was as close as the final score shows. Of the 10 runs Virginia Tech scored, only three of them were earned.

Game 3

FSU 1 VT 8

In the nightcap of the Saturday doubleheader, FSU once again gave the Hokies multiple chances to get runs. Unlike the previous game, the Seminoles could not reproduce the offensive power and VT ran away with the 8-1 win.

Starting pitcher for FSU, Peter Miller, lasted 3.1 innings giving up six hits and four runs with one of those runs unearned. All four of the Hokie runs came in the 4^th inning. Jose Brizuela committed his 13^th error of the season which allowed the first of four runs to come in for VT.

Again in the 7^th, the Hokies would score four more runs ad make an insurmountable lead over the Seminoles. This time, it was relief pitcher Kyle Bird at the receiving end of a VT beat down. Bird would only get one out, but be charged with three hits and four runs.

When all was said and done, Virginia Tech would go on to take the series which was also the first time in five attempts the Hokies won a three game series against FSU in Blacksburg, Va.

MVP of the Game

Brandon Johnson – Not much can be said for the Seminoles this game, but Johnson kept the game close for FSU after coming in to replace Peter Miller. Johnson went 2.2 hitless innings and struck out two for the Garnet and Gold.

Things to Work On

Starting pitching was an issue for most of the three games, but more shocking was committing three errors in each game of a doubleheader. Although the errors did not factor in as much this game as they did in the last one, it is still a problem which has plagued the Seminoles since opening day.

Looking Ahead

Florida State will need to forget about the trip to Virginia Tech as they face one of their tougher midweek opponents in Florida Gulf Coast. The Eagles have already swept then No. 13 Florida in Gainesville and look to duplicate that success against another in-state powerhouse. FGCU also holds wins over St. John’s, USF, and Michigan while dropping a close one to Notre Dame (6-5 in 10 innings).

FGCU is currently 18-6 overall and 4-2 in the Atlantic Sun. The Eagles are also 6-2 on the road.

Florida State is 4-1 all-time against Florida Gulf Coast with the only loss coming last year in the Eagles 5-1 win in Tallahassee.

The two game series begins Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Filling in for the Captain

rsyrkus — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 22:14:13 -0000

It was a little over a month ago that the Florida State baseball captain was looking to lead this years team to Omaha. Justin Gonzalez, draftee of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros, turned down a chance to climb up the ladder to the majors, just so he could complete his degree and try to bring home the first national championship in Seminole history.

That dream, once confidence, is now a distant memory. That dream, once a goal since departing Omaha, only lasted five games. That dream vanished in what was once thought to only sideline the captain for a few games, eventually turned into season ending hip surgery.

Although not physically able to play, senior shortstop still shows why he wears the "C".

"To tell you how the true Gonzalez acted, he said, ‘I’m through for the year as a player, but I’m not through for the year as a Seminole,’" said head coach Mike Martin. "He’ll possibly be the first guy that I’ve ever taken on the road knowing he can’t play, knowing I gotta count him as one of my twenty-seven. That’s how important he is to our club."

Since Gonzalez went down with the injury, Giovanny Alfonzo has stepped in at short to fill the gap. Just over two weeks ago, the news came out that he will be the everyday starter now that the captain needed surgery.

"[Gonzalez] is our captain. He’s our leader, but it’s a part of the game," Alfonzo said. "People get hurt regardless of who they are. You got to be able to come out and either be able to fill in or you work for that job. I guess you can say it’s bittersweet [to have more playing time], but I like to see it as doing my job."

Playing one of the more difficult spots on the field, Alfonzo has listened closely to who he is replacing.

"In any situation he is there to pat you on the back and say ‘good job’ or he’s there to say ‘just play your game and don’t get worked up,’" Alfonzo said on the advice from Gonzalez. "He’s such a good leader since he knows what it’s like to be out there. He knows what it’s like to be out there and make a great play. He’s almost like that conscious that helps you out. He’s still the captain. He’s just as loud as anyone else."

With the extra advice in hand, Alfonzo has been trotting out each game since Gonzo’s injury and putting forth the best effort the sophomore can.

"It’s comforting to know that you’re going to be out there every day and no matter if you go 0-3 today or 0-4 that you’re going to have another chance tomorrow," Alfonzo continued. "It’s comforting in that fact, but regardless of if Gonzo was coming back tomorrow or in a couple weeks from now, you still need to go out with the same intensity and same mindset every game."

Noles Win Season Series Against Gators

rsyrkus — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 02:29:35 -0000

No one said it would be pretty, and it rarely is against a bitter rival, but Florida State (23-2) managed to beat Florida (11-15) for the second time in just as many weeks. The 2-1 victory over UF secured the season series win for FSU as both teams are only scheduled to play each other one more time, an April 9 showdown in Tallahassee.

Once again, Luke Weaver pitched extremely well against Florida. Once again, Weaver only gave up three hits and one run against the Gators. The main difference this time around was in strikeouts and walks. In Jacksonville, Weaver was blazing with nine strikeouts and only walking one through six innings. At one point Weaver retired 11 straight.

Weaver’s only difficult innings came in the 2^nd and 5^th. For the 2^nd inning, the leadoff hitter for UF got on with a single, but would quickly be out on a double play. The Gator’s Zack Powers would then double and later score off and RBI single from Connor Mitchell. The 5^th inning could not have started any worse for Weaver as a fielding error allowed the leadoff batter on. Weaver himself would have a throwing error off a failed pickoff attempt. Weaver would get out of the inning unscathed and the game still tied at one.

The FSU bullpen was once again effective as Bryant Holtmann, Gage Smith, and Robby Coles combined for three innings of no hit ball. The trio gave up a walk and struck out one against their 10 batters faced.

Both Giovanny Alfonzo and John Nogowski finished with the only two RBIs for the Seminoles, but the game could have been a wider margin of victory.

Florida State had the bases loaded in the first inning with one out, yet they were only able to bring one across. In the second inning, FSU stranded two on. The third inning was a similar story in getting men on and not scoring. Through the first three innings the Noles stranded seven on base. Throughout the game, the Garnet and Gold stranded 11 batters.

The “big” inning came for FSU in the 8^th when Jose Brizuela got on base with a double and later moved to third on a balk. Alfonzo would drive him in off a two-out RBI single to break the tie and give FSU their eventual 2-1 win.

MVP of the Game:

Luke Weaver – It seems like Weaver has been the main guy for FSU almost every Tuesday. This game was no exception as Weaver may have pitched his way into a weekend start. The run support wasn’t there for him, but Weaver still pitched as well as he has almost every start this year. Six innings, three hits, one walk, and one run, there is not much more you can ask for from a starter. Toss in his nine strikeouts and it is looking more and more likely that Weaver will get a shot at a weekend start.

Things to Work On:

The errors almost got this team in trouble tonight and it seems to be a recurring issue for the Seminoles this year, however the more eye popping number is how many were left on base. 11 men stranded. Florida State was able to get around this due to their great pitching from Weaver and the bullpen, but stranding 11 is never good in a low scoring ball game. At the same time, Florida is much better than their record reflects and there are no certainties in a rivalry game like this.

Looking Ahead:

Florida State will remain on the road as they travel up to Blacksburg, Va., to face the Hokies in a three game weekend series.

Virginia Tech is currently fourth in the ACC Coastal Division with a 5-4 conference record. At 18-8 overall with wins over both Georgia Tech and Miami, VT is not a bad club, but certainly not in the upper echelon either. The Hokies were shut out 0-8 in their Tuesday matchup against VMI.

Virginia Tech currently has a 6-4 record at home while Florida State is 3-1 on the road only facing Florida and Maryland so far away from Tallahassee this year. The Seminoles currently hold a 39-8 all-time lead over the Hokies with a 10-2 record at Virginia Tech. Florida State has also won the previous five matchups while never being swept by VT.

The first pitch of the series is set for 5:30 p.m. on Friday.

Noles Make Their Case as an Elite Team

rsyrkus — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 00:27:06 -0000

View this gallery here.

Noles Sweep Hatters in Midweek Series

rsyrkus — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 06:29:11 -0000

View this gallery here.

Noles Win First Game in Sunshine Showdown

rsyrkus — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 04:42:53 -0000

FSU 4 UF 1

It’s not often Florida State (16-0) can rejoice after leaving Gainesville and playing Florida (8-10), but for the first time since 2007, the Seminoles were able to go home happy with a win on the Gators home turf.

Pop quiz: which FSU pitcher has the best ERA this season? The answer is Scott Sitz with 0.39, but Tuesday’s starter Luke Weaver is a close second with 0.44. The main difference is that Sitz has started four games while Weaver has only started three. Why do I bring this up? Because Luke Weaver is statistically the best pitcher Florida State has right now.

Weaver leads FSU in opposing batting average (.144), strikeouts (26), hits allowed (8), walks allowed (3), and tied with Sitz for earned runs allowed (1) while also being tied with Bryant Holtmann for runs allowed (2). To further show how impressive Weaver has been, he has 20.1 innings pitched which is more than Sunday starter Peter Miller…all this on one less start than anyone in the weekend rotation, although it should be noted that Weaver has made two appearances in relief.

Weaver’s start on the road against the Gators was not much different than his other two starts this year. Allowing just three hits in 6.1 innings, Weaver baffled UF striking out five and only walking two. His biggest mistake was a fielding error which brought in Florida’s only run.

The Seminoles once again got an early lead scoring in the first after Stephen McGee’s two-out RBI double to right center. Giovanny Alfonzo would add some breathing room in the fourth on his 2 RBI single down the right field line, scoring John Nogowski and DJ Stewart.

Florida would get on board in the bottom half of the inning following the fielding error from Weaver, but the threat would not last long as UF left two on base. The Gator’s Connor Mitchell flied out to left two batters after the fielding error.

Gage Smith, Bryant Holtmann, and Robby Coles would enter the game starting in the seventh. Combined they struck out two and allowed two hits in the 2.2 innings of work.

The win over UF makes the all-time record 124-100-1 against the in-state rival, while the Gator’s still hold a lead when playing in Gainesville 54-44. The rivals will meet two more times this season with the next matchup coming in Jacksonville, Fla., on March 26.

MVP of the Game:

Luke Weaver – Weaver is becoming the most consistent pitcher FSU has this year. Tuesday night just solidifies what he can do. Granted, it was against a UF team that is not having their best year, but it is still the Gators and will always be a big matchup when these two teams go at it. Weaver set the pace against the in-state rivals going 6.1 innings, only giving up three hits. Although he gave up a run to end his streak of 16.2 scoreless innings, Weaver was still able to strike out five and continue his dominance as a Tuesday starter.

Things to Work On:

It was bound to happen sooner or later, but Marcus Davis is on a slide. Dating back to his Friday start against Boston College, Davis has gone 1-14. It was a given that he won’t hit .500 the entire season, but Davis was and still is needed for the offensive production he has had earlier in the season. Tuesday night in Gainesville did not fare too well for Davis as he went 0-5. Although I wouldn’t worry about it just yet because this is a small sample, it is still something to keep an eye on.

Looking Ahead:

The Seminoles continue their road trip, heading up to Maryland to get back to ACC competition. The Terps sit at 11-5 after their Tuesday win over Marist, 9-3. Even while winning big, Maryland needed a 7 run seventh inning to pull ahead of Marist.

One thing is certain during the Friday matchup against Maryland, someone’s streak will end. FSU is off to their best start since 2007, going 16-0, while Maryland is still undefeated at home, sitting at 9-0.

Maryland has the potential to upset FSU this weekend as they have already done so to Virginia. The Terps would lose the series, but prevented the sweep against UVA after the 4-2 Sunday win. In the season opener, Maryland almost knocked off LSU, but would eventually fall 1-0 in Baton Rouge, La.

The Friday matchup is set to start at 6:30 p.m. while Saturday and Sunday will be day games at 1:30 and 1 p.m. respectively.

Noles Sweep Eagles to Open ACC Play

rsyrkus — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 14:56:55 -0000

Once again Florida State is off to a fast start in conference play. This time, the Seminoles (15-0, 3-0) swept Boston College (3-11, 0-3) to start the ACC season. Yes, FSU was expected to win these games with some ease considering BC was picked to finish near the bottom of the ACC in preseason. However, it is good to see FSU has come out strong against teams a little more meaningful than some of their previous competition thus far.

The 15-0 start is the school’s best start since 2007 when they opened with a school record 23 straight wins. The 15-0 mark also ties for the second best start with the 1975 club.

Florida State is now 21-4 all-time against the Eagles.

What to Take Away from the Series:

The main thing that came out of this series is that the pitching is really, really good. Even though it was against a weak Boston College team, the competition is still better than some of the earlier teams. Brandon Leibrandt was phenomenal on Friday, coming within five outs of a no-hitter. Scott Sitz wasn’t as good as he has been this season, but he still pitched much better than some outings from last year and came away with his third win. Peter Miller continued to show why he should remain the Sunday starter with one of his best days this year.

I know I’ve mentioned it in the past, but this team might be able to make up for the loss of Mike Compton considering how well both Sitz and Miller have performed early on this year.

Importance of the Series:

This series is important for the fact that FSU is now playing conference games. By all means, Boston College is not the best in the ACC, but they can still cause some havoc by pulling off a few upsets. Luckily for Florida State, they avoided the upset from BC. FSU still has a lot of conference games to go, but getting off to a fast start is crucial when it comes time to play for the championship in Durham, N.C. The Seminoles will continue their conference play this weekend with a trip up to Maryland.

Here is how each individual game broke down.

Game 1

FSU 4 BC 0

FSU once again got off to a fast start, just like many of the games up to this point. The Seminoles scored in each of the first three innings and again in the sixth to pull out to a 4-0 lead which would eventually be the final.

Brandon Leibrandt was fantastic on the mound, bringing a no-hitter late into the game. He would surrender the Eagle’s only hit with one out in the eighth inning, a single between short and third. Leibrandt walked four while facing 29. Leibrandt also finished throwing nearly 60 percent of his pitches for strikes (62 of 105).

Leibrandt ran into a few problems, but most of which were not caused by him. The Seminoles defense committed three errors throughout the game which allowed Boston College a great chance to score in the 2^nd when they had two on with one out. However, BC ended the inning by hitting into a double play.

FSU didn’t fare as well as they have in earlier games at the plate. The main source of power this season, Marcus Davis, went 0-3 but brought in one with a groundout. Davis also scored a run soon after drawing a walk in the third. Giovanny Alfonzo was the only Seminole with multiple hits, going 2-4 and scoring a run. The one player who probably had the best day at the plate was Josh Delph. Although not registering a hit, Delph scored a run and drew four walks. Typical Florida State baseball, this team is very patient managing nine walks on Friday night.

MVP of the Game:

Brandon Leibrandt – You can’t say enough about Leibrandt. He carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning and prevented Boston College from even getting a man on third base. The only hit allowed in the game was a single. Even while walking four and having sloppy defense at times behind him, Leibrandt was the main reason the Eagles were unable to capitalize on the extra opportunities given to them.

Things to Work On:

Once again, just like the opening series of the year, Florida State kept giving extra outs to the opposition. John Nogowski, Jose Brizuela, and John Sansone each had an error and giving BC and extra chance to break into the run column. Through 13 games, Sansone has committed three errors while Brizuela is now on his seventh. Granted Brizuela is playing one of the hardest positions on the field, but seven errors? If it wasn’t for Leibrandt pitching as well as he was, those extra outs could have resulted in a completely different game.

Game 2

FSU 9 BC 4

On to something we have yet to hear (or read) this season, Scott Sitz is not perfect and can’t go the entire season throwing scoreless innings. For the first time this season, Sitz gave up a run, actually he gave up four, but only one was earned. Still, even with giving up the runs, Sitz pitched well and gave the team the chance to win. He lasted 5.1 innings and struck out five while only walking two. Sitz threw about 64 percent of his pitches for strikes (61/96).

The first three in the lineup for the Seminoles (Josh Delph, DJ Stewart, and Marcus Davis) all had two RBI a piece, many of which came in the big second inning for FSU when the scored seven on Boston College. Delph got the RBI party started with both of his coming off a single. Not to be outdone, Stewart would follow with a triple bringing in both of his RBIs. Davis would then hit a sac fly to left to bring in Stewart. Stephen McGee would cap off the seven run inning with a solo home run to left.

Once again, the Seminoles gave their opposition extra outs to deal with. This time Florida State gave up some runs due to their mistakes, but was still able to limit any severe damage. It began in the third with a fielding error from Giovanny Alfonzo which brought in two run. Jose Brizuela had yet another error, this time in the sixth inning on a throw which brought in one. This was Brizuela’s eighth error of the year.

MVP of the Game:

Josh Delph – Although DJ Stewart and Marcus Davis both had two RBIs, Delph gave the team more opportunities by getting on base more. Like Stewart and Davis, Delph finished with 2 RBI, but he also scored two runs and finished with more hits (2-4) while drawing a walk. Sitz lasted a remarkable 22 innings, dating back to last year’s College World Series game against UCLA, of scoreless baseball before giving up two runs in the third to the Eagles.

Things to Work On:

Just like the last game, the extra outs will eventually bite FSU where it hurts. They did have one less error this game than last, but still wound up with two on the day. Yet again Jose Brizuela was the victim of the big E, bringing his total to eight this season. Yes Brizuela is playing a difficult position, but there is only so much you can defend a guy. He is now has a .784 fielding percentage this year after 14 games. Giovanny Alfonzo caused the other error in the game for the Seminoles.

Game 3

FSU 9 BC 1

If there is one thing you can say about this Seminole team, it’s that they can explode for a ton of runs in any inning and their pitching can shutdown just about anyone. Sunday’s game happened to flash a little of both.

Peter Miller pitched one of his best games, going 5.2 innings against the Eagles while striking out seven and walking two. Considering all the criticism he has received entering the season and after that first start he had this year, Miller appears to have almost everything going for him now. He is pitching well and he is getting a lot of runs put up to give him the lead. Even while giving up six hits, Miller was still able to hold BC off and prevent them from scoring runs. When Miller settled down, he was nearly unhittable. From the third to the sixth inning, Miller sent back 10 of the 11 batters he faced.

At the plate, Florida State put up three in the second to give Miller a lead to work with. All three of the runs came off a three-base fielding error from BC’s leftfielder Logan Hoggarth. FSU would continue to build a lead with one in the sixth from Jose Brizuela’s RBI single to center, bringing the score to 4-0 Noles. Brizuela would finish 3-4 with four RBIs and one run scored. The three hits and four RBI tied a career high for Brizuela.

Florida State would then put the game away in the 7^th, scoring five runs off four hits. DJ Stewart started it with an RBI double. Stewart would later be brought home with Stephen McGee on a John Nogowski two RBI double. Nogowski finished 2-4 with two RBI and scoring two runs. Brizuela later recorded two of his four RBIs in that inning with a triple to right center.

MVP of the Game:

Jose Brizuela – As rough as Brizuela has looked on defense at third, he was able to ease the minds of many with his performance at the plate. He tied a career high in hits (3) and RBI (4) while pacing FSU to the big win and the conference opening sweep. Brizuela ended the day 3-4 while scoring a run with 4 RBI.

Things to Work On:

There is nothing major which sticks out from this game. The team had a surprisingly low amount of walks (5), relative to previous games this season, and left six on base. They did come through with a big inning in the 7^th and got a great outing from their pitchers today. No errors to report from Sunday as they get ready to travel south for a big matchup on Tuesday.

Looking Forward:

As alluded to, the Seminoles will travel to Gainesville on Tuesday night for the first of three scheduled matchups against the Gators. Even with UF’s surprising record (8-9), this is still not a team the FSU should be sleeping on. Florida entered the season in the top 25. Since the start of the year, UF has suffered losses to Georgia Southern, Florida Gulf Coast, and North Florida amongst others. The FGCU series saw the Gators being swept. Recently though, UF has played a little better with a 2-1 series win over Miami the first weekend of March followed by two wins over Jacksonville. They just lost a weekend series to Indiana two games to one.

All-time, Florida holds a 54-43 record against Florida State in Gainesville and the Gators have won the last three meetings between the teams. The game is set to start at 7:00 p.m.

Florida State will then travel to Maryland for their first weekend road series. Maryland is currently 10-5 and 1-2 in the ACC. The Terps were swept by LSU to open the season before winning nine consecutive matchups against sub-par opponents. Maryland was able to upset Virginia in the series final against the Cavaliers and prevent the UVA sweep. The Terps will face Marist twice before the Seminoles come to College Park.

Seminoles Remain Undefeated

rsyrkus — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 06:57:36 -0000

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Noles Run Over Wildcats in Series Sweep

rsyrkus — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 06:36:36 -0000

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‘The Stache’ Becoming More Consistent as a Starter

rsyrkus — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:20:55 -0000

The transition from the bullpen to a starter has not been an easy one for senior Scott Sitz. The righty from Jacksonville Beach, Fla., has been criticized for his rough outings and questioned on his ability to stay consistent throughout a full season. There may never be a time when critics fully stop wondering about Sitz, but for the mean time, he has been shutting down every negative word shot at him with his performances as of late.

Making 18 appearances his sophomore year with only eight of them as a starter, Sitz managed 51.2 innings and ended the year with a 5.92 ERA. One of his worst starts of that season came at home against Wake Forrest when Sitz couldn’t manage to get out of the second inning, posting five runs and giving up four walks for his first defeat of the year.

At the same time, he showed a few glimpses of what he is capable of. In his first start of the 2011 season, Sitz threw six shutout innings and posted a then career-high five strikeouts against VMI. Sitz would later go on to pitch well in much bigger games against Florida in Tampa, Alabama in the Tallahassee Regional, and eventually get the nod against Texas A&M in the Tallahassee Super Regional.

Of those three games listed above, between UF and UA, Sitz went a combined 9 innings only giving up one run while striking out four on six hits. The TAMU game was a different story as he gave up five runs on 4 IP.

Although not perfect, he has found a way to get better on a regular basis.

“[Being consistent is] the one thing I’ve been meaning to do my entire time he,” said Sitz. “I’ll have some games where I’ll do good and then others when I don’t make it out of the first or second inning. [I’ve been] trying to work on cutting down on walks. It always helps never giving any free passes and just trying to be more consistent with my pitches in general.”

Since becoming a regular starter last year, Sitz has dramatically improved his ERA, strikeouts and walks. Last season he pitched 65.1 innings with a 3.72 ERA, whiffing 50 and walking 21. Even with some of his bad games, every player has them, Sitz continued to progress throughout the season, especially down the stretch and in big games.

Once again, Sitz came up big against the Gators, this time in Jacksonville, going 5.1 innings of two hit ball, only giving up a run. Once again, ‘The Stache’ came up big in the postseason against UAB and UCLA. Combined, in the postseason, the righty went 11 innings, surrendering two hits and racking up 16 Ks.

“The big games, I feel like just bring out the best in me,” said Sitz. “It brings out the best in the team. Everyone is all pumped up for the game; everyone is in the game the entire time.”

“I don’t know what it is, I don’t know why, but I feel like I always seem to be good whenever there is pressure on,” Sitz continued. “Some people don’t do as well, but I feel like I don’t do as well whenever there isn’t a pressure situation.”

Early in the season this year, Sitz has provided some much needed pitching help after the loss of Mike Compton to Tommy John surgery.

“Filling in for him, he had 12 wins last year,” Sitz began. “We have some big shoes to fill losing him. We have a great group of guys on the team. Whether it’s me, Pete [Miller] or [Luke] Weaver, it doesn’t matter who it is, we’re going to go out there and rely on our defense and make good pitches.”

In his two starts this year, Sitz has yet to give up a run in 12 innings. Dating back to last year’s game against UCLA, Sitz has gone 13.2 consecutive innings of scoreless baseball. When you add in his start against UAB last year, in his last four starts he has only allowed two runs in 23 innings of work.

“Coach Bell has been helping out a lot, mostly with my slider,” Sitz said. “I also started throwing a different changeup. I started throwing a split change instead of a circle change. I learned that from Robert Benincasa. That helped out having a third pitch.”

Now that the new season has started, Sitz has become one of the most excited players to go out and perform.

“I’ve been looking forward to the entire season,” said Sitz. “We’ve waited all year for this. We go through the entire fall, fall practice, fall workouts. Then you get to the spring and it seems like it just flies by and the time gets here when the season is here. You’re just ready to go. We have high expectations with getting to Omaha last year getting so far. We want to go back and win it all.”

Seminoles Sweep Bulls in Rain Soaked Weekend

rsyrkus — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:16:40 -0000

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Weaver Helps Carry Noles Past Dolphins

rsyrkus — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 05:55:32 -0000

FSU 9 JU 7

As RaysnNoles mentioned in the preseason breakdown, the midweek games against teams like Jacksonville are mostly used to try new things and see different possibilities for the upcoming series. If this game was used to measure the ability of sophomore Luke Weaver as a starter, he passed the test with flying colors, leading the Seminoles to the 9-7 win.

Weaver baffled JU (1-3), striking out the side to open the game. The Dolphins only managed two base runners against Weaver, with the only hit being a single in the second inning. When all was said and done, Weaver tossed 83 pitches, going 6 IP and striking out 9 in his season debut as a starter.

It is still too early to tell exactly what Mike Martin is thinking, but if the performance of Weaver continues and the one Peter Miler had on Sunday occurs on a regular basis, don’t be surprised if Weaver starts to get the nod over Miller in the Sunday spot.

Also going off what RaysnNoles said last week in the series previews, it wouldn’t be shocking if FSU (4-0) drops a couple of the midweek games. Although Weaver had a great outing, the bullpen almost cost the team a W.

With a 9-0 lead going into the 8^th, the Seminoles started to bring in some newcomers to pitch. JUCO transfer Hayden Jordan, from Tallahassee Community College, pitched the 8^th giving up two runs on four hits and one K. Jordan got off to a rough start allowing two singles to his first two batters. Even though he didn’t look overly sharp, Jordan got out of the inning without giving up too much.

Fans began sweating the next inning when freshman Dylan Silva entered to replace Jordan. Now leading 9-2, Silva’s start couldn’t have gotten off to a tougher start. A fielding error from leftfielder Ryan Valdez allowed the leadoff man get to third, who was quickly brought home from the next batter. A walk and another error, this time from Giovanny Alfonzo, left men at first and second. Silva then proceeded to walk the next two batters. 22 pitches, one out, two unearned runs come in, and Silva left with the bases loaded.

In comes JUCO transfer Robby Coles. Once again, not the best start from a relief man as Coles walked the first batter allowing the third run of the inning, bringing it to 9-5. Coles would eventually get out of the 9^th, but allowed three inherited runs to come in, all unearned and charged to Silva. Florida State escapes 9-7 and avoids their first loss of the season.

MVP of the Game: Luke Weaver – It couldn’t have gone much better for Weaver’s first start. One hit through six innings, striking out nine, only two base runners. Many words can describe the performance, but I’ll go with impressive.

Things to Work On:

The late inning relief, after Kyle Bird, did not fare so well in this one. The three newcomers who came in for the 8^th and 9^th were able to get out of the game, but not before giving up a handful of runs. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and say that the defense did not help them much with the two errors, but there was no solid stopper late in the game.

Notables:

Senior captain Justin Gonzalez hit his second home run of the year, his 21^st career four-bagger.
Newcomer Marcus Davis hit his second homer of the year, this time a two run blast in the 4^th.
Seth Miller got his first hit of the season, a single in the 6^th, and threw out a runner at the plate from center field for the assist.

Looking Forward:

Florida State is back in action again Friday evening at 4 p.m. with another matchup against an instate program, South Florida. The Bulls (1-2) come to Tallahassee, Fla., for a three game set. USF’s only win came against Purdue 20-2 this past Saturday, but the Bulls also got blown out against Louisville (1-10) and Indiana (2-12) in the Big Ten – Big East Challenge.

The Friday matchup is also the Seminole’s ALS Awareness Game.

Seminoles Sweep URI Rams in Season's First Series

rsyrkus — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 16:34:26 -0000

With the exception of the first game, the Florida State baseball team had some eye opening realizations. Brandon Leibrandt and the Seminoles were as good as many expected in the season opener as nothing shocking really occurred. The second game brought on some problems with timely hitting, but the team did a great job with drawing walks and getting on base. It could have been a blowout victory had they brought those men in rather than stranding them on base most of the day.

It wasn't until the third and final game of the series when everyone really got a feel for the team. The Garnet and Gold struggled for a large portion of the game, going hitless until the 4^th and not breaking into the run column until the 6^th. Still, after trailing URI for most of the game (5-0 going into the 6^th), FSU showed a lot of character in being able to bounce back and never give up. The Seminoles began to chip away at the lead in the 6^th and freshmen Jameis Winston came in relief to prevent any serious URI comeback. Winston struggled at the plate the series (1-8), but did a phenomenal job in his 3 innings on Sunday (2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 K, faced 13 batters, throwing 58 pitches).

What to Take Away from the Series:

Florida State is a young team and it's early in the season. There is still no solid gage on who this team is or what they are capable of. The newcomers (only the starters in DJ Stewart, Marcus Davis, John Sansone, Jameis Winston, and Casey Smith), went a combined 8-38, but some of them came up big when needed. Brett Knief was 1-2 in his role as a pinch hitter and late defensive switch, but the one hit sparked FSU in game three. DJ Stewart later capitalized in the same game with the walk off two-run homer.

It also looked like early season jitters were an issue, mainly for Jose Brizuela at third base. Brizuela had five errors in the three games and the team combined for eight errors in the series. Going along with the early struggles, Peter Miller did not have his best outing in the series finale. Miller only lasted 2.1 IP and walked 4, giving up 4 runs (2 earned) and almost being credited with the lose until FSU made the big comeback late.

It will be interesting to see where Mike Martin takes the team if these struggles continue.

Importance of the Series:

It's only the first series of the season and Rhode Island is not known for their baseball, but for the second consecutive year Florida State had to battle back against the Rams to complete the sweep. FSU needs to work on the issues mentioned above, but I highly doubt this team will continue with those problems the entire season.

One last thing to take away from the series, 50 degree weather with wind gusts up to 20 mph is not ideal for baseball.

Here is how each individual game broke down.

Game One: FSU 11 URI 5

Florida State could not ask for a much better season opener, other than a shutout or no-hitter, but hey, you can't have them all. The Seminoles scored early, they scored often, but most importantly, they scored in clutch situations. Nine of the eleven runs scored came with two outs.

To further the success of opening night, FSU showed the fans some of the new, young talent replacing old favorites from last year. Freshman DJ Stewart got things started with an RBI double to right center in the first inning. Two batters later, junior college transfer Marcus Davis cleared the bases with a two-run blast over the right field fence. However, the images of the newcomers quickly went downhill as Stewart, Davis, Jameis Winston, and John Sanson (all starters) went a combined 2-11 with three walks.

As expected, sophomore pitcher Brandon Leibrandt pitched up to expectations as the Friday starter. Leibrandt went five and faced two extra batters in the sixth before getting pulled. Although he gave up four runs, the first two were partially from the defense extending the inning (the double steal from Rhode Island), while the second two was just a bad pitch knocked out of the park for a two-run homer. Leibrandt struck out six and walked one.

Something not as expected was the bullpen. Although the three that came in (Bryant Holtman, Robby Coles, and Luke Weaver) gave up a combined four walks in four innings pitched, they also combined to only give up one hit, an RBI single in the 9^th.

MVP of the Game: Jose Brizeuela: Florida State had a 7-4 lead when Brizuela's grand slam in the 6^th put the game way out of reach for the Rams.

Things to Work On: For Florida State to make it back to Omaha, the young guys need to hit. Granted, it's only the first game of the season, but the newcomers need to fill the holes left from FSU being picked apart by the MLB Draft.

Quote of the Game: Head Coach Mike Martin on opening day: "When you start an opening day with a lot of new guys, you are a little bit cautious of what to expect. After the nine innings I just saw, I was very pleased with the way we played"

Game Two: FSU 6 URI 2

The main thing that was working in game one was the exact opposite in game two: timely hitting. FSU could only muster seven hits against the Rams, only one of them being a clean RBI hit (Justin Gonzalez's leadoff homerun in the 8^th). The Seminoles stranded 14 and needed runs late to pull away from Rhode Island.

Due to a throwing error from third basemen Jose Brizuela, URI extended the inning and scored two in the 7^th to take the 2-1 lead late in the game. Florida State quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning with their patience at the plate, walking three and getting a HBP. FSU continued to expand their lead in the 8^th with two more runs, bringing the score to 6-2. Even with the five runs late in the game, the ‘Noles only recorded two hits in those two innings combined, the Gonzalez homer and DJ Stewart's single right after Gonzo's shot.

The main bright spot from this game is the one thing Mike Martin, Jr. preaches every year. The patience of the hitters, even the young ones, was remarkable. As a team, FSU recorded 12 walks. Redshirt Junior Stephen McGee had four walks alone! Still, those walks won't matter if you can't bring them in.

MVP of the Game: Brandon Johnson: Johnson came in relief for Gage Smith in the 7^th and prevented Rhode Island from having the big inning. Johnson went a career high 3 innings, striking out one and only giving up a single in the 9^th.

Things to Work On: Florida State needs to get back to what worked in the first game of the series. As already mentioned, timely hitting is key to this team's success.

Quote of the Game: Freshman Jameis Winston on his first career hit as a Seminole, a triple to right field in the 5^th: "I'm still not satisfied, but a hits a hit and hopefully I get better." Through two games, the two sport athlete is 1-8.

Mike Martin_URI Game 2 (via Ryan Syrkus)

Game Three: FSU 8 URI 6

What started as a blowout became something not far from spectacular. Rhode Island jumped all over Peter Miler early in the game, chasing him after 75 pitches and tagging Miller with four runs, only two of which were earned. The Rams looked on pace to upset the ninth ranked Seminoles, leading 5-0 going into the 6^th. However, Florida State finally started to get to URI starter Liam O'Sullivan in the 6^th and the picked apart Rhode Island's bullpen for a stunning comeback.

Jose Brizuela struggled at third base once again this game, but made up for it at the plate. His RBI triple in the 6^th got the FSU dugout excited for the first time the entire game as it scored the first Seminole run of the day. Brizuela would later get a leadoff double in the 8^th and advance to third on a throwing error eventually scoring bring it to 6-3 Rhode Island.

Even with the team chipping away at the lead, it wasn't until Brett Knief's 2 RBI double in the 8^th that it really felt like the comeback was possible. Knief drove the ball down the left field line scoring Giovanny Alfonzo and Seth Miller, cutting the URI lead to 6-5. Stephen McGee would later tie the game at six with a fielder's choice to the shortstop, scoring Casey Smit.

With a 3:45 pm travel curfew quickly approaching, the game went into extras and the possibility of tie becoming more and more likely. Gage Smith made quick work of the Rams in the 10^th, facing four batters on 20 pitches and giving the Seminoles a chance to win it in the bottom half or leave Dick Howser with the tie. Justin Gonzalez would get on with a single and one out. DJ Stewart cam up next and took a 2-2 fastball out of the park for the two-run walk off homer to right center.

Stewarts walk off was the first for FSU since Mike McGee did it against Vanderbilt in 2010.

MVP of the Game: Brett Knief and DJ Stewart: As much as I hate splitting a "MVP" award, both Knief and Stewart played huge roles in the comeback. Knief came in as a pinch hitter in the 6^th (striking out his first AB) and lit a fire under the team with the 2 RBI double in the 8^th. Stewart had the game winning hit to prevent the first tie for FSU since a 7-7 game against Miami in 2003. Stewart's shot was his first career shot with Florida State and he finished 1-4 with a walk on the day.

Things to Work On: FSU needs a Sunday starter, and possibly a Saturday one too. It may have just been nerves or cold weather, but if Peter Miler struggles like he did in this game, Mike Martin will have to replace him. As expected, and as Martin said in preseason, the surgery for Mike Compton will cause problems in the starting rotation. Had Compton not had surgery and was pitching this season, Scott Sitz would have been the Sunday starter and Miller probably would have been in relief or a midweek starter.

The other major eye opener during this game was the lack of concentration at times. With five errors in the game, it seemed at times they were either over thinking a play or trying too hard to make the routine putout. Luckily for FSU, the errors did not result in a loss.

Quote of the Game: DJ Stewart on his game winning two-run homer: "[I] listened to 11 the whole way. He's telling me to let the game come to me, look for my pitch to hit and drive it...I knew it was gone as soon as I hit it."

Mike Martin_URI Game 3 (via Ryan Syrkus)

DJ Stewart_URI Game 3 (via Ryan Syrkus)

Looking Ahead:

Florida State finished the series with an unblemished record which is more than can be said for other teams ranked in front of the Seminoles. Six teams ranked ahead of Florida State in the Baseball America poll lost at least one game this week, including rival Florida who fell to Duke on Friday night. The Noles could move up a few spots before next week's series with South Florida who went 1-2 on the weekend.

The Bulls were trounced on Friday 10-1 by 4^th ranked Louisville but bounced back beating a weak Purdue team 20-2. Their Sunday game saw them outhit Indiana 14-12 but the score was quite lopsided as they were defeated 12-2 by one of the Big Ten's best teams. Before that Jacksonville comes into town on Wednesday afternoon for a quick one game series starting at the 4 PM (the game was originally scheduled for Tuesday at 4 PM, but postponed due to projected thunderstorms in the area). The Noles should be able to take care of business as the Dolphins had a lack luster weekend losing the series to the mighty Radford Highlanders.

Hope you enjoyed the first week of College Baseball, we look forward to providing you more coverage than ever.

Seminoles Drop Their First of the Season

rsyrkus — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 20:43:27 -0000

Florida State struggled early and often against the Golden Hurricanes as the Seminoles fell 3-2 in eight innings. Aimee Creger of Tulsa held the Garnet and Gold hitless through the seven innings, not even allowing a runner past first. Aimee struck out 13 of the 29 batters she faced.

Tulsa (4-2) was scoreless until the eighth inning when right fielder Haley Henshaw smacked a three-run homer to right putting her team up 3-0. As for the Seminoles (4-1), it was too little too late against Aimee and the Golden Hurricanes. First basemen Victoria East broke up the no-no and quickly made it home after Briana Hamilton’s two-run shot to center.

Morgan Bullock added some excitement after getting on base following the Hamilton homer. However, Tiffani Brown ended all the excitement after striking out to end the game.

FSU plays Arkansas in game their second game of the Unconquered Invitational while Tulsa goes on to face Hofstra.

No Urgency for #11

rsyrkus — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 13:38:06 -0000

Mike Martin is flirting with something many coaches don't want to have associated with their name: one of the best without a ring. However, even looking into the start of his 34^th season as FSU's baseball head coach, the man widely known simply by his uniform number is still not worried about his critics and the chase of a National Championship.

"The only urgency that I have is for these young men to experience Omaha," said Martin. "If we get to Omaha, I'm very, very satisfied. I know how tough it is to get there. I know how tough it is to win the National Championship. I will never allow myself to even think of putting winning the National Championship above the goal of watching our young mens' faces after the final game of the Super Regional when they have accomplished that final goal."

Martin has been the main man in the FSU dugout for 1,723 of the school's 2,623 in the 66 years the program has existed. #11 sits third all-time among NCAA Division I coaches for wins and second among all active DI coaches in win percentage at .743. The humble 1966 Florida State graduate has been a part of the program for 41 years as a player, assistant coach, and head coach, being involved in 2,705 of the program's 3,598 games played.

Still, no matter how mindboggling the numbers may be, Martin never lets the lure of the ring get in his way of building a national contending program year in and year out.

With the assistance of the returners and some new faces filling major holes, the Seminoles will try once again for their quest to finish in Omaha.

"It is immeasurable because of the leadership [the seniors] give to our team," Martin said. "Leadership in the way of showing the younger players that getting a degree is extremely important. Coming back for their senior year of showing how to play the game the 'Seminole way' and what's expected of me as a Seminole baseball player; to respect the game and to play the game as hard as I possibly can."

When talking about the younger players on the team, Martin felt confident, but still unsure of what to expect.

"I'd like to have nine guys that I'm familiar with," said Martin. "I don't know what to expect out of Brett Knief, and Marcus Davis, and DJ Stewart, or John Sansone. Dang that's a lot of people! But I don't know how they're going to react. I was comfortable last year with the infield because they had been with us for a year. It's something that you just have to play by ear on a yearly basis. It's going to be a little challenging you might say. There are some guys that I feel confident with, but yet it's a confidence because I feel like I know what they are going to do, but I really don't."

Martin understands the difficulty of winning it all. After going to the College World Series 15 times and making it to 33 consecutive NCAA regionals, Martin knows the game has changed and made it harder to win it all.

"No doubt [the game has changed]," said Martin. "You won't see the team that won the National Championship last year; possibly, you won't see them in the College World Series. You may not see three teams that were in the College World Series back. The parity in college baseball is probably 50 percent better than it was twenty years ago and probably 65-75 percent better than it was when I started coaching."

Even after coaching 84 All-Americans, seven of which were National Player of the Year award winners, when all is said and done, Martin chooses not to reflect on his accomplishments on the field, rather the ones made off the field.

"I think to see guys come in here as boys and leave as men [is more important than a championship]. Seeing guys come in here and learn that the most important phase of their college experience is not baseball, it's their education," Martin concluded. "They're gonna live with their education for the rest of their life. They are not going to live on baseball for the rest of their life."

Unfinished Business for Gonzalez

rsyrkus — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 18:54:34 -0000

As an aspiring major league player it’s a wonder why Justin Gonzalez has returned for his senior year. In 2009 shortstop from Miami had already been drafted in the 46^th round by the Houston Astros and then last year he was drafted a second time in the 27^th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Rather than accepting the money, Gonzalez still feels there is unfinished business in Tallahassee, Fla.

“I’m big on setting goals for myself and reaching them,” said Gonzalez. “When I came to college, my biggest goal was winning a national championship. Having been to Omaha twice and seeing how close we got, leaving last year just didn’t feel right.”

Gonzalez’s story is a unique one considering what happened to former Seminole outfielder James Ramsey. In 2011 Ramsey made the – then controversial – decision when he turned down the Minnesota Twins and their $500,000 offer after being drafted in the 22^nd round. Ramsey would later be a first round draft pick (23^rd overall) of the 2012 Amateur Draft to the St. Louis Cardinals and agree to a $1.6 million signing bonus.

“I looked at [Ramsey’s story] as, if he could do it then I certainly could too,” Gonzalez said. “It wasn’t about the tangibles rather more about the personal goals for myself. [I wanted to] receive an education and get a national championship. That was my main focus.”

However, making it back to Omaha this year will be a challenge for Gonzalez and the rest of Florida State. Seven Seminoles were drafted last season, four seniors and three juniors, all gone with the exception of Gonzalez. Add to the young talent taking the field this season, eight freshman and six JUCO transfers coupled with the loss of Saturday starter, Mike Compton, who is out due to Tommy John surgery.

“These new guys brought a lot of new energy this team needs,” said Gonzalez. “Their talent is not far off; those guys can play. It didn’t take long for me to adjust to their style of play. It’s something exciting; it’s something I’m looking forward to seeing, watching them mature as the season goes.”

Whatever the outcome is for the upcoming season, there are no bad feelings about the ultimate decision Gonzalez made.

“Being a part of something like [the Florida State baseball program] and seeing it to the end, you can’t trade that away. You can’t put a price on it,” concluded Gonzalez. “I’m exactly where I need to be. I’m happy, I’m real happy with my decision.”