Top 5 teams will collide in Tallahassee over the weekend. The three-game series pitting top-ranked Virginia against #5 Florida State will certainly draw intrigue from college baseball fans everywhere. The series in Tallahassee will not only be a match-up of two of the nation’s top 5 teams, but it will be one that features the top two teams in the ACC.
This weekend’s series at Dick Howser Stadium will go a long way in deciding which team gets the top seed at the ACC Tournament. It could also have huge implications as far as top national seeds are concerned once the NCAA Tournament gets underway. Despite a 32-9 overall record, Virginia’s visit to Tallahassee leaves the Seminoles with a lot to prove.
Few question the talent of FSU this season. The Seminoles have plenty of speed at the top of the lineup with Josh Delph, a solid middle of the order that includes D.J. Stewart, John Nogowski and Justin Gonzalez, a stellar starting rotation and a lights out bullpen headlined by Gage Smith and two-sport star, Jameis Winston. What Florida State has not done well this season however, is play great against the nation’s best.
Although the Seminoles boast an outstanding 32-9 overall record, their record against teams currently ranked in the Baseball America top 25 is just 4-5. Florida State was able to win series against Miami and Clemson, but getting swept in the season series against rival Florida has left much to be desired from FSU.
For Florida State to finally claim that coveted first College World Series title, it will need to be able to beat teams on Virginia’s level. With only 13 games remaining in the regular season, the time has long passed for working out kinks and the weekend series should be a display of two teams in NCAA Tournament form.
Florida State has had little trouble scoring runs this season. In fact, the Seminoles have touched home plate more times than any other school in the ACC. This weekend however, Florida State will face arguably the best staff in the nation.
Anchoring a staff with a combined 2.03 ERA is Cavaliers’ starter Nathan Kirby. With an 8-1 record, Kirby leads the ACC in wins and his 1.36 ERA trails only Connor Jones — his teammate. Jones leads the ACC with a 1.07 ERA out of the pen and has allowed just 26 hits in 42 innings pitched. Virginia starters, John Sborz and Brandon Waddell, are also owners of sub-3.00 earned run averages.
While the Florida State lineup will have its hands full, the FSU pitching staff led by Mike Compton and Luke Weaver won’t exactly breeze through the weekend either. Virginia’s Joe McCarthy ranks third in the ACC with 37 RBIs while Mike Papi is second in the conference in home runs and is perhaps the ACC’s most feared hitter as he’s been walked more than any other player in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
As the anticipated start of the postseason nears, Florida State and its fans are once again optimistic that this could finally be the season that Mike Martin’s club takes home the title. Although the Seminoles are in the midst of another outstanding season, their play against some of the nation’s best has been suspect. With Virginia holding the top spot in three of college baseball’s four major polls, this weekend’s series could serve as a measuring stick in assessing whether or not Florida State is truly a championship caliber club.
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