Florida State improved its record to 15-0 by beating Florida 12-8 in Gainesville. The Seminoles had a great night, breaking a four-game loss streak against their rivals. They also scored the most runs since 2008.
The win also meant Florida State remained one of only two undefeated teams in the nation, along with Texas A&M (17-0), and would take a perfect record into its ACC opener this weekend against Notre Dame (11-5, 0-3). It is one win shy of tying the 2013 team for the second-best start in program history, though 2007’s 23-0 start remains a long way off.
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Link Jarrett, the Seminoles’ coach, said that they were delighted to celebrate this and did. But their focus is not on the zero in the loss column or their 17-game winning streak (dating back to last season), which is tied with A&M for the longest in the nation. Instead, they’re focused on the pitch-by-pitch results, a process Jarrett has instilled in them.
“They’re excited about how they’re playing more than the record,” Jarrett said. “They’re approaching each game as a single game and either you’re going to be undefeated or you’re going to lose that game.
“I don’t think they’re going out there with that overriding intent (to stay undefeated). I don’t think the theme is, ‘Can we be undefeated?’ It’s, ‘Can you figure out how to win a game?’”
This season, Florida State has been very successful in figuring out the best way to win games. It is ready to play in the ACC. Seminoles average 12.0 runs per match, which is the fourth highest national average. The Seminoles’ team ERA is 2,93, which is the seventh best in the nation. They’re fielding .981, 22nd nationally. There are stars at the plate like junior outfielder James T.ibbs III and sophomore third-baseman Cam Smith.
You can laugh off the schedule, if you wish. Just two of Florida State’s opponents enter the weekend with winning records (Florida and South Florida) and it’s played just one game against a likely NCAA Tournament team. Ten of Florida State’s first 15 games have come at home and its one trip outside the state was to Greenville, S.C., for the First Pitch Invitational, where it played Illinois (5-10), Michigan State (5-9) and Western Michigan (7-8). It’s not a non-conference schedule that is going to rate in upper echelon at the end of the year, even with two more games against Florida to come.
But getting caught up in Florida State’s schedule strength is missing the forest for the trees. The Seminoles went 22-31 in the last season. The Seminoles missed the NCAA Tournament in 1977 for the first time. They finished 9-21 and last in the ACC. Yes, they started last season with a 7-1 record with a series victory at TCU. However, by the time this year rolled around, they had already dropped to 11-5 following a series loss against Florida Gulf Coast.
Florida State’s progress is impressive. Jarrett’s coaching staff, which is largely new, and the Seminoles put in a lot of work to achieve this.
Last season was Jarrett’s first as head coach of his alma mater. He arrived in late June 2022, following Notre Dame’s College World Series run and inherited a young roster. After some serious injuries, the Seminoles couldn’t recover and had their first ever losing season.
After the season ended, Rich Wallace from UCF and Chuck Ristano from Navy were hired to become head coaches. Jarrett recruited Ty Megahee to replace Wallace at the recruiting coordinator position and Micah Posey to replace Ristano at the pitching coaching role. Brad Vanderglas, who joined the program with Jarrett from Notre Dame, remained on staff as the team’s third assistant coach.
The group then set about trying to add to the roster. Florida State had already committed a good traditional recruiting class, and they stayed mostly together throughout the draft. It arrived at the campus ranked No. 6 nationally. Seminoles hit the transfer portal with a vengeance, adding several players of note like Leiter (UCF), infielders Daniel Cantu(South Florida), Drew Farout(UCF)and Alex Lodise(North Florida).
Talent was required. Florida State, however, was able to bring in quality players for its most pressing positions.
“Adding transfers is one thing,” Jarrett said. “Filling your needs and being able to land what you need is another. We did a nice job of settling the landscape of what the roster looks like and add some talented kids.”
Leiter is the best of the lot. He is from a famous baseball family, and his father Kurt played in Double-A. But he didn’t have nearly the buzz as a New Jersey prep pitcher as his cousin Jack, who could have been a first rounder in 2019 but instead went on to become the second overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Vanderbilt. Cam went to UCF out of high school and pitched well in the Knights’ rotation as a freshman, going 3-2, 4.92 with 80 strikeouts and 41 walks in 56.2 innings.
After a change of coaching at UCF, Leiter entered the FSU transfer portal and committed to FSU in early June. He earned his Opening Day start after an impressive fall and is now projected as a first-rounder in 2025.
Jarrett says that when he looked at Leiter’s video when he was entering the transfer portal, there were flashes of his potential. Jarrett saw that Leiter was a true premium talent once he arrived on campus. Leiter can throw his fastball at speeds up to 98 miles per hour, has two different breaking balls and a great changeup. He’s listed at 6-foot-5, 218 pounds and while his command could still improve, it’s an exciting overall package.
Leiter’s physical traits make him stand out. Jarrett was also impressed by his mentality, and his makeup.
“He knows the game, he knows what he’s doing, he’s studied the game, he has been around the game and was brought up in the game,” Jarrett said. “His love for the game in the dugout, his love for what’s going on is infectious.”
Arnold excelled as his No. 2 hitter, limiting opponents to one run (unearned) in 22 innings. He struck out 32 batters and walked five. In 22 innings of play, Arnold held opponents to just one unearned run, while striking out 32 and walking 5. He’s made a significant jump in his second year of college baseball after going 2-5, 6.34 as a freshman. This season his velocity has increased, he is now hitting mid-90s after averaging around 90 mph in the past.
Florida State is a one-two punch in the ACC, with Leiter and Arnold as the two pitchers at the top of their rotation. And Jarrett is excited to this weekend see his originally scheduled rotation lined up together for the first time, as Connor Whittaker (2-0, 3.63) is slated to start Sunday’s series finale. An Opening Weekend rainout messed with Florida State’s pitching plans and Whittaker made his first three starts in midweek action.
Whittaker will be able to settle into the No. 3 role and Florida State’s bullpen continues to get quality work from the likes of Ben Barrett (1-0, 1.86), Joe Charles (0-0, 0.00), Carson Dorsey (2-0, 3.75) and Brennan Oxford (0-0, 2.89, 2 SV), this pitching staff starts to look pretty deep. This would be a huge leap for a team who ranked 12th last year in the ACC, with a team ERA of 5.75.
Improved defense also helps the pitching team. Last year, the Seminoles ranked last among ACC teams in fielding. The Seminoles have made a big jump thanks to a revamped infield led by Lodise at shortstop, and Farout at the second base.
Florida State’s offensive lineup is very strong. Smith and DeAmez (.321/.420/.415) showed significant improvement in their second year of college baseball. Tibbs, the team’s leading hitter a season ago, is already nearly halfway to his 2023 home run total of 17. Farout (.406/.444/.656, eleven 2B), and Lodise (341/.474/.614, three HR) are two of the newcomers who have been making their presence known.
Jarrett said he went into the season believing the Seminoles had the makings of a solid lineup and that evaluation looks to be spot on—no mistake considering his track record for developing hitters.
“Going into it, I’m thinking there’s a chance for a functional group,” he said. “You have guys that hit for average, you have power threats brewing, you hope you run enough so base stealing is another dimension.
“You stir it up and you feel like there’s a chance for this to be a functional offensive group. We have guys not playing that deserve to be playing, so that creates depth and creates competition within the program so everyone stays sharp.”
As well as things are going now for Florida State—and things are going pretty well during a 15-game winning streak—there’s still work to be done. Tuesday’s game at Florida was just the start of the schedule stiffening. Florida State travels next weekend to No. Clemson (14-1) in what will be their toughest test to date.
Jarrett believes there is still room for improvements in many areas.
“We have to clean some things up,” he said. “There are things that I see—I may be the only one to see it—but I see it.”
Florida State will be able to feel confident on March 15 when the ACC season begins. After a disappointing 2023, the Seminoles have returned to familiar territory and are ready to compete against the best teams of the conference.
The post Florida State’s Undefeated Season Bounces back from Subpar Season first appeared on College Baseball. MLB Draft. Prospects. Baseball America.
