With Florida State’s season winding down, no series is as important as the last one for the Seminoles. Not only are the ‘Noles preparing to square off with in-state rival Miami, they also will need a series win to keep their National Seed hopes alive.
No. 3 Miami (41-9, 20-6) has won 13 of their last 15 matchups, all but securing a National Seed. The Hurricanes lineup has been one of the best in the country all season, led by senior shortstop Brandon Lopez who is hitting .404 on the year and junior catcher Zach Collins who leads the team with 10 home runs with and is batting just shy of .400 himself.
The Seminoles (33-17, 15-8) have struggled as of late going 5-5 over their last 10. Yet FSU is not all to blame for this streak of bad luck as they have had a lot going against them all season. Most recently, they had another game rained out, this time against Stetson.
No. 9 Florida State lost Cobi Johnson for the season, but did manage to return Jim Voyles to the bump, arguably the best pitcher on the staff, who is returning after being sidelined following a line drive that struck him in the head during a game against Notre Dame.
FSU holds its own destiny entering the Miami series which begins on Thursday. With Mike Compton is still battling a tendonitis issue, Drew Carlton (6-3) will get the nod to open the series. Compton will still be available out of the bullpen.
Both Florida State and Miami have played the same opponent 10 times this season. Among common opponents, Miami has only lost one series which came at the hands of the Florida Gators. FSU has lost three series to a shared opponent. A few of those teams are Louisville, Clemson, Florida, and Georgia Tech. Miami has a 20-5 record, while FSU owns a 17-10 record against shared opponents.
The ‘Noles have proven time and time again they can produce runs. Led by freshmen Cal Raleigh, the Seminoles have a very top heavy lineup with Walls and Sansone leading off, but tend to struggle once they progress to the bottom half. The return of Jackson Lueck should supply a big boost, as Lueck has been one of the better hitters once he locked up his starting position. He not only gives more protection to Quincy Nieporte, but he also makes this Florida State lineup one man deeper.
With a rotation that has struggles seemingly all year, it would be a nice time for the staff to figure something out while the lineup continues to supply them with runs. Carlton will set the pace on Thursday night at 6 P.M. when FSU is set to square off with Miami and fight to keep their National Seed dreams alive.
