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FSU Baseball Preview: Noles Return Home For ACC Battle With UNC

By Ty Ragans

May 12, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; A detailed view of a baseball glove and bat before the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
May 12, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; A detailed view of a baseball glove and bat before the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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FSU baseball will look to find some consistency as they enter a tough stretch in their schedule, starting with a home series against North Carolina.

The season hasn’t been a total disaster for FSU baseball, but it hasn’t quite been what the fans expected either. Through the first six weeks of the season FSU carries an overall record of 18-8 and an ACC record of 6-3.

On paper 18-8 sounds perfectly fine, you’re going to lose games in baseball. However, most of FSU’s wins have come against subpar competition. The Seminoles have played four games against competition inside the RPI top 50 and they’re 0-4 in those games. FSU’s weekend opponent, North Carolina, is 3rd in RPI this season.

It would certainly benefit FSU baseball to have Dylan Busby and Drew Mendoza for this series, but as of now it is unclear whether either player will be available to return from injury this weekend.

Last Time Out

Tuesday saw the Noles yield another disappointing result at the hands of the rival Florida Gators. The 4-1 loss in Jacksonville was the third straight time FSU baseball has lost to Florida. FSU was able to snap their 30+ inning scoreless streak against UF, but it was hardly a silver lining.

A rough first inning did the Noles in as UF scored all four of their runs in the opening frame, three of them on a home run from Mike Rivera. After that first inning, starting pitcher Andrew Karp settled in and finished strong with a line of 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.

It wasn’t a banner day at the plate for the Noles as they recorded just five hits. Quincy Nieporte had the lone extra base hit with a double in the 6th and was subsequently driven in by a Rhett Aplin single. Freshman JC Flowers was the only Nole with multiple hits on the night, he was 2-4.

The brightest spot for FSU on Tuesday was the bullpen. Three pitchers combined to go four innings and allowed just one hit in the process while striking out four and walking one.

Opponent Preview

The North Carolina at FSU baseball series might not be the biggest athletic event for UNC this weekend (Final Four, maybe you’ve heard of it), but it is important for both teams and certainly a marquee matchup in the college baseball world.

The Tar Heels enter the weekend with a 19-6 overall record, 6-3 in the ACC. As mentioned before, the Heels are 3rd in RPI and they have earned the number 8 ranking in the d1baseball.com poll.

North Carolina is carrying a team batting average of .267 and a team on base percentage of .368. FSU’s team batting average is .265 and the Noles carry an on base percentage of .401. According to d1baseball.com North Carolina’s strength of schedule to date is 5th while FSU has played the 89th toughest schedule so far.

North Carolina currently has six regular starters with a batting average over .300, led by junior short stop Logan Warmoth who hails from Orlando. Warmoth is batting .333 on the year with five home runs and 15 RBI. Right behind Warmoth is junior OF/1B Brian Miller who is batting .311 with two home runs and 12 RBI of his own. The RBI leader for the Heels is sophomore outfielder Brandon Riley who has knocked in 21 runs to go with his .310 average.

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Projected Starting Pitchers

The FSU lineup will have their hands full on Friday night when they face off with UNC ace J.B. Bukauskas. Bukauskas is considered to be one of the top prospects in all of baseball and he’s pitched that way so far this season. Entering the weekend Bukauskas is 4-0 through six starts and sports an ERA of 0.90. In 40 innings the six foot righty has allowed just 21 hits and recorded 60 strike outs to just nine walks. Bukauskas’s fast ball can get up over 95 mph; it will be interesting to see how the FSU lineup handles his stuff.

On Saturday the Noles will face 6’6 freshman Lucas Dalatri. In six starts and 41.2 inning pitched, Dalatri has a record of 2-2 and an ERA of 2.59. Dalatri has allowed 38 hits this season and has recorded 39 strike outs to just four walks. The Noles rely heavily on walks but may have to alter that approach a bit on Saturday.

In Sunday’s series finale the Seminoles will likely be facing 6’6 junior Jason Morgan. Morgan has been the least impressive of North Carolina’s starting pitchers. Morgan enters the weekend with an ERA of 4.37 and a 2-0 record through five starts. The right handed Morgan has been knocked around a little as he’s given up 26 hits and nine walks in just 22.2 innings.

How To Watch

This is the first big-time ACC series at Dick Howser Stadium in 2017 so the atmosphere should be electric, I’d recommend making it out to the park if that’s an option for you. If you aren’t able to make it to Howser or you’d rather just watch from home, you’re in luck because all three games can be streamed on ACC Network Extra. The radio broadcast can be found on 106.1 FM locally or the FSU Game Day app nation wide. First pitch for Friday and Saturday are scheduled for 6:00 PM. Sunday’s finale is scheduled to start at 1:00 PM.

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