Chop Chat
Fansided

FSU Baseball 2018 ACC Tourney Preview: Semis vs. Clemson

By Jason Parker

Omaha, NE - JUNE 23: A general view of a bag of baseballs before the start of the game between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Vanderbilt Commodores during game two of the College World Series Championship Series on June 23, 2015 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) Omaha, NE - JUNE 23: A general view of the away jersey of the Vanderbilt Commodores and the home jersey of the Virginia Cavaliers before the start of game two of the College World Series Championship Series on June 23, 2015 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
Omaha, NE - JUNE 23: A general view of a bag of baseballs before the start of the game between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Vanderbilt Commodores during game two of the College World Series Championship Series on June 23, 2015 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) Omaha, NE - JUNE 23: A general view of the away jersey of the Vanderbilt Commodores and the home jersey of the Virginia Cavaliers before the start of game two of the College World Series Championship Series on June 23, 2015 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Here’s a preview of FSU baseball and their next set of games during the 2018 baseball season.

Over the course of the 2018 season, the FSU baseball team has looked like two different squads at points of the year: one that struggles against competition it has twice the talent of and the other going out and dominating a team they, quite frankly, probably don’t have any business being on the same field with.

After an undefeated pool play that saw games fitting both those criteria, the Seminoles now are back in the final four of the annual conference postseason showcase – and again, they are facing a team who they just saw earlier this month.

Here’s our preview of this week’s game between the Seminoles and their semifinal opponent in the ACC tournament.

The Last Time The ‘Noles Took The Field

FSU baseball opened pool play on the opening day of the tournament in Durham this past Tuesday – and needed extra innings against a Virginia Cavaliers team who was fighting for their postseason life three years after winning a national title. The Noles pulled the plug on the Wahoos in the 11th inning, when Reese Albert’s walk-off double sealed the 3-2 victory.

Friday night, the Seminoles and the N.C. State Wolfpack met in a win-and-move-on game. For the Noles, two players were all they needed against the ninth ranked team – as Cal Raleigh had a RBI double and two run homer while Drew Parrish threw a complete game with 14 strikeouts and allowed just five hits in FSU baseball’s 5-2 victory.

Opponent Preview

In a battle of the two teams that have dominated the tournament of late, the Seminoles will face a Clemson team that relied on big innings during their time in Durham. In the opener with Notre Dame, the Tigers set a tournament record with a 17 run inning in their 21-4 win, while using a six run inning to break their tie with the Miami Hurricanes to win in advance.

The teams met during the first weekend of the month. FSU baseball got the first win in a historical victory that made Mike Martin the winningest coach in college baseball history. The Tigers returned the favor by winning their next two games en route to bringing home the ACC’s Atlantic Division.

Interesting Fact

For the second straight season, the new format for the ACC baseball tournament has not just benefited the Seminoles, but almost any team that is not the top of their pool group. Just one of the top four teams entering the tournament (Clemson) advanced to the semis – the same number that made it last season.

Last season saw a No. 6 Miami, No. 8 FSU baseball and No. 9 Duke team make it to Saturday, while this season will see No. 6 Florida State joined by No. Louisville, who knocked off the Blue Devils in their group, and the No. 12 Pittsburgh Panthers – who despite being the last team in the field got hot at the right time and knocked off the top seeded North Carolina Tar Heels.

Home/FSU Baseball