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FSU Baseball heads to College World Series after Super Regional sweep

By Jason Parker

CLEARWATER, FL - FEBRUARY 24: Manager Mike Martin of the Florida State Seminoles watches warmups against the Philadelphia Phillies February 24, 2011 at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
CLEARWATER, FL - FEBRUARY 24: Manager Mike Martin of the Florida State Seminoles watches warmups against the Philadelphia Phillies February 24, 2011 at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) /
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FSU baseball gets a chance to continue their will ride in the 2019 season after a walk-off win over the Tigers to sweep their Super Regional.

For the FSU baseball team, 62 games turned out to not be the end of the line for head coach Mike Martin in his final season leading the Seminoles – and the wild ride that has been this season for the garnet and gold will continue next week in the location every team dreams about going at the start of the season.

Thanks to a 12th inning single off the bat of Drew Mendoza, the Seminoles are heading back to Omaha for the 2018 edition of the College World Series after a 5-4 extra inning victory over the LSU Tigers to sweep the Super Regional round in front of a rowdy crowd inside Alex Box Stadium.

Unlike the opening game between the teams on Saturday, it was the FSU baseball team that jumped out on top early on with three runs in the bottom of the second inning – including RBIs off singles from Matheu Nelson and Mike Salvatore to put the Seminoles in front early on in the ball game.

The Noles would add another run two innings later when left fielder Tim Becker – the hero of the regional round last weekend in Athens – added another run with a double that drove in Nelson to give the Seminoles a 4-1 lead and it looked like things might have the Seminoles playing in Omaha.

But, the Tigers would not go down quietly in their do or die situation as they got one run in the sixth inning and then chased starting pitcher CJ Van Eyk – who pitched his career high in pitches in the game – and tied the ball game at four runs a piece with two runs scored in the top of the eighth inning.

After the teams went scoreless for over three innings, it was the bat of Mendoza that saved the day with his single to right field that brought home Salvatore and sent the Seminoles back to the ‘elite eight’ of college baseball.

The Seminoles, at 41-21 on the season, head back to Omaha for the second time in the last three seasons and the 17th time in the 40 season career as head coach for Martin.

FSU baseball will await the winner of the Super Regional between Ole Miss and Arkansas before knowing who they will face in the first game this coming weekend.

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