FSU Baseball 2019 College World Series Preview: vs. Arkansas

Here’s a preview of FSU baseball and their next game during the 2019 season.

After a regular season for the FSU baseball team that included plenty of ups and downs – and a first two rounds of the postseason that have been among the best in the history of the program – the Seminoles now get ready for the final step in what has the potential to turn into a magical season: a trip to Omaha and the College World Series.

For head coach Mike Martin, it has been quite the turnaround for a team that at one point of the season wasn’t even in the conversation for a postseason berth – and now, sits a minimum of three wins away from making it to the championship series and a shot at the first national title in program history and to send Martin out with a title in his 40th and final season.

For the FSU baseball team to get to that point, they open play this weekend with a fifth straight contest against a team from the SEC – a team who just happened to be one out from winning the national championship in Omaha last season.

Florida State Seminoles

Here’s our preview of this week’s game between the Seminoles and their foe during this week of action.

The Last Time The ‘Noles Took The Field

After the FSU baseball team made quick work of their competition during the regional round in Athens, Georgia – including two straight wins over the No. 4 national seed and host Georgia Bulldogs – it was off to the bayous of Baton Rouge and a best of three series against the Louisiana State Tigers.

In Game One, the Seminoles fell behind early and often as the Tigers scored four runs early on – all before the Noles mounted a comeback and tied the game with a three run homer from Reese Albert. Tim Becker, the hero of the Athens regional, gave the Noles a lead with a sac fly RBI and Albert sealed it with a solo homer in the ninth inning for the 6-4 victory.

In Game Two, the Seminoles jumped out to a 3-0 lead after a big second inning and made it 4-1 after a RBI double from Becker. The Tigers would comeback on this night and tie the game at four in the eighth inning – and it would become a bullpen battle until the 12th inning, when Drew Mendoza’s single brought home Mike Salvatore and the Super Regional sweep for the Noles.

Opponent Preview

Heading to Omaha with a 46-18 record and being seeded as the No.5 national seed entering the tournament, head coach Dave Van Horne’s Arkansas Razorbacks team was the last ones to make it in after winning Game Three of their Super Regional series with fellow SEC team Ole Miss – the same one that knocked them out of the conference tournament several weeks before.

The Hogs got a single number by their name in part thanks to a 12-1 stretch in the middle of the season that kept them one of the top teams in the country – thanks to a lineup that has five everyday starters batting over .300 entering this weekend to go along with ace pitcher Isaiah Campbell, who will likely bring his 12-1 record into battle against the Noles.

Interesting Fact

All time, the Razorbacks and FSU baseball will be meeting for the sixth time with Arkansas winning every meeting so far – including sweeps in the Super Regional round in both 2004 and 2009.

For the Seminoles, it will be their fourth trip to Omaha this decade and they will hopefully have a showing more like their 2012 appearance – getting the semifinals before losing to Arizona – than their 2010 or 2017 showings, where they lost the opener and left Omaha with just one win each time.