FSU baseball: Noles look for first ACC win against No. 18 Virginia

FSU baseball (2-4, 0-3 ACC) looks to end their three-game losing streak when they host No. 18 Virginia (5-3, 1-2 ACC) in a three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m.

It has been a tough first six games for the Noles. I’ve detailed the issues with the hitting and pitching earlier in the week.

The problem is the first two opponents the Noles faced were not close to the level of competition they’ll consistently see in the ACC Conference.

A mid-week game against Mercer was lost due to weather, so FSU missed an opportunity to work out some kinks and take on a Virginia team tabbed to finish second in the ACC Coastal Division.

The Cavaliers come into Tallahassee off a mid-week win over George Washington but lost two of their three games in their ACC opening series against North Carolina.

However, all of those games were tightly contested, with the winner separated by one run in every game(2-3, 1-2, 3-2).

The ‘Noles success is as simple as doing the little things. They need to have good at-bats offensively, and pitchers need to avoid walks and make opposing teams earn what they get. The FSU defense needs make routine plays consistently.

Mike Martin Jr. decided to switch up his pitching rotation with Bryce Hubbart starting in Saturday’s game. Hubbart looked great in a relief outing against Pittsburgh. Parker Messick will get the start in Friday’s game, and veteran Connor Grady will be in his usual spot on Sunday.

This series is big for the Noles as they try to find some confidence in all phases of the game. A sweep or series win over Virginia would go a long way in quieting the doubters. Will the Noles show improvement over their last outing in ACC play? Be sure to tune in on the ESPN3 streaming app at 6 p.m. Friday.