Chop Chat
Fansided

FSU baseball: Can Noles finish homestand strong against Clemson?

By Kelvin Hunt

TALLAHASSEE, FL - FEBRUARY 15: A general view of the Florida State Seminoles Baseball Team in the dugout during the game against the Maine Black Bears at Dick Howser Stadium on the campus of Florida State University on February 15, 2019 in Tallahassee, Florida. The 11th Ranked Florida State defeated the Maine Black Bears on Opening Day in a no-hitter 11 to 0. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - FEBRUARY 15: A general view of the Florida State Seminoles Baseball Team in the dugout during the game against the Maine Black Bears at Dick Howser Stadium on the campus of Florida State University on February 15, 2019 in Tallahassee, Florida. The 11th Ranked Florida State defeated the Maine Black Bears on Opening Day in a no-hitter 11 to 0. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

FSU baseball (26-18, 17-13 ACC) split a mid-week series against Florida Gulf Coast University and will host their final regular-season homestand against Clemson (23-21, 15-15 ACC) this weekend.

This series was already important, but the loss to FGCU wasn’t in the best interest of the Noles as they projected to host a regional in the postseason.

They’ll need to win this Clemson series at the very least in hopes of solidifying those projections.

Clemson batters are hitting .259 with an on-base percentage of .366 and have slugged 55 home runs, five triples, and 67 doubles.

Clemson pitchers will enter the contest with a 4.53 ERA, with opposing teams batting .260, with 411 strikeouts and 144 walks in 389.2 innings. They have allowed 53 home runs.

Defensively, Clemson has 53 errors in 44 games for a fielding percentage of .967.

FSU pitchers enter the contest with a 3.23 ERA, with opposing teams batting .219, with 513 strikeouts and 154 walks in 398.1 innings.

FSU batters are hitting .241 with an on-base percentage of .358 and have 64 home runs, three triples, and 62 doubles.

Defensively, FSU has 50 errors in 44 games for a fielding percentage of .970.

FSU Keys To Victory

There isn’t a lot that separates these two teams. They are mirror images of one another in a lot of ways. However, the biggest difference is the pitching between the two teams, especially the weekend starters.

Opposing offenses have had more success against Clemson than compared to FSU. FSU pitchers have a better ERA, allowing fewer hits, and allow few home runs than Clemson. However, Clemson pitchers strike out a lot of batters and walk very few, so I expect these games to be relatively low scoring unless  there are a lot of home runs. That’s possible with how Clemson pitchers have the propensity to allow the long ball.

Mostly, it’s going to come down to who can take advantage when the scoring opportunities present themselves. Robby Martin has to find confidence in this series. He has not been the player of late that he was earlier in the season. Tyler Martin, Elijah Cabell, and Logan Lacy need to continue to provide production around Matheu Nelson.

The bottom of FSU’s lineup has to find a way to produce. Players like Nander De Sedas, and I’d like to see Isaiah Perry get a shot to play again if he’s fully recovered from getting hit in the face a couple of weeks ago.

The Noles need to win this series and can do so as long as pitchers avoid walks, play good defense, and take advantage of their opportunities. Friday’s game will air on the ACC Network at 6 p.m. ET.

Next. Why Marvin Wilson Slid Clear Off The Draft Boards. dark

Home/FSU Baseball