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FSU baseball: 3 things Noles need to improve in 2022

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) /
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FSU baseball will begin the 2022 season as a top 15 team by most pundits and begins their season on February 18 against James Madison.

It’ll be the third year at the helm for Mike Martin Jr. as he looks to continue the success his father had for over 40 years in Tallahassee.

The Noles finished the 2021 season with a (31-24, 20-16 ACC) record with eight losses by one run. However, they swept Miami in the season series and defeated them in the ACC Tournament. They split the season series with the Florida Gators, with the loss by one run in extra innings.

FSU pitching carried last year’s team with the offense hit or miss behind the production of Matheu Nelson, Robby Martin, and Elijah Cabell. All three of those players are playing minor league baseball now.

Here are three things the Noles must improve upon if they wish to compete for ACC and National Titles:

  • Fielding/Defense-As a former pitcher, nothing is more frustrating than humming along only to have your defense commit an error. The Noles have been awful in recent years and last year had a fielding percentage of .968, which was an improvement over the 2020 season. However, 65 errors in 55 games aren’t going to cut it if they plan to play at a higher level. Teams can’t afford to give good teams extra outs no matter how good your stable of pitchers.
  • Too Many Strikeouts-FSU batters do a good job of getting on base with an on-base percentage of .417. However, they struck out 32.2 percent of the time(599 of 1,860). That’s too many strikeouts for a team with only four guys that had 11+ home runs. An incredible 19 percent of the strikeouts came from Nander de Sedas and Jackson Greene, both batted below .200 last season. They need to put the ball in play and put more pressure on opposing defenses instead of swinging through fastballs right down the middle.
  • Beat Teams, They Should Beat-FSU lost several games they had no business losing last season. They should not lose to North Florida, Jacksonville, Troy, Florida Gulf Coast, and Duke.

Final Thoughts

These issues have persisted the last few years, so I’m not sure if the 2022 season will be any different.

FSU baseball will have the pitching to compete with almost anyone, but will they have the offense? They lost a ton of offensive production from last year’s squad and will have several new faces in the lineup.

Next. How Far Away Are Noles From Respectability?. dark

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