FSU baseball: Key takeaways from series win over NC State

FSU baseball (13-6, 4-2 ACC) picked up a big series win over the NC State Wolfpack Sunday night with a walk-off home run by freshman Jaime Ferrer in the bottom of the 17th inning. It was their second consecutive conference series win and helped answer some questions about this team. Here are some of my key takeaways:

• The offense continues to struggle overall
• Ross Dunn has pitched like the ace the past few weeks
• Some answers developing in the bullpen

FSU baseball scored 13 runs against NC State in game one, but that was against NC State’s usual Sunday starter. They struggled against NC State’s other pitchers who came into the game not known to be strikeout artists. However, FSU batters struck out 38 times in 96 at-bats (39.5 percent) in Sunday’s doubleheader. They struggled with situational hitting and left 24 runners on base in those two games.

Ross Dunn is pitching like the ace of the staff as the Sunday starter. He’s arguably pitched better than Parker Messick and Bryce Hubbart over the last three starts. He’s pitched 19 innings, allowing two earned runs, eight walks, 10 hits, with 34 strikeouts.

The FSU bullpen hasn’t been the best over the early part of the season, but some relievers have emerged. Jonah Scolaro, Davis Hare, Jackson Baumeister, Conner Whitaker, and Wyatt Crowell have been consistent in their last few outings.

Overall, I’m not sure this team has the offense to make a deep postseason run. We’re nearly halfway through the season and I’m still seeing poor at-bats from upperclassmen and poor situational hitting. Will that improve enough this year to make a difference? I’m doubtful.

The younger batters have done well, but teams have already begun to make adjustments as more footage becomes available. That’s something to watch as conference play continues. The starting pitching is there and gives them a chance in every game, but the offense continues to leave little room for error. However, at least the bullpen seems to be coming into their own. Hopefully, Tyler Martin will get back into the lineup before long and help give this team a lift.