FSU baseball: Noles enter regional play against No. 2 seed UCLA

No. 3 FSU baseball (33-23, 15-15 ACC) looks to make another run at the elusive College World Series Championship when they play No. 2 seed UCLA (38-22, 19-11 Pac-12) in the Auburn Regional Friday afternoon.

The Noles won their first matchup in the ACC Tournament, blowing out Virginia before losing against Notre Dame for the fourth time this year. UCLA lost in the Pac-12 Tournament Finals against No. 3 national seeded Oregon State.

UCLA batters are hitting .278 with an on-base percentage of .390 and have hit 41 home runs, 120 doubles, and 12 triples.

UCLA pitchers will enter the contest with a 3.99 ERA, with opposing teams batting .243, with 553 strikeouts and 179 walks in 541 innings. They have allowed 62 home runs.

Defensively, UCLA has 56 errors for a fielding percentage of .974. FSU baseball pitchers enter the contest with a 4.08 ERA, with opposing teams batting .232 with 675 strikeouts and 186 walks in 507 innings.

FSU batters are hitting .263 with an on-base percentage of .362 and have 57 home runs, 111 doubles, and six triples.

Defensively, FSU has 66 errors for a fielding percentage of .968.

Keys To Victory

The two teams are very similar, as neither possesses a ton of power, and both rely on pitching to carry the load, though I think FSU starting Parker Messick gives them an advantage, especially if he’s on.

However, one of the major differences offensively is UCLA is much better at getting runners on base compared to FSU, and they strikeout 24 percent of their at-bats compared to 29 percent for the Noles.

They draw lots of walks, and FSU pitchers will need to make them earn what they get. The Bruins apply much more pressure on the basepaths, successfully stealing 72 of 85 stolen base attempts. They have more steals than FSU attempts and are not afraid to play small ball with sacrifice bunts, etc.

Ironically, fielding bunts is something has struggled with this year. Max Rajcic will likely start for the Bruins on the mound. He’s dealt with injuries but has good stuff when he’s on. He strikes out a lot of batters and doesn’t issue many walks.

This game will likely be simple, with the winner making the fewest mistakes. FSU needs Messick to be on, and they have to take advantage of scoring opportunities when they present themselves.

The game will begin Friday at 12 p.m. on ESPN2.