Can FSU baseball continue early season momentum against Jacksonville?

FSU baseball (3-0) swept James Madison in the three-game series opener over the weekend and will look to continue their early season momentum in a mid-week clash against Jacksonville.

The Dolphins are a team that has played the Noles extremely tough over the past few years. FSU took two of three last season, but every game was decided by one run. The Dolphins opened their 2023 season, losing two of three against Kent State.

They won the opener 6-5 and lost the second game in 16 innings before getting rolled 18-6 in the rubber game. They are hitting .186 as a team with an on-base percentage of .297. They struck out in 32 percent of their at-bats against Kent State.

Jacksonville pitchers bring a 7.68 ERA into the matchup, with batters hitting .276. They struck out 41 Kent State batters but also walked 24 and hit another 10. Jacksonville has a .972 fielding percentage.

FSU baseball is hitting .380 as a team with an on-base percentage of .500. FSU pitchers bring a 3.67 ERA into the matchup, and freshman Ben Barrett will take the mound for his first career start.

The Noles have a .953 fielding percentage through three games.

Keys to the Game

It’ll likely be a Johnny Wholestaff approach for FSU pitchers. Hopefully, Barrett can throw strikes and go at least three or four innings before giving away to the FSU bullpen.

I’m interested to see who will come out of the bullpen first. Jacksonville has struck out a ton thus far, so that should be a welcome sign.

FSU batters have been mashing the ball, and it looks like a favorable matchup with Jacksonville pitchers.

This game is all about the FSU pitching staff as they work to develop depth and roles. The game will air on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET.