FSU baseball starts ACC play against Pittsburgh Panthers

FSU baseball (9-3) took care of business in their last outing against Bethune-Cookman as they prepare for conference play against the Pittsburgh Panthers (7-6).  The FSU offense continues to put up numbers, while the bullpen picked up the third poor consecutive start for FSU pitching.

Pitt is hitting .276 as a team with an on-base percentage of .412. They struck out 27 percent of their at-bats and hit 16 home runs.

Pitt pitchers bring a 6.03 ERA into the matchup, with batters hitting .282. They have struck out 131 batters, walked 66, and allowed 12 home runs in 112 innings pitched. The Panthers have a .969 fielding percentage.

FSU baseball is hitting .327 as a team with an on-base percentage of .410. FSU pitchers bring a 4.05 ERA into the matchup, and the Noles have a .963 fielding percentage through 12 games.

FSU head coach announced a change to the starting pitching rotation. It’ll consist of Jackson Baumeister, Wyatt Crowell, and Carson Montgomery. I thought Jarrett needed to make a change and put Crowell or Conner Whittaker into the starting rotation. I would have had them in the rotation to begin the season, but I understand what he was trying to do with high-leverage situations. However, if the starters can’t even get into the third inning, that defeats the purpose.

The Noles haven’t had a single starter go past 2.1 innings in the last four games. However, their bullpen isn’t as taxed as it was last week, so that’s a good sign.

Anything can happen, but Pitt is a team FSU should defeat in a series. Pitt swept the Noles in a three-game series the last time they met in 2021.

Friday’s game will begin at 6 p.m. ET and will air on the ACCNX channel. Former FSU great Jameis Winston will throw out the first pitch and Buster Posey will have his jersey retired Saturday. You can listen here if you can’t watch.