Florida State baseball opened its 2026 season with a 5-1 win over James Madison, though the game was much closer than the final score. It was a solid win for the Noles, some positives and negatives, which is expected early in the season. Here are three major takeaways:
- Pitching overall was solid, but there were too many walks for my liking. Two out walks to specific
- Offense was sporadic, but solid with two outs
- Good to see the offense string some stuff together late for some breathing room
Wes Mendes went five innings on only 51 pitches for the win is a good sign. The change-up worked nicely, though it seemed he telegraphed it sometimes. That’s something to keep an eye on when he faces better teams. The bullpen walked too many guys, and it probably would have been more against better competition because several James Madison batters chased pitches way out of the zone.
Myles Bailey did Myles Bailey things. He deposited the first pitch he saw 429 feet. Brody DeLamielleure continues to show monster power to the opposite field. Noah Sheffield earned some major points with a crucial two RBI pinch hit. FSU will need more from Brayden Dowd in the leadoff spot, though he looks great in left field and covered a ton of ground for an early out in the game. FSU went 5-12 with two outs.
Two innings, two home runs for the Noles! 💥
— FSU Baseball (@FSUBaseball) February 13, 2026
E-2, FSU 2, JMU 0 pic.twitter.com/SvS3ROyy9t
It was a 2-1 game going into the bottom of the eighth, and the FSU bullpen didn’t look the most trustworthy with all of the walks. The FSU offense getting into their bullpen and showing patience helped set the stage for Noah Sheffield’s big hit. It turned out that FSU needed that cushion as James Madison threatened in the top of the ninth.
Overall, a solid win. It was good to see FSU get through the game using only three pitchers. FSU batters need to show more patience, but it’s early in the season. They will play game two on Saturday at 2 p.m. Â