FSU baseball dropped its series opener against Notre Dame Friday evening but remains tied (with Clemson) at the top of the ACC standings with a 5-2 record in conference play.
The Noles are the highest-ranked team in the ACC at No. 4 nationally, so it's natural for teams to put a target on their back since that's where they aspire to be.
That's why it was interesting that Virginia Tech's coach would mention the Noles after the Hokies defeated Wake Forest in their series opener on Friday. The Demon Deacons ranked No. 16 nationally entering the week and here's what the Virginia Tech coach said after Friday's game:
#Hokies coach John Szefc on where his team stands:
— Dylan Tefft (@dylantefft) March 29, 2025
“Our guys are good. [Wake Forest] has good players, I think we have better players. After last week, I keep saying it. I know a lot of people don’t believe it because we don’t have Florida State written across our chest.”
He's referring to their series win over Louisville last week, where the Cardinals were No. 16 nationally. Virginia Tech is (18-8, 5-5 ACC) with losses to Bucknell, UNC-Greensboro, and East Carolina.
They lost two ACC series against Georgia Tech and NC State before taking the series against Louisville last week.
The Hokies didn't make the post-season last year after finishing (32-22, 14-16 ACC). They have an RPI of 43 nationally and a No. 66 strength of schedule ranking.
They aren't a bad team, and baseball is a funny sport where anyone can beat anyone on a given day. Notre Dame hitting 26 percent of its team home runs in one game against FSU is a prime example.
I don't think it's a shot at FSU, but more of an ode to folks who should pay more attention to what Virginia Tech is doing and put some respect on it. Now, if they go out and get rolled by Wake Forest over the next two games he'll have to put his foot in his mouth. However, winning on the road at Wake Forest is noteworthy, since FSU lost two of three games there last year.
The good news is whether it's a shot or a compliment, it's good that FSU is back in the conversation nationally compared to just a couple of years ago.