FSU baseball lands monster portal commit who'll make a major impact in 2026

FSU baseball ace pitcher Jamie Arnold announced his intentions to enter the 2025 MLB Draft on Thursday, and FSU wasted no time adding a pitcher who could have the same type of impact a day later.

FAU ace pitcher Trey Beard announced his commitment to the Noles on Friday morning via his Instagram account.

He's no Jamie Arnold from a stuff standpoint, but he's as effective at getting hitters out. FSU ventured into the transfer portal to pull two eventual weekend starters last year, Joey Volini and Wes Mendes. Trey Beard will likely fit that mold and have a similar or better impact in 2026.

Granted, FAU doesn't play in a conference as good as the ACC, but neither did Joey Volini, and he was excellent most of the year. Beard had 118 strikeouts and 32 walks in 86 innings. Opposing batters hit .199, and only 29.5 percent of the hits allowed went for extra bases.

More importantly, he eats up innings, going 6+ innings in 10 of his 15 starts and 5+ innings in 12 of 15. He'll fit somewhere in FSU's weekend rotation.

What makes Beard so effective? It's the over-the-top arm slot with a low 90's fastball coupled with a + change-up and curveball. It's difficult for hitters to pick up the difference between the three pitches from that arm slot.

Beard's fastball plays up in the zone similar to Jamie Arnold's, but the change-up might be the equivalent of Arnold's slider. It runs away and down from right-handed hitters, and the curveball drops off the table to left-handed hitters.

The key for Beard (and every pitcher) is working ahead in counts. FSU landed Beard is a good sign for Link Jarrett and Micah Posey, as they landed a big-time bat from Davidson a few days ago. FSU baseball may not throw money around like some of the other big-time programs, but players know Link Jarrett is a great coach and wants to play for him.