FSU baseball: D1 Baseball projects Noles in Field of 64

FSU baseball (23-31) missed the postseason for the first time in over 40 years last season. It was a disappointing year for Link Jarrett in his first season after leading Notre Dame to the College World Series in 2022. A combination of injuries, depth, lack of offense, abysmal defense, and the toughest schedule in the nation were all factors in the disappointment. However, Link Jarrett wasted no time adding quality depth on the mound and in the lineup from the transfer portal as soon as their season was over. FSU was also a young team, with its best offensive players only sophomores and true freshmen. Those players return for 2024 with more experience and will combine with the talent added from the portal. FSU looks like it will be an improved team, and Link Jarrett feels optimistic about the progress made in the past year. D1 Baseball believes the Noles will be better on the field. They projected the Noles to make the Field of 64, as the No. 2 seed in the Gainesville Regional this week.

FSU's projected starting pitching for the weekends is already better (on paper) compared to last year. The Noles have more depth in the bullpen and added some big thunder in their bats. If the Noles limit the walks on the mounds, and defensive errors, and become a more efficient team offensively? I don't doubt they can make some noise in the regular season and make the postseason as projected. The Noles were No. 4 in the ACC Atlantic polls. As bad as things were in 2023, FSU had nine losses by one run, which tells me they were not too far off despite all of the adversity. They'll open up their season Friday evening at Dick Howser Stadium against the Butler Bulldogs.