FSU baseball takes undefeated record in first rivalry matchup vs. Florida

Just 3.5 weeks into the 2024 college baseball season, only two undefeated teams remain.

Florida State and Texas A&M.

The Seminoles (14-0) haven't yet played a ranked opponent or even a team that ranks in the top 50 of the RPI at the moment. FSU has played and beaten just one opponent in the top 100 in RPI (South Florida, 58).

And yet, what FSU has done regardless of level of competition has grown harder to deny with each passing win. The Seminoles have scored seven or more runs in a program-record 14 straight games to start this season. Through the first 14 games, FSU has outscored its opponents by a combined margin of 168-48, an average of 12 to 3.4 per game.

After Sunday's win, FSU coach Link Jarrett admitted he's doesn't pay especially close attention to his team's record and how it stacks up nationally.

"The record and the scores of the games, I know it really matters but it's not something that I obsess with," Jarrett said. "I want us to walk out there every day and play really hard-nosed, clean, good baseball. Sometimes you do that and you still don't win. Sometimes guys maximize their capabilities and it's not enough But you try to build this thing where when that's going, you have a chance to be a championship-level, top team. I like the way it feels, I do."

Through 14 games this season, it's safe to say this FSU team has done that in Jarrett's estimation.

"They have to feel confident about what they see. When you look around yourself and you're out on the field, you see talented players that are playing the game hard. They're playing hard-nosed baseball. That's how I feel about it..." Jarrett added. "Whether it's 10 games or 14 games, I don't really know where that stacks nationally or in terms of the other teams that are involved in this discussion. But I'm very proud of the way they have, from the first pitch of the season to the last pitch today (Sunday), engaged and played the game."

Before ACC play begins this weekend vs. Notre Dame, FSU faces its first especially tough opponent of the season Tuesday night in Gainesville. The Seminoles, who are up to No. 21 in the Baseball America Top 25 and No. 22 in the Coaches poll, take on rival Florida (10-5) at 6 p.m. at Condron Family Ballpark.

The game will be broadcast on SEC Network, making it FSU's first nationally-televised game of the season.

"You look to Tuesday, we know that's a really good team," Jarrett said Sunday. "We will go down there and that will be a dogfight. That will be another challenge."

A few weeks into the season, the Gators are a bit of a mystery. A consensus preseason top 5 team that was considered among the most talented teams in the country, UF has already suffered losses to St. John's, St. Mary's, Stetson and UCF, falling as far as 11th in the polls this week.

The Gators have a .304 team batting average, 32 home runs (tied for 10th-most nationally) and are averaging 8.7 runs per game. However, they have also allowed 79 earned runs in 15 games this season, with a 5.43 ERA which ranks 116th nationally.

UF has allowed nine-plus runs in five games already this season, including twice over the weekend vs. St. Mary's. That could prove to be a challenge against an FSU offense which ranks second nationally with a .377 batting average this season.

"Clearly, they're a really good team. We need a good outing and need to play pure, clean, crisp baseball..." Jarrett said. "You're walking in to play a really talented, good team, it's not going to stop. The weekends that are coming, these are Super Regional-caliber challenges that you have. We're clearly in a position to manage going in there. The guys are comfortable with what they're doing, we've gotten some of the pitchers in better spots in terms of raw, pure experience at this level."

FSU has done a good job over the first few weeks of the season turning a negative (only getting to play two games of its opening series vs. Butler) into a positive, moving Sunday starter Conner Whittaker to the midweek spot to provide some stability.

That's just what the junior righty has done, posting a 3.63 ERA over 17.1 innings as the midweek starter in FSU's wins over Jacksonville, South Florida and FGCU.

However, that always seemed to be a temporary fix, with Whittaker eventually working his way back into the weekend rotation. With ACC play looming this weekend vs. Notre Dame, it would appear that Jarrett and FSU pitching coach Micah Posey have decided that moment is now.

Whittaker is not listed as the starting pitcher for Tuesday's game at Florida in the Seminoles' game notes. Instead, FSU will turn to senior left-handed pitcher Andrew Armstrong to make his second start of the season and fourth career start Tuesday evening against the Gators.

Armstrong, who will likely be an opener of sorts as he's not fully stretched out as a starter, started Saturday's 15-7 win over New Orleans with two shutout innings on the mound. So far this season, he's allowed no runs on four hits over 4.2 innings with seven strikeouts.

Florida will start freshman righty Alex Philpott. It will be his second career start and he's posted a 2.57 ERA over 14 innings out of the bullpen so far this season.

It's not known at this point whether Whittaker may be available for a few innings Tuesday night. If he has a bullpen scheduled and FSU doesn't want him to go 12 days between appearing in games, it's possible he'll be available for a few innings out of the bullpen.

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