If Florida State makes a long run to the postseason, the Seminoles will be able to do it from the friendly confines of Dick Howser Stadium.
FSU (42-15) earned the No. 8 national seed and will host a four-team regional that includes Stetson (40-20), UCF (25-19) and Alabama (33-22) beginning on Friday. FSU-Stetson will play at noon (ACC Network), with UCF-Alabama to follow at a time to be determined.
The Seminoles found out on Sunday night that they would be hosting one of 16 regionals, but Monday’s announcement by the NCAA Selection Committee confirmed they had earned the right to host a Super Regional should they win the regional.
"To be in this conversation you have to execute from Day 1 through the conference tournament," FSU coach Link Jarrett said. "And I'm proud for the guys in that room, being recognized as a top-8 seed. The schedule from start to finish, the difficulty in the middle of the week. The challenge within the league. The challenge in the conference tournament. They earned that. And it's not easy to be in this position. I'm proud of what those kids have done, our coaching staff."
If FSU wins the regional, it would host the winner of Oklahoma's regional.
Why is hosting in the NCAA Tournament so important? Beyond the reward for FSU’s performance in the regular season and the ACC Tournament, the Seminoles also were 27-4 in Tallahassee compared to 8-10 on the road. This factors in some challenging road series as FSU played at Clemson, ACC champion Duke and Wake Forest. But there’s no place like home, especially in the postseason and when the intensity of Howser’s crowds could ramp up the pressure on opposing teams.
Earning the No. 8 national seed also affirms FSU's turnaround, from 23 wins in 2023 to 42 victories this spring and being one of the ACC (and nation's) best teams.
Tickets will go on sale to Seminole Booster members on Monday at 2 p.m. and the public at 5 p.m. Go to Seminoles.com for more information.
FSU was projected as the No. 7 seed by D1baseball.com and the No. 8 seed by Baseball America on Sunday morning. Those predictions proved accurate.
Jarrett feels the caliber of opponents FSU will face in Stetson, UCF and Alabama will challenge the Seminoles. FSU split a pair of regular-season games with Stetson.
"I think our regional is as hard as anybody's," Jarrett said. "You have three really, really good teams coming in here. Stetson is a strong team. UCF, talented. Two of our former Notre Dame players are on UCF's squad. Rich (Wallace) was with me at Notre Dame. He was with us at Florida State last year. Great recruiter, great coach. The University of Alabama, we played them in the fall. We know that roster. Everybody knows what they've been through in their league. ...
"I've hosted regionals at four different schools. And this is as tough as I've seen as a draw in a regional. These are four good teams. It will be tough start to finish."
After recent seasons where FSU was on the road for a regional — in 2019 at Georgia, 2021 at Ole Miss and 2022 at Auburn as well as missing the NCAA Tournament last year — the Seminoles are hosting a regional for the 36th time in program history. FSU was also an annual regional host from 2011-18.
The Seminoles are seeking to reach the College World Series for the first time since 2019. They have made 23 trips to Omaha.
UNC earned the No. 4 national seed, while Clemson earned the No. 6 seed.
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