Florida State’s third starting pitcher for this weekend remains to be determined. Coach Link Jarrett suggested a few options, potentially an "opener," but likes keeping Conner Whittaker in the midweek role for the moment.

FSU (7-0) opens play in the First Pitch Invitational in Greenville, S.C., on Friday at 2 p.m. against Illinois. Right-hander Cam Leiter (2-0) has 21 strikeouts in 10 innings and will get the start against the Illini (3-5), who have faced a tough schedule and lost to No. 1 Wake Forest 5-2 and No. 25 Coastal Carolina 17-9 in weekend games.

Whittaker has pitched the last two Tuesday nights and from a rest standpoint will remain in that role, which also is a need as FSU will play a pair of midweek games against Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Jarrett said FSU coaches need to get Yoel Tejeda back out on the mound, but that it’s not clear if that opportunity could be as a starter or reliever. Tejeda gave up two earned runs on three walks in a rough start against Western Carolina on Sunday.

“Clearly Tejeda was not at all what we had seen,” Jarrett said. “Not at all. He didn’t throw a strike. But there’s more in the tank. He’s going to have to factor into this. When we get through the first two days, let’s just see where we stand.”

Jarrett offered up a number of options for a Sunday starting role, but of course it also depends on who the Seminoles use out of the bullpen on Friday and Saturday. He suggested left-handers Brady Louck, Hudson Rowan, Andrew Armstrong or Carson Dorsey as well as right-hander Ben Barrett could be candidates to start or pitch a few innings on Sunday.

FSU will play Illinois on Friday at 2 p.m. in a three-day tournament in Greenville, S.C. The Seminoles will follow that up with a game Saturday vs. Michigan State (6 p.m.), with left-hander Jamie Arnold on the mound, and Sunday vs. Western Michigan (2 p.m.). All three games will stream live on the Greenville Drive YouTube channel (free).

Michigan State (3-5) has struggled but took a midweek win 19-6 at Georgia in seven innings on Wednesday. Western Michigan (6-2) also won all four games at Pepperdine and split four neutral-site games with Michigan.

“You're essentially doing three times the work to get ready for the game,” Jarrett said. “You might be able to eliminate the non-starters for your opponent but you really have to assess the entire bullpen. And then as the weekend goes on, you can start to trim some of the bullpen guys from your later opponents based on their workload.

“But it is a lot of work and you do have to attack these things. Kind of one game at a time although the preparation is far deeper. I like these early in the season. It gives you a regional feel.”

Follow The Osceola on Facebook

Follow The Osceola on Twitter

Subscribe to the Osceola's YouTube channel

Subscribe to the Osceola's podcasts on Apple