With one win in hand, the Florida State baseball team is through into the winner's bracket of the Tallahassee Regional. Next up? A Saturday night (8 p.m. on ESPN+) matchup vs. third-seeded UCF for a spot in the regional championship game.
FSU will turn to its ace, sophomore pitcher Jamie Arnold (10-3, 2.45 ERA) for the winner's bracket game against the in-state opponent. UCF will counter with senior righty Ben Vespi (4-3, 4.44), who has pitched 75 innings for the Knights this season, allowing 75 hits and 27 walks with 71 strikeouts.
FSU and UCF did not play this season, but the Seminoles are 39-9 all-time against the Knights and 27-5 in home games vs. UCF. This will be the first time FSU head coach Link Jarrett has coached against UCF head coach Rich Wallace, his former assistant at both FSU and Notre Dame.
With a raucous atmosphere expected inside Dick Howser Stadium Saturday evening, we'll be sharing updates in our game thread once the game gets underway from Tallahassee.