Notebook: FSU's strong resiliency set to be tested again in loser's bracket

Omaha, Neb. -- Link Jarrett warned his team about exactly how all-encompassing an experience the College World Series can be.

Even he may not have had an idea exactly how far that would carry over during the team's contractual lunch event with the American Legion and Kiwanis Club on Saturday afternoon.

After FSU's brutal walk-off 12-11 loss Friday night at Charles Schwab Field in its CWS opener, the Seminoles were forced to deal with an unfortunately present reminder of the loss during the event.

"In the backdrop behind one of the speakers was the end of the game playing on ESPN," Jarrett said to a group of FSU reporters Saturday afternoon. "It's in your face here. Everything that happens here is a life experience and last night was clearly tough. They're going to be ok, but shaking off what happened is not easy for any athlete.

"On this stage, it's out there for the world to see. When it goes well, that's exciting and you remember it. When it doesn't go your way, you clearly have to absorb and handle those wounds. They were tough and deep last night, when you feel like you're on the verge of positioning yourself to do what we came here to do and then you're backed into a corner a little bit. It can still be done, but the last 20 minutes of that were very difficult."

The response of this FSU team has been an impressive trait put on display pretty frequently throughout the season. Time and time again, the Seminoles have responded to their rare bits of adversity with impressive resiliency.

Doing that again on Sunday (2 p.m. on ESPN) vs. Virginia with its season on the line will prove to be probably the biggest test of FSU's resolve so far in 2024 after the Seminoles were one strike away from advancing into the winner's bracket with a win over Tennessee on Friday night.

"The determination that we know we're never out of a ball game. You have to get all 27 outs and you've got to fight until the last pitch of the game. Kind of staying with that, knowing that, that our offense keeps us in every single ball game is a good feeling," FSU outfielder Jaime Ferrer said after Friday's loss about what has allowed the Seminoles to respond well this season. "And it's the leadership that we have and the grit and the love we have for each other. We can't give up on each other. We gotta keep pushing. At the end it's a team ball game. You have to play for the guy next to you. That's how you win ball games and stack good at-bats together."

Jarrett said Saturday that the pitchers went through their varying routines in a practice of sorts to get themselves game ready for Sunday's game against the Cavaliers. However, he gave the offensive players the day off from hitting in the cages, knowing they'll be out there doing that Sunday morning before the elimination game.

He encouraged all his players to use their Saturday night however they feel it will best prepare them for trying to keep their season alive Sunday afternoon.

"Managing yourself and what you feel like you need is part of the experience of being an athlete in a situation like this," Jarrett said. "Some of the guys may want to go to the stadium and take (the Saturday night game) in. Some may not want to see that stadium until we start firing bullets (Sunday). Everybody has to manage their time. This is a learning process, especially for our team which has nobody on it that has competed in this. They'll use their time wisely today, I know. They have to think through what gets them ready to go."

A big stage and an extremely challenging opponent was more than enough adversity on its own for FSU ace Jamie Arnold in his start in the Seminoles' CWS opener vs. Tennessee on Friday.

It only made matters worse that he was dealing with an injury suffered the prior week under extremely unfortunate circumstances.

"Cut his thumb on the (super regional) trophy," Jarrett shared Saturday after the tidbit was shared on the ESPN broadcast during Friday's game. "We were dealing with that all week. It wasn't bad, but any time you have something going on with your finger, you battle... That's unfortunate that you get through that kind of excitement and then the whole week you're dealing with this poor guy who's got a little cut on his finger."

Arnold still was able to start and gave FSU five innings of work on 98 pitches, leaving the game with the Seminoles leading 9-6. But for the second straight week, the sophomore lefty was not at his sharpest. He allowed eight hits and six runs (four earned) and issued a season-high four walks.

A relatively small strike zone didn't help matters, but Arnold didn't appear to have his usually strong command, having issued 22 walks in 100.2 innings entering Friday.

However, Jarrett was less certain of how much the cut affected his start.

"I don't know that it affected him that much. I thought he settled in and got better, used his changeup more than he has in his last seven or eight starts combined which was good," Jarrett said. "That's a very talented, physical team and I thought he navigated it and pitched fine ... I thought he did enough to keep us in it. It wasn't flawlessly perfect of an outing from him, but it was enough."

The last two weeks, FSU elected to throw No. 2 starting pitcher Carson Dorsey in its opening games of the weekend and won both games, putting the Seminoles into the driver's seat with Arnold still to throw.

However, FSU flipped its order this week in Omaha, electing to throw Arnold in Game 1. After losing that game, the Seminoles now turn to Dorsey, a first-year junior-college transfer, trying to keep their season alive.

"I know it hasn't been flawless, but he's had some good wins against tough teams. And he has four pitches in play. Now finding those right out of the gate sometimes is the quest we have with him," Jarrett said. "When it starts to sync up, he's got a lot of weapons in play and handles the run game well. Tough kid so it's nice when he's starting."

Dorsey enters his start vs. Virginia riding a recent hot streak in the postseason. In two NCAA Tournament starts, Dorsey has allowed just two earned runs over 14 innings. He came one out away from a complete game vs. Stetson in FSU's regional opener.

However, both those starts came at home where he has a 2.19 ERA over 41 innings this season. Now Dorsey must perform away from Dick Howser Stadium, where he's posted a 8.25 ERA in road/neutral games this season.

Dorsey will also have to overcome some struggles from when FSU faced UVA in the ACC Tournament three weeks ago. In relief of Arnold, he allowed four runs on a pair of home runs and failed to record an out vs. the Cavaliers in the conference tournament.

The truth is that you never entirely know what you're going to get from a Dorsey start this season. That creates quite an intriguing situation as the junior will carry FSU's season on his left arm Sunday afternoon.

"He's grown and he's done well," Jarrett said of Dorsey. "Had some really good starts. If there's ever time for one, man, we need it."

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