Florida State delivered fireworks early with Myles Bailey and Brody DeLamielleure hitting home runs. The Seminoles’ bats were quiet most of the night until a wild eighth inning gave them some insurance runs.
Bailey and DeLamielleure hit solo home runs in the first two innings as FSU edged James Madison 5-1 in front of a packed house of 6,700 fans at Dick Howser Stadium.
JMU reliever Adam Horvath, who just entered the game in the eighth inning and inherited the bases loaded, balked as he finished his delivery and Cal Fisher scored. Pinch-hitter Noah Sheffield then rifled Horvath’s first pitch up the middle for a two-run single.
“The work that I put in, I'm grateful that he put me in that situation to be able to come through for my team,” Sheffield said.
It was an exclamation point to a fun opening day for the Seminoles, who are viewed as one of the top teams in the ACC.
The Marching Chiefs played and welcomed each of the Seminoles to the field as the reserves and starters were announced. Their performance gave the first day of baseball an Opening Ceremonies feel.
Wes Mendes soon took the mound and battled, delivering five shutout innings in a less-than-efficient outing.
After a 1-2-3 first inning, Mendes dealt with traffic on the bases in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings. But the left-hander escaped from each unscathed, stranding runners in scoring position in three innings.
Mendes tossed 75 pitches, about as far as Link Jarrett and Micah Posey could have pushed the ace in mid-February. He had seven strikeouts, gave up one walk and hit a batter, throwing 51 strikes.
“Wes was sharp, you’re talking about four or five good pitches,” Jarrett said. “I thought he did a nice job of navigating. I thought he found himself in trouble consistently and was able to make some big pitches and get some strikeouts to reset the inning.”
Bailey had a first-pitch, no-doubt home run in his first-at bat of 2026. The sophomore’s shot cleared the right-center-field fence with ease and was estimated at 425 feet, his 20th career home run at FSU. He also had a single, a walk and a strikeout.
DeLamielleure then added a home run in the second on a 2-0 pitch. He and Bailey each went 2 for 3. Sheffield matched the two RBI that he had in eight at-bats as a freshman in 2025.
The Seminoles were just 1 for 9 with runners on base going into the eighth inning.
FSU’s pitchers accumulated 14 strikeouts, with right-hander John Abraham contributing three in 1.1 innings and Brodie Purcell adding four more in two shutout innings. Abraham gave up a walk and an earned run, while Purcell allowed two walks.
“We pitched fairly well start to finish,” Jarrett said.
FSU’s starters
The infield on Opening Day: 3B Carter McCulley, SS Cal Fisher, 2B Gabe Fraser and 1B Myles Bailey. The outfield: LF Brayden Dowd, CF Chase Williams, RF Brody DeLamielleure. Catcher: Hunter Carns, DH: John Stuetzer.
Dowd showed his range early, charging toward the right-field line to record a flyout in the first inning. Fraser turned a double play in the eighth. McCulley ended the game with a diving snare to his right before firing to first for the out.
Up next
FSU plays host to JMU on Saturday at 2 p.m. (ACC Network Extra). The teams will play on Sunday at 1 p.m., weather permitting. That game will also be on ACC Network Extra.
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