Florida State didn’t earn a top-8 national seed on Monday afternoon. But the Seminoles also won’t have to face an SEC team in the Tallahassee Regional this weekend.
FSU (38-17) will play host to Coastal Carolina, Northern Illinois and St. John’s in a four-team regional that begins on Friday at Dick Howser Stadium. The Seminoles will open up against St. John’s on Friday at 3 p.m. (ACC Network). Coastal Carolina is the No. 2 seed in the regional and will face No. 3 seed Northern Illinois at 8 p.m. (ESPN+).
“It’s difficult to get into a regional, it’s difficult to host. I’m proud of the team,” FSU coach Link Jarrett said. “We’ve faced a lot of adversity. I’m sure there’s teams that would state that for their programs as well. All I can tell you is we dealt with a lot. Our schedule from start to finish was very challenging. I think that helped us.
“We had some moments that we absorbed some blows. I think some of those blows clearly kept us from being a top-8 seed. But it’s hard to be in this position.”
Coastal Carolina (37-21) has played a difficult schedule, losing to Texas but also defeating Ole Miss at a tournament in Houston. The Chants also split some midweek contests against quality competition, losing to NC State but taking two of three games vs. Wake Forest while also routing North Carolina (12-2) and splitting a pair of games against Clemson.
Northern Illinois (35-17) won the Mid-American Conference, outscoring its opponents 32-9 in four tournament games.
St. John’s (33-24) claimed the Big East title for the second time in three years. Catcher/first baseman Adam Agresti leads the Red Storm with 17 home runs and 48 RBI.
Jarrett said he had not determined if ace left-hander Wes Mendes would start against St. John’s on Friday or would pitch on Saturday. Often, Jarrett has opted to save FSU’s ace for the team’s second game. Regardless, Mendes is excited for the weekend.
“I'm stoked. Last year, postseason was probably the most fun game I've ever participated in,” Mendes said. “The atmosphere out here is electric. Nothing beats it. The Animals are going to be rowdy, so it's going to be a fun time for sure.”
FSU, Alabama could be paired up in Supers
The Seminoles would be paired up with Alabama in a best-of-three Super Regional, should those teams advance. If FSU and Alabama win regionals, the Seminoles will travel for the Super Regional.
In order, the national seeds: UCLA, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Auburn, North Carolina, Texas, Alabama and Florida.
NCAA Tournament field
FSU faced a large number of teams that will play in the NCAA Tournament (full 64-team bracket, broken up by regionals). Georgia Tech, Florida and Auburn earned top-8 national seeds. The Seminoles also played the likes of Miami, Wake Forest and Nebraska. Miami will play in the Gainesville Regional as a No. 2 seed.
This is the third straight season that FSU is hosting a regional. The Seminoles advanced to the Super Regional in 2025, losing at Oregon State. FSU is seeking its second trip to the College World Series under coach Link Jarrett (the team went 2-2 at Omaha in 2024).
FSU, Georgia and North Carolina are all hosting a regional for a third straight season, the only schools nationally to do so.
Ticket information
All-session tickets for the 2026 NCAA Tallahassee Regional will go on sale on Monday on Seminoles.com/Tickets. Tickets will be available to Seminole Booster members at 2 p.m. ET, and to the general public at 5 p.m. Phone and walk-up orders will begin on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. by calling 888-378-6653 or visiting the main ticket office located at Doak Campbell Stadium, University Center C.
All-session tickets are $60 for reserved seats and $45 for general admission.
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