In a sport of failure, Florida State’s hitters are far too often failing to even make contact.
The Seminoles’ 18 strikeouts in a 6-3 loss at Florida were a glaring, season-high number, and too often it happened with runners on base. FSU stranded a pair of runners in the sixth when Will Bavaro and Cal Fisher struck out swinging. And the Seminoles again stranded two runners in the eighth when Eli Putnam and Brody DeLamielleure struck out swinging.
But the strikeout totals have been an unfortunate trend for the Seminoles (13-3), who have whiffed eight or more times in nine games. In Link Jarrett’s view, it takes at-bats in games for hitters to be prepared for what they will see — and learn to make adjustments.
“The recognition, the pitch selection as you mature as a hitter and gain experience that comes with it,” Jarrett said. “Now, all the machines and all the stuff that we do, and all the video and all the training, you hope that helps. But real, in-game pitching, especially you had multiple guys throwing 100 miles an hour (at Florida).
“I had some of our former guys in big league camps saying, ‘Coach, we watched that game. Some of the stuff that was being thrown by both teams, we haven't seen that in our games.’ So you have to experience some of those things as a hitter, and then it gets into that data bank, and you can lean on that and become a little bit more comfortable.”
To Jarrett's point, FSU’s more experienced hitters have better walk-to-strikeout ratios. Myles Bailey has 20 walks and 16 strikeouts. Brayden Dowd has 11 walks and seven strikeouts. Bailey played at FSU in 2025, while Dowd played two seasons at Southern Cal. But besides freshman Will Bavaro (four strikeouts vs. four walks), all of FSU’s regulars have more strikeouts than walks.
There was always going to be a learning curve with the 2026 team, on the mound and at the plate. That’s the reality with 11 MLB draft picks last summer, including first-rounder Jamie Arnold and middle infielders Alex Lodise and Drew Faurot. Even removing Cam Leiter, who didn’t pitch last spring, FSU lost core members of the lineup, rotation and bullpen.
That learning curve has been felt at times on the mound. And it’s a major storyline to watch as the Seminoles open the ACC schedule with a three-game series at Wake Forest on Friday at 6 p.m. With so many freshmen and sophomores playing, will the Seminoles learn as they go, will they make adjustments and can they string hits together with runners on base?
The Seminoles have 121 strikeouts in 15 games, an average of 8.06 per game, which is surprisingly less than the 9.05 average in 2025. FSU’s strikeout totals this season have been high on weekends — 13 vs. Auburn, 14 vs. Nebraska — but also in midweek wins against North Florida (12) and Jacksonville (14) as well as the loss at Florida (18).
FSU is facing one of the best weekend rotations it will see in 2026 this weekend vs. Wake Forest. Right-handers Blake Morningstar (28 strikeouts, nine walks in 20 innings), Chris Levonas (41 strikeouts, six walks in 19.2 innings) and Duncan Marsten (29 strikeouts, three walks in 15.2 innings) have been tough to hit as Wake has built a 15-2 record and is coming off a weekend sweep of Stanford.
Jarrett said “this is high octane stuff on the mound.” He also recalled how college baseball has seen an uptick in pitching velocity through the years.
“The old thing was 90 (mph),” Jarrett said. “90 pressured hitters. Well, I think 95 is the new 90, it seems like. So when you start getting fastballs in that 95 to 100 range, your pure timing, it's threatening your ability to get yourself set and ready to go. … In most cases, hitters at any level are preparing for that fastball velocity.
“And then you try to work down in velocity through the repertoire of pitches, and to try to maintain your launch position, your hitting technique as the pitch slows, you still have a shot vs. almost being on time for something that's softer the fastball tends to run through you.”
FSU at Wake Forest
Friday’s game: 6 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
Saturday’s game: 4 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
Sunday’s game: 3 p.m. (ACC Network)
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